Thermal performance of a parallel earth air-pipes system

In the present analysis the thermal performance of a parallel earth air-pipe system has been evaluated in terms of annual heating and cooling potential. The influence of the pipes on each other's thermal performance has been considered. The effect of seasonal variation of environmental parameters (ambient temperature, solar radiation, relative humidity, earth temperature etc.) has been considered. The results are obtained for the hot-dry climate of Jodhpur and the composite climate of Delhi. From the various possible earth surface treatments to increase the effectiveness of earth storage systems for air conditioning purposes, the results are presented for wet-shaded earth surface conditions, the most effective earth surface treatment for the climate considered. Thermal performance of the parallel air-pipe system is evaluated for the two cases. In the first case, inlet air temperature to the pipes is taken to be the hourly mean of the ambient air temperature of the average day of each month, and, in the second case, the inlet air temperature is taken to be equal to that of a conditioned room whose set-point temperature varies from month to month.     

Annual thermal performance of greenhouse with an earth–air heat exchanger: An experimental validation

In this paper the thermal model given by Ghoshal and Tiwari has been validated by round-the-year experimental work at IIT Delhi, New Delhi (28° 35′N, 77° 12′E), India. The correlation coefficient and root-mean-square percentage deviation have been computed for each month for validation of the thermal model. The values are 0.99% and 4.24% for the greenhouse temperature with an earth–air heat exchanger (EAHE) in the month of January. Statistical analysis shows that there is fair agreement between predicted and experimental values. An effort has also been made to optimize the working hours of an EAHE to obtain maximum heating/cooling potential. The non-operational hours of an EAHE are 252 and 279 for February and March months, respectively. The maximum value of heating potential (11.55 MJ) and cooling potential (18.87 MJ) has been found during off sunshine (8 pm–8 am) hours and peak sunshine hours (8 am–8 pm), for a typical day in the month of January and June.     

Heating and cooling potential of an earth-to-air heat exchanger using artificial neural network

In this article, we use the concept of artificial neural network and goal oriented design to propose a computer design tool that can help the designer to evaluate any aspect of earth-to-air heat exchanger and behavior of the final configuration. The present study focuses mostly on those aspects related to the passive heating or cooling performance of the building. Two models have been developed for this purpose, namely deterministic and intelligent. The deterministic model is developed by analyzing simultaneously coupled heat and mass transfer in ground whereas the intelligent model is a development of data driven artificial neural network model. Six variables influencing the thermal performance of the earth-to-air heat exchangers which were taken into account are length, humidity, ambient air temperature, ground surface temperature, ground temperature at burial depth and air mass flow rate. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis was carried out in order to evaluate the impact of various factors involved in the energy balance equation at the burial depth. The model was validated against experimental data sets. Moreover, the developed algorithm is suitable for the calculation of the outlet air temperature and therefore of the heating and cooling potential of the earth-to-air heat exchanger system. The Intelligent model predicts earth-to-air heat exchanger outlet air temperature with an accuracy of ±2.6%, whereas, the deterministic model shows an accuracy of ±5.3%.     

A performance comparison between an air‐source and a ground‐source reversible heat pump

In this study, the performance of a reversible ground‐source heat pump coupled to a municipality water reticulation system, is compared experimentally and with simulations to a conventional air‐source heat pump for space cooling and heating. A typical municipality water reticulation system comprises hundreds of kilometres of pipes designed in loops that will ensure adequate circulation of water. This results in a substantial heat exchanger with great potential. Indirect heat transfer occurs between the refrigerant and ground via the municipality water reticulation system that acts as the water‐to‐ground heat exchanger. The experimental and simulated comparisons of the ground‐source system to the air‐source system are conducted in both the cooling and the heating cycles. Climatalogical statistics are used to calculate the capacities and coefficients of performance of the ground‐source and air‐source heat pumps. Results obtained from measurements and simulations indicate that the utilization of municipality water reticulation systems as a heat source/sink is a viable method of optimizing energy usage in the air conditioning industry, especially when used in the heating mode. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Improved underground heat exchanger by using no-dig method for space heating and cooling

This paper describes experiments and analyses on an improved underground heat exchanger by using a no-dig method for the purpose of the cost reduction of a space heating and cooling system using underground thermal energy. First, the improved underground heat exchanger was installed on the campus of Hokkaido University, and it was shown that a ground source heat pump system utilizing the heat exchanger was sufficient for space heating and cooling. Second, evaluation program of the heat exchanger was developed, and the program was verified to give good predictions by comparing with experimental results. As a result of system simulations, an energy reduction for a system installation relative to a conventional vertical earth heat exchanger reached 78%. The primary energy reduction rate including the system installation and operation relative to a typical air source heat pump was 29%.     

