Water Source Heat Pumps

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Environmentally Engineered Equipment's water source heat pump is a self-contained water-cooled packaged heating and cooling units with a reversible refrigerant cycle. Depending on the model, components are typically enclosed in a common casing, and include a tube-in-tube heat exchanger, a heating/cooling coil, a compressor, a fan, a reversing valve and controls.

During the cooling mode, the tube-in-tube heat exchanger functions as a condenser and the coil as an evaporator. In the heating mode, the tube-in-tube heat exchanger functions as an evaporator and the coil as a condenser. A reversing valve is installed in the refrigerant circuit to permit the changeover from heating to cooling, and vice versa. The condenser and evaporator tubes are designed to accept hot and cold refrigerant liquid or gas.

Application Considerations

The water source heat pump is, by definition, a heat recovery system. It is best applied to buildings that have simultaneous cooling and heating loads. This is the case during winter months during which some units cool interior zones while others heat perimeter zones. The heat rejected by cooling units is used to warm the zones calling for heat. A boiler is used to warm condensing water during the peak heating periods, if necessary. Also, a cooling tower is required to reject the heat energy from the condenser water loop during periods of high cooling demand.

Another valuable benefit of water source heat pumps is that they can accommodate simultaneous calls from zones requiring heating or cooling. Depending on the climate, outside air may require preheat or cooling prior to being introduced to the unit. In the example of ceiling mounted water source heat pumps, put outside air ducts near each unit to improve indoor air quality.

Often, multiple units serve an occupied space, so, if one were to fail, the other units could back it up until the unit is repaired. The packaged design of most unit types allows quick change-out by service personnel so maintenance can be performed off site.

Advantages

Water Source Heat Pumps can save money and lower energy consumption by:

• recovering heat from building interior zones and "pumping" it to the perimeter of the building.
• isolating and shutting down unoccupied areas of the building.

Heat pump units are installed inside the building; they aren't exposed to the weather. This is especially important, for example, in coastal areas were the atmosphere can be very corrosive.

It's very flexible. The system can be subdivided or expanded into new zones to fit building remodeling or additions easily and inexpensively.