Heat pumps application in Bulgaria

Abstract

Heat pumps have received a wide application in Bulgaria for space heating of buildings and
greenhouses and have been utilizing for more than 20 years.
The total installed heat pumps capacity for geothermal use amounts up to 13.3 MWt, the annual
energy use is 162 TJ/year and average capacity factor - 0.39.
Heat pumps applications have been analyzed in terms of the technological advantages and
disadvantages appearing in many years of exploitation.
The new stage of geothermal heat pumps development started in Bulgaria with the application of
low temperature ground water. A recently constructed installation (1999) for space heating and
air-conditioning of a commercial building in Sofia is discussed in more details. The heat pump is
used in ground water open loop mode. The water temperature is about 14oC, flow rate is of 3.1
l/s, heat pump heating capacity is 140 kW and cooling capacity - 130 kW. The economic results
of its exploitation show high efficiency and prospects for a future application.