Temperature Measurements on Operating Heat Pumps

摘要

With increasing energy costs, the efficiency of many domestic appliances becomes important. One of the largest domestic power consuming appliances is the heat pump. These devices are used in most heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in the southern parts of the United States. As such, improved methods of identifying the performance and temperature profile of operating systems are needed to verify numerical codes and identify possible design flaws. To this end, two temperature measurement techniques were evaluated. The first of these techniques was phosphor thermometry. Through the use of phosphor (La{sub}2O{sub}2S:Eu) coatings non contact surface temperature measurements can be made. This technique was used first on a stationary target, and later on a rotating target. The second method was the use of Flir Systems ThermaCAM S65 inferred camera. This method allowed for quick two dimensional temperature profiles, but lack of knowledge of the surface emissivity minimized the accuracy of the measurements. In general, this technique provided a general idea of the temperature profile if not the exact temperatures.