Parametric studies for heating performance of an earth to air heat exchanger coupled with a greenhouse

A thermal model has been developed to investigate the potential of using the stored thermal energy of the ground for greenhouse heating with the help of an earth to air heat exchanger (EAHE) system integrated with the greenhouse located in the premises of IIT, Delhi, India. Experiments were conducted extensively during the winter period from November 2002 to March 2003, but the model developed was validated against the clear and sunny days. Parametric studies performed for EAHE coupled with the greenhouse illustrate the effects of buried pipe length, pipe diameter, mass flow rate of air, depth of ground and soil types on greenhouse air temperatures. Temperatures of greenhouse air with the experimental parameters of EAHE were found to be on an average 7–8°C more in the winter than the same greenhouse without EAHE. Greenhouse air temperatures increase in the winter with increasing pipe length, decreasing pipe diameter, decreasing mass flow rate of flowing air inside buried pipe and increasing depth of ground up to 4 m. Predicted and measured values of greenhouse air temperature, which were verified in terms of root mean square of percent deviation and correlation coefficient, exhibited fair agreement. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental investigation of the performance of a solar‐assisted ground‐source heat pump system for greenhouse heating

The main objective of the present study is to investigate the performance characteristics of a solar‐assisted ground‐source heat pump system (SAGSHPS) for greenhouse heating with a 50 m vertical 1¼ in nominal diameter U‐bend ground heat exchanger. This system was designed and installed in the Solar Energy Institute, Ege University, Izmir (568 degree days cooling, base: 22°C, 1226 degree days heating, base: 18°C), Turkey. Based upon the measurements made in the heating mode, the heat extraction rate from the soil is found to be, on average, 54.08 Wm^?1 of bore depth, while the required borehole length in meter per kW of heating capacity is obtained as 12.57. The entering water temperature to the unit ranges from 8.2 to 16.2°C, with an average value of 9.1°C. The greenhouse air is at a maximum day temperature of 25°C and night temperature of 14°C with a relative humidity of 40%. The heating coefficient of performance of the heat pump (COP_HP) is about 2.13 at the end of a cloudy day, while it is about 2.84 at the end of sunny day and fluctuates between these values in other times. The COP values for the whole system are also obtained to be 5–15% lower than COP_HP. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A design optimization tool of earth-to-air heat exchanger using a genetic algorithm

Advancement in genetic algorithm (GA) optimization tools for design applications, coupled with techniques of soft computing, have led to new possibilities in the way computers interact with the optimization process. In this paper, the concept of goal-oriented GA has been used to design a tool for evaluating and optimizing various aspects of earth-to-air heat exchanger behavior. A new optimization method based on GA is applied as a generative and search procedure to optimize the design of earth-to-air heat exchanger. The GA is used to generate possible design solutions, which are evaluated in terms of passive heating and cooling of building, using a detailed thermal analysis of non air-condition building environment The results from the simulations are subsequently used to further guide the GA search to find the high-energy solutions for optimized design parameters. The specific problem addressed in this study is the sizing of earth-to-air heat exchanger in a non air-conditioned residential building. The developed algorithm is suitable for the calculation of the outlet air temperature and therefore of the heating and cooling potential of the earth-to-air heat exchanger system. This methodology is applicable to a wide range of design optimization problems like choice of building such as green house, solar house, or heating and cooling of buildings by mechanical system.     

Parametric study on the performance of the earth‐to‐air heat exchanger for cooling and heating applications

To reduce energy consumption, the earth‐to‐air heat exchanger (EAHE) is a suitable technique for cooling and heating buildings. This paper studies numerically the effect of some design parameters (pipe diameter, inlet condition, pipe length, and outlet condition) on the overall performance of the EAHE system. Four diameters of the EAHE pipe (2, 3, 4, and 6 in) are studied and this numerical study has been done for summer and winter seasons for Nasiriyah city in southern Iraq. First, the built numerical model was validated against the experimental model, and the results of comparison showed a good consensus. After the validation and by using computational fluid dynamics modeling, the overall performance of the EAHE system with all pipe diameters was analyzed with ranges of air velocity, DBT or inlet temperature, and a pipe length of 50 m. The simulated results showed that the EAHE system with 6 in pipe diameter has the best values of overall performance, but from the thermal performance point of view, the 2 in pipe diameter is more suitable.     

