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Mechanical Engineering vocabulary · HVAC

Heat pump

Meaning in mechanical engineering, with examples

nounCommon term

In mechanical engineering, heat pump means: A device that uses a refrigeration cycle to move heat from a cooler place, such as outdoor air or the ground, to a warmer place for heating, or the other way round for cooling.

In Turkish: ısı pompası

How it is used

Used in buildings and industry as an efficient alternative to boilers. Common types are air-source, ground-source and water-source heat pumps. Performance is given as COP (coefficient of performance): a COP of 3 means 3 kW of heat for 1 kW of electricity.

Example sentences

  1. The air-source heat pump has a COP of about 3.5 at an outdoor temperature of 7 °C.

  2. We are replacing the old gas boiler with a heat pump.

Common collocations

  • air-source heat pump
  • ground-source heat pump
  • heat pump COP
  • heat pump system
  • refrigerantThe working fluid in a refrigeration or air conditioning system. It absorbs heat when it evaporates and releases heat when it condenses; R-32 and R-134a are examples.
  • compressorA machine that increases the pressure of a gas, such as air or a refrigerant, by reducing its volume. It is driven by an electric motor or an engine.
  • boilerA closed vessel in which water is heated by burning fuel or by electricity, to produce hot water or steam for heating buildings or for industrial processes.
  • efficiencyThe ratio of useful output to input, usually given as a percentage. A pump with 75% efficiency turns three quarters of its input power into useful work.
  • thermodynamicsThe branch of physics and engineering that studies heat, work and energy and how they change from one form to another, for example in engines, turbines and refrigerators.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: HVAC

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