Thermodynamic analysis on an instantaneous water heating system of shower wastewater source heat pump

Water reuse and desalination systems are energy intensive processes, and their increasing use is leading energy consumption within water systems to be an increasingly important issue. Shower wastewater contains large amounts of heat, so there is an opportunity to recover energy from shower water to offset energy consumption elsewhere in water systems. This paper found ways to increase the output of hot water and lower the energy consumption by establishing a thermodynamic model of an instantaneous wastewater source heat pump. The system proved to be very effective, the heating COP (coefficient of performance) can reach 3.3 even in the winter. Under the conditions of limited heat transfer area, reducing the suction pressure of a compressor is a more feasible way to increase the hot water output to meet the needs of users rather than increasing the discharge pressure. Besides, increasing the heat transfer area of the evaporator is a more effective option. When the heat transfer area of evaporator varies from 0.5 to 1.0 square meters, a notable change is that the heating COP increases from 3.283 to 3.936. The heating COP in a system with a recuperator can reach 5.672, almost double that compared to the original systems.