Heat Pumps for Heating and Cooling

In Heat Pumps for Heating and Cooling, you'll learn ...

• Heat pump applications, theory of operation and major components
• Types of heat pumps and their relative merits
• Pros and cons of horizontal vs. vertical loops and open vs. closed loop systems
• Heat pump sizing considerations and design cautions
• Site selection, installation and commissioning considerations

Overview

Preview a portion of this course before purchasing it.

Credit: 6 PDH

Length: 82 pages

A heat pump is an electric device which extracts heat from the air, ground or water and transfers it into a building. Heat pumps are one of the most effective ways of heating water and indoor air while at the same time providing cooling (e.g. air conditioning), making them ideal for use in places where both air conditioning and heating are required.

A heat pump uses the principles of the vapor compression refrigeration cycle to transfer heat from one place to another exactly same way as an air conditioner does. The beauty of these systems is that they use the same refrigeration cycle for heating and cooling. Using a reversing valve, they change the coil serving as the condenser and the one serving as the evaporator. In cooler climates, people often purchase heat pumps for use only as heaters. These units draw the heat from the ground or air and are often used commercially to heat offices and large apartment communities.

Their reputation started to grow since 2008, when heat pump sales began increasing significantly in the United States and the Scandinavian countries. In some European countries heat pumps have already taken a significant proportion of the market for heating appliances and this is likely to be a long-term trend.

There are three main types of heat pumps:

• Air Source - energy is extracted from the ambient air.
• Ground Source - energy in the soil is extracted either by transferring heat from a horizontal bed of pipes laid flat in the soil or by transferring heat from pipes laid in a vertical borehole.
• Water Source - energy in the water is extracted directly, either from wells or from rivers or streams.

This 6-hour course provides you with a fundamental knowledge of heat pumps so that you can make more informed decisions in choosing the correct system. The course covers the fundamentals, components, applications, and installation of air source and geothermal heat pumps. Prior knowledge and a basic background in refrigeration and air conditioning will be helpful.

Specific Knowledge or Skill Obtained

This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:

• The difference between a heat pump and an air conditioning unit
• Basic principles of refrigeration and the heat pump cycle
• Operation of the heat pump reversing valve
• The reversed cycle in the heating mode and cooling mode
• Various types and classifications of heat pump systems
• The function of air source heat pumps in space heating and water heating applications
• The principles of geothermal heat pumps including ground source and water source applications
• The thermal balance point and when to apply auxiliary heat and defrost
• The principal parts, components, controls and accessories of heat pumps

Certificate of Completion

You will be able to immediately print a certificate of completion after passing a multiple-choice quiz consisting of 30 questions. PDH credits are not awarded until the course is completed and quiz is passed.