Optimization of a vapor compression heat pump for satellite cooling

• Heat pump is optimized for vapor compression heat pumps for satellite cooling.
• Refrigerant R152a found to be a good working fluid.
• System optimized for an oil-free scroll compressor.
• Source code provided as Supplemental information.

In recent years the heat fluxes that must be removed from aerospace electrical systems have been steadily increasing, motivating the use of vapor compression heat pumps to cool the electrical components.The heat pump system considered here is a conventional four-component heat pump that uses an oil-free scroll compressor in place of the oil-lubricated compressor that is more often employed for terrestrial applications.The first part of this study considers the fluid selection, and refrigerant R152a is found to be a good choice. This study then delves into the detailed performance analysis of the oil-free scroll compressors that are envisaged to be used in this 12 kW system, with predicted COP over 4.0. Finally, the entire operating envelope of the heat pump system is considered, including variations in electrical load and seasonal variations in the radiative environmental temperature.The source code for the analysis presented here and that of PDSim are provided as supplemental information.