Sustainable heating and cooling systems for agriculture

Space heating/cooling systems account for approximately 40% of the global energy consumption. Such systems contribute to global warming by emitting 4×10¹⁰ MWh of heat and 3×10¹⁰ tons of CO₂. There is a general understanding that the way to reduce global warming is a more efficient use of energy and increased use of renewable energy in all fields of the society. Ground‐coupled heating/cooling systems, which have proven to make huge contributions in reducing energy consumption in Europe and North America, is here applied for poultry industry in Syria, as an example for the Middle East. There are e.g. 13 000 chicken farms in Syria producing 172 000 tons of meat per year. This industry employs directly almost 150 000 people. The total investments in chicken farming are 130 BSP (2 B€). The annual mean air temperature in Syria is 15–18°C with winter temperatures close to freezing during two months. The chickens need a temperature of 21–35°C, depending on age, and the heating of all Syrian chicken plants consume 173×10³ tons of coal (1196 GWh). In the summer time, the ambient air temperature in Syria could reach above 45°C. The chicken farms have no cooling systems since conventional cooling system is too expensive. The elevated temperature inside the farms reduces the chicken growth and lots of chicken die of overheating. The ground temperature at 10 m depth is roughly equal to the annual mean air temperature. Using the ground as a heat source means a sustainable and less expensive heating of the chicken farms. During the summer, the ground is used as a source for free cooling, i.e. used directly for cooling of the plants without any cooling machines. Current study shows the design and simulated operation of a ground‐coupled heating/cooling system for a typical chicken farm in Syria. Performed national potential study showed that the implementation of such ground coupled heating and cooling systems in the Syrian poultry sector would mean increased poultry production and considerable savings in money, energy, and the environment. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental prediction of total thermal resistance of a closed loop EAHE for greenhouse cooling system

The design of an earth to air heat exchanger (EAHE) requires knowledge of its total thermal resistance (R_Tot) for heating and cooling applications. In this research, a 47 m long horizontal, 56 cm nominal diameter U-bend buried galvanized was studied experimental EAHE used for the determination and evaluation of thermal properties of heat exchanger. This system was designed and installed in the Solar Energy Institute, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey. Based on the experimental results, generalized relationships were developed for predicting of thermal resistance of the heat exchanger. Average total heat exchanger thermal resistance was estimated to be 0.021 K-m/W as a constant value under steady state condition.     

Experimental investigation of a multi-function heat pump under various operating modes

Heat pumps have been spotlighted as efficient building energy systems because they have great potentials for energy reduction in building air conditioning and reducing CO₂ emission. In this study, a multi-function heat pump which has the functions of heating, cooling, and hot water supply was designed and its performance was investigated according to operating modes. In the cooling-hot water mode, the capacity and COP were enhanced as compared to other modes because the waste heat from the outdoor heat exchanger was utilized as useful heat in the indoor heat exchanger. In the heating and hot water supply mode, the compressor speed should be increased to get appropriate heating and hot water capacities. For all operating modes, the system could be optimized by adjusting the superheat.     

Exergy analysis of an integrated solid oxide fuel cell and organic Rankine cycle for cooling, heating and power production

The study examines a novel system that combined a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) for cooling, heating and power production (trigeneration) through exergy analysis. The system consists of an SOFC, an ORC, a heat exchanger and a single-effect absorption chiller. The system is modeled to produce a net electricity of around 500 kW. The study reveals that there is 3-25% gain on exergy efficiency when trigeneration is used compared with the power cycle only. Also, the study shows that as the current density of the SOFC increases, the exergy efficiencies of power cycle, cooling cogeneration, heating cogeneration and trigeneration decreases. In addition, it was shown that the effect of changing the turbine inlet pressure and ORC pump inlet temperature are insignificant on the exergy efficiencies of the power cycle, cooling cogeneration, heating cogeneration and trigeneration. Also, the study reveals that the significant sources of exergy destruction are the ORC evaporator, air heat exchanger at the SOFC inlet and heating process heat exchanger.     

