The effect of solar irradiation on a wall-mounted outdoor unit of a heat pump has been investigated analytically and experimentally. The outdoor unit was constructed using a conventional finned-coil air-to-refrigerant heat exchanger. The geometric configuration of the unit was designed to maximize the absorption of solar irradiation. The equations governing the heat transfer processes for the unit serving as an evaporator of a heat pump or as a condenser of an air conditioner were determined in a format suitable for incorporating in a computer program for the determination of heat pump performance characteristics.

Units: Dual