EVALUATION OF ENERGY SAVING EFFICIENCY OF BOILER COMBINED WITH HEAT PUMP FOR SUPPLEMENTARY FEED WATER HEATING

This paper investigates the integration of heat pumps for heating boiler feedwater and evaluates the impacts of feedwater temperature and condensate recovery rates on fuel consumption, energy efficiency, and CO2 emissions. The results show that using heat pumps significantly reduces boiler fuel consumption, especially when the feedwater temperature increases and the condensate recovery rate is high. The COP (Coefficient of Performance) of the heat pump gradually decreases as the water temperature rises; however, heating the water at lower temperatures yields better economic and energy efficiency. Economically, heat pumps provide substantial benefits, with maximum cost savings achieved at a water temperature of 75°C. Additionally, integrating heat pumps reduces CO2 emissions, particularly in boilers without condensate recovery, with the highest emission reduction reaching 17.8 kgCO2 per ton of steam. These findings demonstrate that using heat pumps is not only energy-efficient and cost-effective but also contributes to environmental protection by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.