Heat Pumps Types and parts

There are two main types of heat pumps: geothermal (or ground-source) and air-source heat pumps. But we can also consider some subtypes: heat pump water heaters, gas-fired heat pumps or ductless heat pumps...

Air-source and geothermal heat pumps

The air-source heat pumps are the more common and cheaper heat pumps. The other main type of heat pumps, and the most environmentally-friendly, is the geothermal, based on a loop buried in the ground.

Electric and gas fired heat pumps

Heat pumps are traditionally electric appliances. But manufacturers are beginning to offer gas fired ones (often called absorption heat pumps).

See: Gas fired heat pumps

Rock, water and ground heat pumps

The geothermal heat pumps can use a hose on a lake floor (or other water source), or a pipe buried below ground or on the rock shelf. These three variant are often called water, ground and rock heat pumps. Ground heat pumps are by far the most common type of these heat pumps.

See: Geothermal heat pumps.

Ductless and central distribution heat pumps

Most heat pumps involve a central distribution of air: the cooled or the heated air is driven into the several divisions of the house through ductwork. But there are also the ductless mini split heat pumps.

Split and packaged systems

Mini Split Heat Pumps Most heat pumps are split-systems: they have one coil indoors and one coil outdoors, with the supply and return ducts connected to a central fan located indoors.

Multi Split Systems can have a great number of indoor units connected to one Outdoor Unit, and can produce both heating and cooling at any moment.

Some heat pumps are packaged systems, with both the coils and the fan outdoors.

Image Credit: EERE

Parts of the air heat pumps

Air-source heat pumps and refrigerators share the same components and the same basic technology. They comprise:

1- A compressor: a unit that pumps refrigerant to capture heat from the air.
2- A condenser: a set of coils to move heat to or from the outside air.
3- An evaporator: a set of coils to move heat to or from the indoor air.
4- An air handler or fan that propels the air into the ducts.
5- A reversing valve, near the compressor, that allows to change the heat pump system from cooling to heating mode or the opposite.

Geothermal heat pumps systems involve the same parts of air-source heat-pumps. The main difference is on the buried pipe system.

See: Geothermal heat pumps and its types.