EFFECT OF HEAT-TRANSFER LAW ON FINITE-TIME EXERGOECONOMIC PERFORMANCEOF CARNOT HEAT-PUMP

The operation of a Carnot heat pump is viewed as a production process with exergy as its output. The short-run economic optimization ol the endoreversible heat pump is performed in this paper. The profit of the heat pump is taken as the optimization objective function. Using the method of finite-time exergoeconomic analysis, which emphasizes the co mpromise optimization between economics (profit) and the utilization f actor of energy (Coefficient of Performance, COP) for finite-time (end oreversible) thermodynamic cycles, this paper derives the relation bet ween optimal profit and COP of an endoreversible Carnot heat pump base d on a relatively general heat transfer law: q proportional to Delta(T -n). The COP bound at the maximum profit is also obtained. The results obtained involve those for three common heat transfer laws: Newton's Law (n = 1), the linear phenomenological law in irreversible thermodyn amics (n = -1), and the radiative heat law (n = 4). Published by Elsev ier Science Ltd.