IMPROVE HEAT PUMP PLACEMENT CONSIDERING FREQUENCY RESOLVED ACOUSTIC DIRECTIVITY DATA: CREATION OF AN OPEN DATABASE

Heat pumps are becoming increasingly popular due to
their efficiency, carbon neutrality and use of renewable energy
resources. Air-to-water heat pumps are often chosen
because of their low cost and ease of installation. However,
optimal placement to minimise acoustic emissions
is mandatory for a barrier-free deployment. At present,
the assessment of noise propagation for outdoor units suffers
from a lack of information on the frequency content,
and particularly the directivity of the sound source.
During heat pump certification, standardised test procedures
using the sound intensity measurement technique
provide frequency-resolved partial sound power levels for
the five different surfaces surrounding the heat pump. This
gives the basic directivity information needed for optimised
placement recommendations. In the framework of
IEA HPT Annex 63, an anonymous database has been
designed that combines dimensions, operating conditions
and a generic description of each of the 5 sides (fan(s),
heat exchanger, blind sides) with their corresponding frequency
spectrums. Initially, about 30 heat pumps measured
at CETIAT and AIT will be included in the database
and a first exploitation will be presented. The database
will be enriched by the authors during the year 2025 with
the possibility of contributions from other interested laboratories
during this period.