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Decarbonizing district energy: leveraging CO2 heat pumps at UBC Okanagan (Theoretical evaluation).

Number: 1307

Author(s) : ESLAMI-NEJAD P., SEABROOK J., RICHARDSON C., SHAW M., AGRAWAL N.

Summary

The University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO) district energy systems are well positioned for decarbonization using heat pump technology, leveraging the region's very green power grid. UBCO has two district energy distribution systems serving the main campus: a medium-temperature district energy system (MDES) that distributes at 80°C, and an ambient low-temperature district energy system (LDES) designed for energy sharing, with supply temperatures maintained in a range of 8 to 25°C. The LDES presents a unique opportunity for CO2-based heat pumps, offering environmental benefits over conventional refrigerants and improved efficiency. A 1.5MW reversible air source heat pump manufactured by Vitalis serves this purpose, operating in subcritical mode for heating and transcritical mode for cooling. Initial assessments indicate that the heat pump could achieve an average annual COP of 3.5 in heating, displacing 430,000 m3 of natural gas and offsetting CO2 emissions by over 815 metric tons annually.

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Pages: 8 p.

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Details

  • Original title: Decarbonizing district energy: leveraging CO2 heat pumps at UBC Okanagan (Theoretical evaluation).
  • Record ID : 30032778
  • Languages: English
  • Subject: Environment
  • Source: 16th IIR-Gustav Lorentzen Conference on Natural Refrigerants (GL2024). Proceedings. University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA, August 11-14 2024
  • Publication date: 2024/08
  • DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18462/iir.gl2024.1307

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