Heat pump control method based on direct measurement of evaporation pressure to improve energy efficiency and indoor air temperature stability at a low cooling load condition

The control systems of conventional heat pumps have an input of refrigerant temperature at the evaporator outlet to maintain superheat at proper level. In order to develop a control method that can be used to achieve better indoor thermal comfort and energy efficiency at a low cooling load condition than the current control method, a new method of the evaporation pressure control based on the evaporator outlet pressure reading (EPCP) was developed. The changes in the stability of indoor air temperature and power consumption were measured while changing the compressor frequency in accordance with the new control method. Compared with the evaporation pressure control based on the evaporator outlet temperature reading, the EPCP control method appeared to improve the stability of room air temperature or occupant thermal comfort significantly.