Simulation Research on the Heating Performance of the Combined System of Solar Energy and Heat-Source Tower Heat Pump in a Hot Summer and Cold Winter Area

Three connection methods for the combined heating systems of a closed-type heat-source tower heat pump (CHTHP) and solar collector (SC) were proposed in this paper: the heat-source tower (HST) and solar collector were connected in series (HST+SC), and the solar collector and heat pump (HP) condenser were connected in series (SC+HP) and in parallel (SC//HP). The calculation module of the closed heat-source tower was built using programming software based on C++ language, and three corresponding calculation models of the combined heating systems were established in the TRNSYS. Under the climatic conditions of the cold season in Changsha, the combined heating performance of the three systems was simulated and analyzed. The results indicate that the simulation results of the established models are in good agreement with the test results, and the simulation results can be used for the research of the system’s combined heating performance. When the outdoor air temperature and solar radiation intensity are low, the HST+SC system has the best heating performance; however, when the solar radiation intensity and ambient temperature are high, the heating performance of the SC//HP system is the best. When the solar radiation intensity and outdoor air temperature are between the previous two working conditions, the SC+HP system is the best performer for heating among the three systems. On the basis of the collector area and heat pump power designed in this study, the best operating condition interval diagrams of the three combined heating systems are established.