Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Journal of Building Engineering, cilt.121, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Wastewater-source heat pumps (WWSHPs) provide a sustainable pathway for recovering low-grade thermal energy and reducing fossil fuel dependency in building hot water systems. This study investigates the performance of a WWSHP for domestic hot water production in a tourism facility and compares it with natural gas-fired hot water boilers (HWB), including heat recovery (HRHWB) and standard (SHWB) types. Four refrigerants (R410A, propane–R290, R32, and R407C) were assessed using energy and exergy balances, life cycle cost analysis, and CO2 emission calculations. In addition, a sensitivity analysis was conducted to evaluate the influence of key operating parameters on system performance. Results show that the R290-based WWSHP achieved the highest coefficient of performance and lowest exergy destruction, resulting in reduced operating costs and emissions. Over a 15-year lifetime, WWSHPs demonstrated total costs up to 20% lower than boilers, with payback periods ranging from 5 to 168 months. Environmentally, CO2 emissions were 1.6–2.2 times lower than PNG-fueled HWBs, with R290 providing the lowest footprint. These findings confirm WWSHPs as a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable alternative to boilers in energy-intensive tourism facilities.