Simulation study of a heat pump for simultaneous heating and cooling coupled to buildings

•Simulations of a heat pump for simultaneous heating and cooling coupled to buildings.•Introduction of the RSN, a new index for simultaneous heating and cooling needs.•Choice of a building, target for the heat pump.•Choice of a refrigerant, performance and environmental impact.•Choice of a strategy for DHW production.

In several situations, a heat pump for simultaneous heating and cooling (HPS) can be installed advantageously in buildings where simultaneous needs occur. Unlike a reversible heat pump that works alternatively in heating or cooling, a HPS operates under three modes: a heating mode, a cooling mode and a simultaneous mode.In this article, different types of buildings are simulated using Trnsys software to identify their needs for heating, cooling and domestic hot water production (DHW). The introduction of a ratio of simultaneous needs in heating and cooling (RSN) can qualify buildings in relation to the appropriateness of a HPS. Three kinds of buildings are investigated (a low-energy building, an office building, and a retail space) under three different climatic conditions in France.As the design of a heat pump is highly dependent on the refrigerant properties, models of small-to-medium HPS using R407C, R290 and HFO1234yf are developed. Results of experimental tests on a 15 kW-heating-capacity HPS working with R407C were used to validate the numerical models of components and global model. Finally, a co-solving technique using two environments (EES and Trnsys) is used to compare the performance of the different refrigerants coupled to the building having the best RSN.