The "efficiency" for heat pumps and chillers is called coefficient of performance (COP), because there is no conversion of electrical energy to heat energy but only a transportation. This COP can be way higher than 1, a heat pump can supply more heat energy than you put electrical energy into it. I once read that typical systems achieve COPs up to 3 or 4.
But how is the COP limited? I know, it depends on the temperature difference, the cooling fluid and some more factors, but is there a theoretical maximum?
If I had a super duper cooling fluid with all the properties I need, could I build a chiller (or heat pump, I guess it works both ways pretty similar, because it only depends on which site of the system you use) with a COP of 10? Or 50? Or a few hundred?
Or is there some fundamental law of physicis (probably some thermodynamic stuff) that limits the COP to a maximum value? If so, how high would that approximatly be?
Best Answer
In a heat pump, $Q_1$ amount of heat is removed from the system maintained at temperature $T_1$, and $Q_2>Q_1$ amount of heat is dumped into the ambient at temperature $T_2>T_1$. If work input is $W$, then energy conservation requires $Q_2-Q_1=W$.
The entropy change of the universe is given by \begin{align} \Delta S=-\frac{Q_1}{T_1}+\frac{Q_2}{T_2} \end{align} Second law requires $\Delta S\geq 0$ which implies \begin{align} -\frac{Q_1}{T_1}+\frac{Q_2}{T_2} & \geq 0 \\ \frac{Q_2}{Q_1} & \geq\frac{T_2}{T_1} \\ \frac{Q_2}{Q_1}-1 & \geq \frac{T_2}{T_1}-1 \\ \frac{W}{Q_1} & \geq \frac{\Delta T}{T_1}\quad (\Delta T\equiv T_2-T_1)\\ \therefore\quad \textrm{C.O.P.}& \leq\frac{T_1}{\Delta T}\quad (\textrm{C.O.P.}\equiv Q_1/W) \end{align}
Therefore for specified temperature of system and ambient above relation gives theoretical bounds on C.O.P. See that nothing forbids C.O.P. from becoming less than one.