How is a temperature rise test done in HVAC?

In HVAC systems, temperature rise performance is a key indicator for evaluating the heating efficiency, operational safety, and environmental adaptability of the equipment. Whether it's an air-source heat pump, a gas-fired boiler, or the heating module of a central air conditioning system, all must undergo rigorous temperature rise tests to verify compliance with national standards such as "GB/T 18430.1-2021 Vapor Compression Refrigeration (Heat Pump) Units - Part 1: Industrial or Commercial and Similar Applications" and "GB 25130-2020 Gas-Fired Heating Boilers." This article, based on industry standards, provides a detailed analysis of the key points for conducting temperature rise tests on HVAC equipment.

1、Testing core objectives and evaluation criteria

The core of the temperature rise test simulates the heating operation of the equipment under different working conditions. By measuring the temperature changes of the medium (air, water, etc.) over a specific time period or under steady-state conditions, the following key performance indicators are evaluated:

Heating capacity performance: Verifying whether the equipment can achieve the designed temperature rise rate under rated conditions (e.g., for a gas-fired boiler, the water temperature should rise from 20°C to 60°C within ≤30 minutes);

Operational stability: Detecting whether the equipment experiences abnormal shutdowns, excessive noise (≤55dB(A)), or component overheating (e.g., motor winding temperature not exceeding 120°C) during the temperature rise process;

Energy efficiency: Calculating the coefficient of performance (COP) during the temperature rise phase based on input power to ensure compliance with the highest energy efficiency standards (e.g., for a heat pump, COP ≥ 4.2 under rated conditions).

The test must strictly adhere to the standard-specified working condition parameters. For example, the rated working condition for an air-source heat pump is an ambient temperature of 7°C (dry bulb)/6°C (wet bulb) and an outlet water temperature of 45°C; for a gas-fired boiler, the test water temperature is 50°C ± 2°C, and the gas pressure is maintained at 2000Pa (natural gas).

2、Core equipment and environmental requirements for testing

2.1 Temperature-controlled test chamber: The chamber volume is determined based on the equipment specifications (e.g., 3m×3m×2.5m for a small wall-mounted boiler). It can control the ambient temperature (-15℃~40℃, accuracy ±0.5℃), relative humidity (30%~90% RH, accuracy ±5%), and air flow rate (0~3m/s), simulating the operating environment of different climatic regions.

2.2 Temperature data acquisition system: Includes a Type-T thermocouple (for measuring fluid temperature, accuracy ±0.3℃) and a data logger (sampling frequency 1Hz, can store over 100,000 data points).  It requires periodic calibration by a certified metrology institution (once a year).

2.3 Flow and pressure monitoring system: Includes an electromagnetic flow meter (for measuring water flow, accuracy ±1%) and a pressure gauge (for monitoring water/gas pressure, accuracy ±0.2% FS) to ensure that the fluid circulation conditions meet the test requirements.

2.4 Power and energy consumption meter: Includes a three-phase power parameter meter (for measuring voltage, current, and power, accuracy 0.5%) and a gas flow meter (accuracy ±2%) for calculating energy efficiency indicators.

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