A new French startup company, Equium, claims it has reinvented the heat pump.
The Acoustic Heat Pump (AHP) uses the thermo-acoustic effect which corresponds to the propensity of a sound wave to exchange heat with a solid.
The sound wave of very high power allows Equium to pump heat very efficiently and to raise the temperature for greater thermal and ecological comfort.
The thermoacoustic heat pump has a COP of 4 and can generate domestic hot water at temperatures of up to 80º.
In low pressure areas of the wave, the gas expands and absorbs heat; in high pressure areas, the gas is compressed and expels the heat. Controlling the sound wave controls where heat is absorbed and released.
The heat pump core is filled with water, which absorbs or releases that heat.
The heat pump has a lifespan of more than 30 years and does not require maintenance, according to the company.