This book is the direct result of a NATO Advanced Study Institute on
"Heat Pumps" held at Les Arcs, France, June 1975, under the director
ship of Profes sor E. Camatini, Politecnico di Milano, Italy. Leading
world experts in the field were invited to attend this Institute and to
lecture on the heat pump and its potential applications in the broader
context of energy conservation. The lectures focussed on today's energy
problems, fundamental principles of thermodynamics and their application
to the heat pump, potential heat sourc es for heat pumps, alternate heat
pump drives, heat transport and special applications in some areas where
considerable savings could be obtained. When the Institute was planned,
publication of the lectures in the form of a book was not envisaged. It
was felt, however, during a round-table discussion with the lecturers
that there was a definite need for publication of the lectures
presented, since a comprehensive scientific Itechnical book on the heat
pump seemingly did not exist. The resulting volume might not provide the
reader with a full picture of the heat pump in the sense that the
technical design of individual components and existing large
installations of heat pumps are not addres sed in detail.