Experimental and Simulation Study on the Performance of a Solar Assisted Multi-Source Heat Pump Drying System in Zhengzhou Area

Abstract

To further improve solar energy utilization and optimize performance of the combined drying system, a solar assisted multi-source heat pump (SMSHP) drying system was proposed based on a commonly used solar assisted air source heat pump (SASHP) drying system. The simulation models were developed for the air source heat pump (ASHP), SASHP, and SMSHP drying system using TRNSYS simulation software respectively to obtain the operating characteristics of the three drying systems under different seasons. And the coefficient of performance (COP), energy consumption and specific moisture extraction rate (SMER) of these drying systems were simulated and analyzed. To validate the simulation models, an experimental platform of the solar combined heat pump drying system was designed and set up, and experimental test were carried out on the ASHP, SASHP, and SMSHP drying system. The experimental results were compared with that of the simulation analyses. The simulation study revealed that the SMSHP drying system had lower energy consumption and higher COP and SMER than the SASHP drying system under different seasonal conditions. The most significant performance enhancement was observed in spring, where the SMSHP system demonstrated a 22.69% increase in COP, a 19.2% increase in SMER, and a 16.11% decrease in energy consumption compared to the SASHP drying system. The experimental results showed that the simulation model errors for the energy consumption, COP, and SMER of the SMSHP drying system were 3.19%, 0.28%, and 2.27%, respectively. Therefore, the simulation models were validated. This paper provides valuable insights into the comprehensive utilization of solar energy and the control logic of solar assisted air source heat pump combined drying systems across different seasons.

Keywords: solar energy, air source, multi-heat source, heat pump, drying