glossary
Glossaire
- Heat pump
- Compressor
- Evaporator
- Condenser
- Refrigerant liquid
- COP
- Short Cycle
- Loop heater
- Heat emitter
- Low temperature radiant heating floor
- Fan-coil units
- Mixed system, radiant heating floor + radiators
- Geothermal energy
- Sunken sensors
- Horizontal loop
- Vertical or geothermal loop
- Glycoled water
- TRN
A heat pump which provides both heating and cooling is called a reversible heat pump. The heat pump is a thermodynamic machine made up of a closed and water tight circuit through which circulates a refrigerant fluid, in liquid or gas form depending on which parts it passes through (the evaporator, compressor, condenser and the expansion valve).
Compressor
This is the heart of the thermodynamic machine. It enables energy drawn at low temperature (from the air, water or ground) to be transformed into energy which can be used by a heating system.
Evaporator
A heat exchanger which allows energy to be recovered from the loop.
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A heat exchanger which allows energy to be given back to a radiant heating floor or another heat emitter.
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Refrigerant fluid
A fluid, confined within the heat pump, which enables heat to be transferred during phase changes (gas, liquid).
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COP
The COP, coefficient of performance, is the ratio of the output heat in relation to the power supplied (in Watts). The higher the COP, the more powerful the machine. A unit which has a COP of 4 will give back 4 times more energy (in Watts) than it uses.
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Short Cycle
A short cycle is the frequent stopping and starting of the compressor. These short cycles may damage the service life of the compressor; in fact, a compressor is damaged more when it starts up than during operation.
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Loop heater
This is an electrical heater which ensures additional heating for air-to-water heat pumps when the outdoor temperature is low. The back up takes the increase in capacity into account without overgauging the unit.
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Heat emitter
A unit located in the rooms of the house which gives off the heat from the heating system.
Radiators, radiant heating floors and fan coil units are all heat emitters.
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Low temperature radiant heating floor
A heating device which is integrated into a concrete slab. This emitter is gauged so that the temperature given off by its surface is moderate (about 23°C).
Fan coil units
Hot or cold water produced by the heat pump (depending on the season) circulates through a network of isolated piping that supplies the fan coil units in the house. This type of emitter allows the occupant to control the level of comfort in each of the rooms. It also has the added advantage of filtering the indoor air in your house and dehumidifying it in summer.
Mixed system, radiant heating floor + radiators
The installation of a mixed system with a radiant heating floor + radiators or fan coil units is of course possible. A radiant heating floor and radiators or fan coil units don't work off the same water temperature conditions; it is therefore necessary to add a mixing tank to the installation to obtain two different water temperatures. This tank can be provided as an accessory.
Geothermal energy
This is the recovery of the energy stored just beneath the ground. The origin of this energy resource is essentially the sun.
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Sunken sensors
Polyethylene pipes sunken into the ground and through which runs a heat transmitting fluid which takes energy from the ground. They can be horizontal or vertical. In the case of the latter, we talk about geothermal sensors and they contain a mixture of water and antifreeze.
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Horizontal loop
A network of sunken pipes which allows energy to be drawn from the ground and carried to the heat pump. The loop is installed at a depth of 60 to 120 cm depending on the region (below the frost line). The low-density polyethylene pipes are installed over a surface area 1.5 to 2 times that of the surface area to be heated.
The borehole is made up of a two U-shaped pipes. The number and depth of the boreholes differ according to the capacity of the sensor. Generally, the boreholes have a depth of 50 to 100 meters.
Glycoled water
Water which has had an antifreeze liquid added to it and which runs through the sunken sensors around the house to withdraw energy.
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NRT
2005 thermal regulation norm.
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