Field test investigation of a double-stage coupled heat pumps heating system for cold regions

This paper reports a double-stage coupled heat pumps (DSCHP) heating system, which couples air source heat pump (ASHP) and water source heat pump (WSHP) together. The system is presented for the first time in open literature with the objective to improve the working condition and heating performance of the ASHP tinder cold environment. A practical project in Beijing firstly installed this system and field test has been performed for one month. The test results indicate that the DSCHP system can be smoothly and efficiently used for heating in cold regions. Compared with the traditional ASHP heating system, the operating characteristics of the DSCHP heating system are greatly improved, demonstrating that the system can offer considerable application potential in cold regions. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved.