Air to water heat pump: how it works

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Airflow-M 5-20 Monobloc Wärmepumpe Außenmodule Parade | Hargassner

A marvel of technology

This is how an air to water heat pump works

Whether you’re building or renovating: If you’re considering installing or modernising your heating system, heat pumps are an unavoidable topic – after all, they’re being touted as a climate-friendly alternative to oil and gas heating. Hargassner offers you highly efficient air to water heat pumps in monobloc design. Unlike split units, monobloc heat pumps have all the main components in one unit – so you benefit from particularly simple, cost-effective and space-saving installation, as well as low-maintenance and safe operation.

Here’s a closer look at how air-to-water heat pumps work.

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How a heat pump works, step by step

A true marvel of technology, an air-to-water heat pump uses a free and inexhaustible source of energy – the ambient air. The way a heat pump works is similar to the way a refrigerator functions, only in reverse. Here’s how it works: The heat pump extracts thermal energy, i.e. heat, from the environment. This thermal energy is raised to a higher temperature level and used by means of a refrigeration cycle.

This process requires electricity; however, because a large part of the energy needed to drive the pump is taken directly from the ambient air, heat pumps are considered to be extremely energy efficient.

The refrigeration cycle

The refrigeration circuit is the most important when considering how a heat pump. In monobloc units, the entire refrigerant circuit is contained within a single housing, making installation simpler and often less expensive, as well as ensuring low maintenance and more flexible operation.

The processes in this closed circuit are used to bring the recovered heat to the required temperature level.

The refrigerant circuit runs in four constantly repeating steps:

1. Vaporisation

In an air to water heat pump, a fan draws in the ambient air and passes it through the evaporator, where a refrigerant flows, which vaporises even at very low temperatures. The refrigerant becomes gaseous due to the heat of the ambient air – this works even at low outside temperatures of down to -25 °C.

2. Compressinon

The refrigerant, now in gaseous form, flows further to the compressor. Here, the pressure is increased by mechanical work to reach the required operation temperature.

3. Condensation

The generated heat is transferred to the heat distribution and storage system via a condenser (heat exchanger). The heat can now be used for heating purposes. The refrigerant condenses again, i.e., it changes from a gaseous to a liquid state.

4. Expansion

The condensed refrigerant is then expanded to the initial pressure and cools down further. The cycle can then starts over from the beginning.

Wide range of applications

Heat pumps are true all-rounders: The classic application is as a heating system – heat can be distributed via underfloor heating, wall heating or radiators. The recovered heat energy can also be used to heat domestic hot water. Additionally, on hot days, the heat pump’s function can be reversed to cool the living space, making it an environmentally friendly air conditioner in summer.

Hargassner - Your expert in heat pumps

Rely on forward-thinking technology: With a heat pump, you benefit from particularly low operating and maintenance costs. Additionally, you become independent of fossil fuels and contribute to environmental and climate protection. Heat pumps are suitable for both new and existing properties.

Which heat pump model suits your individual requirements? Get in touch with a contact partner in your area right away, our experts will be happy to advise you and work with you to find the perfect solution.

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