STEAM-GENERATING HEAT PUMPS USING MULTI-STAGE CENTRIFUGAL COMPRESSORS FOR INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS
Feasibility of steam-generating heat pumps for industrial applications is investigated. The heat pump system uses water as refrigerant, and it includes a multi-stage centrifugal compressor with water atomization cooling at the intra-stage of the compressor. A component test apparatus is developed to validate design methodology of steam compressor operating under high negative pressures (less than 20kPa absolute) and to check the effectiveness of water atomization cooling. Test results show that compressor performance satisfies the system requirements, and that water atomization cooling can lower steam temperature effectively.