Performance evaluation method of heat pump driven refrigerated display cabinets

Annual heat load, energy consumption and COP of open refrigerated display cabinets (ORDC) driven by heat pump in supermarkets are assessed by means of a dedicated performance evaluation method. The system modelling approach is firstly presented, and subsequently fitted to experimental data measured within actual equipment working in a comprehensive range of operative conditions. The obtained characteristic equations for estimating the heat load of the ORDC and energy consumption of the condensing unit are employed for a first screening of the results with reference to the effect of the display cabinet set temperature, refrigerant evaporating temperature and supermarket room temperature. Seasonal temperature distributions of three representative locations are applied for the performance calculation of a selected arrangement of 5 different models of ORDCs in a store. This methodology is integrated in a dedicated software, with a user friendly interface, which is generally capable of predicting the annual performance of various combinations of different ORDCs and can therefore be used for benchmarking and identifying energy conservation opportunities.