5 Ton GSHP Build

[AC_Hacker]

Originally Posted by randen

...Standard north American Pipe threads 1" 11-1/2 threads per inch. Supplied Chinese pipe threads 1" 11 threads per inch CLOSE !! Only out 1/2 a thread!!!but will not seal!!...

Any chance that you could braze to the inside of the HX water connector?

-AC

[randen]

Mikesolar

Has brought my attention to the fact that BSPT is a standard in other parts of the world like China and National Pipe Thread in north America. Even though I had spec-d a MNPT. Oh well!

There is a piece of brass that will make a jewel of an adaptor on its way.

Randen

[Daox]

Any updates on this?

[randen]

The update for the heat pump is this:

A piece of brass has arrived and been machined to the 1" BSPT!!! (British Standard Pipe Thread.)

Interesting, as I had consulted with the internet and the all important Machinist hand book the BSPT still left some variables. The thread form was indicated to be the British 55 Deg. or 60 Deg. !!! What do the words British Standard mean??

Anyway, after a close inspection, my BPHX had a 60 Deg. thread form. 4 hrs. later a handful of brass threaded adaptors.

These hopefully will thread on and pass the leak test!!!

As of this post most of the enclosure for the heat-pump has been made. The assembly of the new brass fittings followed by a leak-test.

From there install into the location, solder all the other connections wire up the 3 ph. and add the R290. then hold thy breath for the air-conditioning.

Randen

[randen]

The DIY Heat-pump is leak tested. Both the refrigerant side and water side are now holding pressure. The specialty British standard Male pipe thread adaptors worked flawlessly. The insulated boxes are fastened around the BPHX all is bolted into place. Now some tube wrap insulation and lets try it out!!!

Well the winter weather has passed me by, but air-conditioning season is at hand

Randen

Anyone check out the ECO-CUTE CO2 Heat-pumps COP 8 !!!

[AC_Hacker]

Originally Posted by randen

...Anyone check out the ECO-CUTE CO2 Heat-pumps COP 8 !!!

Yes, I looked on THIS_PAGE where it says, "Eco Cute is a heat pump system that generates hot water by recovering heat energy from any waste heat source."

COP 8 is definitely a good thing...

On this chart, which is from page #1 of the "Manifesto":

... if you look toward the left-ish side of the chart, where the input water temp was higher than the output water temp, the COP was bouncing around a lot, but if you squint, and imagine where the center-line would be, the COP was in the 6.5 to 7-ish range.

It all goes back to Carnot's theorem.

Best,

-AC

P.S.: Congratulations on passing the gas & water leak test!!

[randen]

Finally!!!

A kick-butt GSHP. Its about my 5th attempt but we have heat and lots at first glance. The surplus 5 ton 3 phase compressor turned out to be a dud!!! Oh how I hate practising placement and removal!!

It so happen for months I was watching the E-bay for another compressor and nothing was showing up with the criteria I needed. A compressor showed up finally but it is a 6.25 Ton 3 phase 240 volt. Ohhh (insert Tim Allen's Grunting here) bigger yet.

Its in. Its putting out a lot of heat. Going to need to moderate with the VFD no question.

Its not cold yet but it produced enough heat to warm the shop from 14 Deg C to 24 Deg C in 1 hr.

The water out of the HX to the air handler quickly climbed to 50 Deg C.
The amount of current draw indicates the compressor is pumping 5.2 tons

More tidying and that VFD is going to be very important. I will post further details a little later

Randen

[AC_Hacker]

Originally Posted by randen

Finally!!! A kick-butt GSHP. Its about my 5th attempt but we have heat and lots at first glance... Oh how I hate practising placement and removal!!

This is fantastic news! You certainly paid your dues on that machine. I know that you had your dark moments in this project, but you kept up the good fight, until you reached success.

I hope that on your next post you will include more photos of the heat pump itself.

Congratulations!

-AC

[Mikesolar]

Yeaaaaaaaaa

[randen]

Yahhh Heat!!!

I realize its not so cold out yet and the field loop is quite warm (14.5 Deg C) but this version is putting out some BTUs

The shop's temp. climbed from 14 to 22 Deg C in 2 hrs. The VFD (Variable Frequency Drive) must be employed to reduce the compressors out-put as the heat from the HX is going to exceed the red line. The combination of the air handler and circ-pump is not able to move the heat fast enough from the coolant to the shop air.

The best news is the flexibility offered to the system with the VFD. With a potentiometer I can adjust the RPM/output of the compressor infinitely.
I'm uncertain if there is a direct correlation between HP and BTU but the installation manuals for the compressors spec 5hp as 60k BTU or 5 ton

Utilizing this information I'm able to adjust from a 1.3 ton to 5.2 ton using the wattage usage as the indicator. It is so cool to see heat flowing into the shop at a rate of approx. equivalent to $90.00/month to heat the space.
(The oil man used to get me for $2800.00/ season. or $700.00/month)

This information can start you down some other paths such as a proportional heating/cooling control of Arduino development.

Yet to install, is some safety controls and changing the thermostat to a 5 & 2 day programmable for the shop temp. For now I will set the VFD to a level that will keep the temps in check.

On a more personal note, and I wouldn't want to discourage anyone from making their own heat-pump, but this one, almost wrestled me to the ground.

Trying to recycle junk into a working efficient device and being under pressure as your soul heating unit is daunting. (previous oil furnace and tank had to be removed because of new oil storage compliance rules)

For my project, several unforeseen events reared their untimely ugliness. for example: Having a working heat-pump operating nicely supervised for many hrs.then taking a diner break to return finding a solid block of ice were your HX used to be. It seems a lowly air bubble somewhere in the field loop had found its way to the circ.pump and stopped the process freezing and splitting the HX. As well as the junk surplus 5 Ton compressor. It did arrive with the rubber plugs and a charge of nitrogen and oil. But it didn't move any refrigerant. My guess is it may have been dropped in shipment and bent the shaft inside or damaged the scroll. I spent hrs. Is the TXV wrong? is the HX blocked-up some how? Was I running it backwards?? This project was riddled with these strange un-lucky occurrences.

The amount of time invested was enormous. I had struggled with the amount of time invested in this project, if applied, to my day-time job it would have bought me a tested, new with warranty, water to water, commercially made heat-pump. Yes, I still built this heat-pump for a song but it remains, it was grueling.

Randen

The photos are the shop thermometer indicating 21.1 deg. C (and an outside temp of 6 Deg. C) after shutting the heat off at the end of the day. (It actually hit 23.6 Deg.C) There's an other thermometer in the air-flow across the shop from the air handler and it was reading 26 Deg.C
The powerflex VFD indicating 20 & 45 Herts. (full infinite control) And the heatpumps reduced output of 30 Deg.C