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Processes
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Process Design and Performance Analysis of Heat Pumps
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Process Design and Performance Analysis of Heat Pumps

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 May 2026 | Viewed by 1029

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Tiago de Freitas Paulino

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Materials Engineering, Graduate Program in Mechanical Engineering, Federal Center of Technological Education of Minas Gerais (CEFET-MG), Belo Horizonte 30421-169, Brazil
Interests: heat pump; air conditioning; environment friendly refrigerants; thermal energy storage
Dr. Luiz Machado

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate Program in Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brazil
Interests: heat pump; air conditioning; environment friendly refrigerants; boiling heat transfer
Dr. Willian M. Duarte

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate Program in Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brazil
Interests: Heat pump; air conditioning; environment friendly refrigerants; thermal energy storage

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to a Special Issue of Processes, focusing on "Process Design and Performance Analysis of Heat Pumps". This Special Issue aims to bring together innovative research and advancements in the design of heat pumps for different applications, along with theoretical and experimental analyses of heat pumps in different contexts.

The Guest Editors invite contributions from academics, researchers, and professional engineers working on various aspects of heat pumps, whether in cooling or heating systems. Contributions are invited  in the form of original research articles and critical review articles encompassing a wide range of topics, including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Design heat pumps using environmentally friendly refrigerants;
  • Design and optimization of heat pump components;
  • Innovations in heat pump technologies;
  • Theoretical or experimental performance assessments of heat pumps;
  • Integration of renewable energy sources with heat pumps;
  • Coupling of thermal energy storage systems with heat pumps.

Dr. Tiago De Freitas Paulino
Dr. Luiz Machado
Dr. Willian M. Duarte
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • heat pump 
  • design 
  • performance analysis 
  • renewable energy 
  • thermal energy storage

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 5032 KB  
Article
Study on Optimal Operation of Heat Pump Drying System Throughout the Entire Drying Process Based on the Material Drying Characteristics
by Junlin Song, Peikun Zhang, Ramadan ElGamal, Gamal ElMasry, Sameh Kishk, Junfeng Peng, Chuanping Liu and Li Wang
Processes 2025, 13(12), 3883; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13123883 - 1 Dec 2025
Viewed by 276
Abstract
This study investigates the application of Heat Pump Drying (HPD) technology for drying agricultural products, aiming to address the practical inefficiency of HPD systems, which stems from the lack of an optimized operational strategy throughout the drying process. This study develops a mathematical [...] Read more.
This study investigates the application of Heat Pump Drying (HPD) technology for drying agricultural products, aiming to address the practical inefficiency of HPD systems, which stems from the lack of an optimized operational strategy throughout the drying process. This study develops a mathematical model for a closed-loop HPD system. Tomato slices were selected as the research subject, and hot air-drying experiments were performed to determine their drying characteristics. The mathematical model was then used to simulate the effect of material moisture content fluctuations on HPD system performance during drying. Based on these drying characteristics, an optimal operational strategy was proposed. The results show that dynamically adjusting parameters such as evaporation temperature and air bypass ratio during different drying stages can significantly improve the system’s Specific Moisture Extraction Rate (SMER) and facilitate energy-efficient operation throughout the drying process. The average SMER values of the HPD system under the optimized strategy were 2.59 kg ∙ kW−1∙h−1 and 3.46 kg ∙ kW−1∙h−1 at drying temperatures of 60 °C and 80 °C, respectively. Additionally, the optimized operation reduced total electrical consumption by 31.60% and 32.87% compared to the constant evaporation temperature mode. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Process Design and Performance Analysis of Heat Pumps)
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19 pages, 3377 KB  
Article
Design and Experimental Evaluation of a Controller for a Direct-Expansion Solar-Assisted Heat Pump with Propane
by Sara Isabel de Melo Resende, Hélio Augusto Goulart Diniz, Ralney Nogueira de Faria and Raphael Nunes de Oliveira
Processes 2025, 13(11), 3583; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13113583 - 6 Nov 2025
Viewed by 339
Abstract
Given the growing demand for sustainable energy solutions, this study addresses the challenge of improving the efficiency and environmental performance of residential water heating systems. This work presents the design and implementation of a controller aimed at regulating the outlet water temperature of [...] Read more.
Given the growing demand for sustainable energy solutions, this study addresses the challenge of improving the efficiency and environmental performance of residential water heating systems. This work presents the design and implementation of a controller aimed at regulating the outlet water temperature of a direct-expansion solar-assisted heat pump operating with propane. A dynamic model was experimentally identified using the AutoRegressive with eXogenous input methodology and used to design a Proportional–Integral–Derivative controller via the direct synthesis method. To regulate the outlet water temperature, the controller acts on the water flow rate. The effectiveness of the controller was evaluated through computer simulations and experimental tests. Its robustness was assessed by considering parametric variations of ±15%, during which the system maintained stability and performance. The controller demonstrated good accuracy and performance, keeping the desired temperature stable even in the presence of disturbances, both in simulations and experimental evaluations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Process Design and Performance Analysis of Heat Pumps)
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