美国的能源消耗以每年超过4%的速度增长。在寻找新的燃料替代品和能源的过程中，保护现有的可用能源是国家的一大关切。目前，热水器约占典型家庭能耗的15%。在国家层面上，这相当于美国总能源消耗的4%。本项目的目的是开发和测试电热水器，其效率大大高于近期住宅市场预期的热水器。逆布雷顿空气循环热泵热水器是为住宅应用而设计的。该系统由压缩机/膨胀机、空气-水热交换器、电动机、水循环泵、恒温器和流体管理控制装置组成。本文报告了设计研究和开发测试。引文:德克萨斯州休斯顿ASHRAE学报第88卷第1部分研讨会

Energy consumption in the United States is increasing at a rate of over 4% a year. In the search for new fuel alternatives and energy sources, there is a strong national concern to conserve the existing available energy sources. At present, the water heater accounts for approximately 15% of the energy consumption in a typical household. On the national level, this represents 4% of the total energy consumption in the United States. The purpose of this project is to develop and test electric water heaters whose efficiency is substantially greater than those units anticipated for the near term residential market. A reverse Brayton air-cycle heat pump water heater has been designed for residential applications. The system consists of a compressor/expander, an air-water heat exchanger, an electric motor, a water circulation pump, a thermostat, and fluid management controls. The present paper reports the design study and development testing.