Experimental Investigations on the Performance of a Water Heater Using Waste Heat from an Air Conditioning System

Energy is one of the basic requirements for the existence and development of human life. The focus is now shifting to energy conservation due to the problems associated with conventional energy sources. This project introduces a novel water heater product that can achieve the multi-functions with improved energy performance. This paper deals with experimental investigations on the performance of a water heater, which uses waste heat from a 1.5 tonne air conditioner. Thus incorporation of a water heater in the outdoor unit of a split-type air-conditioner would result in simultaneous room space cooling and water heating. The experimental results showed that the water heater is capable of producing 88 litres of hot water in one hour of time with a temperature of 52°C. It is seen that up to 37°C of hot water temperature, COP of the waste heat recovery system is more than the COP of conventional air conditioner. But after 37°C, with the increase in hot water temperature, the COP of the waste heat recovery system decreases and becomes less than the COP of conventional air conditioner.