Analysis of the Effect of Heat Exchange Tube Wall Thickness Difference on the Performance of Water-Source Heat Pumps

Abstract This study investigates the impact of heat exchange tube wall thickness on the performance of water-source heat pump units, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for unit selection. Current research often focuses solely on heat transfer performance, lacking a comprehensive energy efficiency analysis of wall thickness variations. To address this, a combined approach of numerical simulation and experimental testing was employed to systematically analyze the influence of two wall thicknesses (1.05 mm and 1.15 mm) on the performance of a 300RT water-source heat pump unit. This methodology comprehensively reveals the mechanism ofhow wall thickness affects unit performance and highlights its practical guiding value in engineering applications. The results demonstrate that reducing the wall thickness can decrease flow resistance while maintaining heat transfer, thereby improving energy efficiency: the Annual Coefficient of Performance (ACOP) of the thin-walled tube unit reached 4.7, which is 2.5% higher than that of the thick-walled unit. This study indicates that rationally optimizing wall thickness can effectively enhance unit energy efficiency, contributing significantly to the energy-efficient design of water-source heat pumps.