Any thoughts on this thermo-acoustic heat pump
user-2310254
| Posted in Green Products and Materials on
Saw this blurb for a new type of heat pump from Blue Hearth Energy. (See https://www.pv-magazine.com/2022/06/29/thermo-acoustic-heat-pump-for-residential-applications/ for more.) Curious if anyone is familiar with this technology.
GBA Detail Library
A collection of one thousand construction details organized by climate and house part
Search and download construction details
Replies
This is an exciting technology to watch, but it's a research project not a product available to buy.
"Blue Heart Energy plans to test the first devices in real houses in 2023."
It's interesting from the perspective of avoiding high GWP refrigerants, but I don't know whether the cost and performance will be competitive.
Very interesting! There was no mention of COP in the attributes listed which leads me to believe the COP is worse than existing heat pumps.
“The thermo-acoustic heat pump is especially suitable for this given its excellent modulating capability and its temperature flexibility,” the TNO spokesperson said. “When using the thermo-acoustic heat pump in combination with PV, the energy required to drive the heat pump can be taken mainly from the PV-panels, leading to fossil-free heat generation. In the future, smart controls to optimize the efficient use of PV panels and potentially sustainable heat or cold sources are expected.”
I noticed the lack of efficiency info as well. Maybe they are targeting applications or use cases where that is less important. But who knows…