SAVING FUEL BY THE USE OF A HEAT PUMP

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 69, 25 March 1949, Page 7

SAVING FUEL BY THE USE OF A HEAT PUMP

The growing shortage and increasing costs of fuel, both in New Zealand and overseas, has focussed attention upon the'various methods of conservation and better utilisation of the many sources of energy. One method that is attracting considerable attention overseas, and which is being increasingly used in several countries (especially, in applications requiring comparatively low-temperature heat), is the heat pump. This apparatus extracts heat from a low-temperature source (such as a river) and transfers it to the medium concerned at a higher temperature, in the same way as the domestic refrigerator extracts heat from a space and rejects it into the room. The principle of the heat pump was enunciated by Lord Kelvin in 1852, but it has only recently come into prominence in the U.S.A., Britain, and Switzerland—especially in the latter country owing to the very serious shortage of fuel. High Initial Cost

The disadvantages of the heat pump, in spite 6f the manner in which it utilises heat, is the very high capital costs for the initial plant. Notwithstanding this, the heat pump has proved itself in several fields.

The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, through the Dominion Physical Laboratory, besides following developments overseas and studying possible applications in New Zealand, are carrying out small-scale experiments on the practical application of the heat pump to industry. The fields that most easily lend themselves to this application in New Zealand are the heating of buildings and swimming baths, and the concentration of fruit juices.