Missing data estimation for 1–6 h gaps in energy use and weather data using different statistical methods

Analysing hourly energy use to determine retrofit savings or diagnose system problems frequently requires rehabilitation of short periods of missing data. This paper evaluates four methods for rehabilitating short periods of missing data. Single variable regression, polynomial models, Lagrange interpolation, and linear interpolation models are developed, demonstrated, and used to fill 1–6 h gaps in weather data, heating data and cooling data for commercial buildings. The methodology for comparing the performance of the four different methods for filling data gaps uses 11 1‐year data sets to develop different models and fill over 500 000 ‘pseudo‐gaps’ 1–6 h in length for each model. These pseudo‐gaps are created within each data set by assuming data is missing, then these gaps are filled and the ‘filled’ values compared with the measured values. Comparisons are made using four statistical parameters: mean bias error (MBE), root mean square error, sum of the absolute errors, and coefficient of variation of the sum of the absolute errors. Comparison based on frequency within specified error limits is also used. A linear interpolation model or a polynomial model with hour‐of‐day as the independent variable both fill 1–6 missing hours of cooling data, heating data or weather data, with accuracy clearly superior to the single variable linear regression model and to the Lagrange model. The linear interpolation model is the simplest and most convenient method, and generally showed superior performance to the polynomial model when evaluated using root mean square error, sum of the absolute errors, or frequency of filling within set error limits as criteria. The eighth‐order polynomial model using time as the independent variable is a relatively simple, yet powerful approach that provided somewhat superior performance for filling heating data and cooling data if MBE is the criterion as is often the case when evaluating retrofit savings. Likewise, a tenth‐order polynomial model provided the best performance when filling dew‐point temperature data when MBE is the criterion. It is possible that the results would differ somewhat for other data sets, but the strength of the linear and polynomial models relative to the other models evaluated seems quite robust. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effectiveness of the earth tube heat exchanger system coupled to a space model in achieving thermal comfort in rural areas

The aim of this work is to investigate by modelling the possibility of reducing the operational energy of a typical house without negatively affecting its embodied energy. This is done through consideration of different building materials coupled with the use of an earth to air heat exchanger (EAHE) for fresh air supply and cooling. For known indoor and outdoor conditions and for given building materials (thermal capacity and conductance), a ventilation controller determines the amount of flow rate needed to temperate the indoor air temperature to achieve thermal comfort. Different wall configurations are assumed for each of the living zone and the bedroom zone of the apartment. It is found that the use of an optimal wall configuration in each zone coupled with the EAHE results in 76.7% energy savings compared with the reference case with conventional cooling.     

Greenhouse heating and cooling using aquifer water

An aquifer coupled cavity flow heat exchanger system (ACCFHES) was designed using underground aquifer water for the heating as well as cooling of a composite climatic greenhouse. The performance of ACCFHES was experimentally evaluated for a full winter and a summer season. The ACCFHES makes use of constant temperature aquifer water (24 °C) available at an agricultural field through an irrigation tube well for heating in winter nights and cooling in summer days. The results showed that the average greenhouse room air temperature was maintained 7–9 °C above the outside air during extreme winter nights and 6–7 °C below the outside air in extreme summer days, and temperature fluctuations inside the greenhouse also decreased daily. The average relative humidity (RH) inside the greenhouse also decreased by 10–12% in the winter and increased by more than double in the extreme summer conditions as compared to the outside conditions. A comparison of economic feasibility of the ACCFHES coupled greenhouse was also conducted with conventional greenhouse and open field condition based on the yield of Capsicum annum. The ACCFHES was also compared economically with other existing heating/cooling technologies such as earth-to-air heat exchanger system (EAHES), ground air collector, evaporative cooling using foggers and fan & pad system in terms of net present worth (NPW) and pay back period. It was observed that the NPW of the ACCFHES coupled greenhouse was much higher as compared to the conventional greenhouse and open field condition. The payback period of the ACCFHES coupled greenhouse was the lowest among all other existing heating/cooling systems.     

Cold energy release characteristics of an ice/air direct contact heat exchanger

This paper deals with the cold energy release characteristics of an ice/air direct contact heat exchanger. Characteristics of the outlet temperature, humidity, and time history of heat release are examined when the initial height of the ice‐cube‐packed bed in the heat exchanger is changed. The following results were obtained in these experiments: (1) Inlet air of 30 °C is lowered to about 0 °C when passed through the heat exchanger, and the absolute humidity of the outlet air is reduced to about a quarter of that of the inlet air. (2) There is an optimum height of the ice‐cube‐packed bed to maximize the amount of cold energy release. (3) This heat exchange method can supply about twice as much cold energy as is released by an ordinary fin‐tube‐type heat exchanger even if the air velocity in the heat exchanger is reduced to about 0.38 times that of the fin‐tube‐type heat exchanger. (4) A nondimensional correlation equation for predicting the time taken for the ice‐cube‐packed bed to completely melt is derived. © 2001 Scripta Technica, Heat Trans Asian Res, 30(2): 95–113, 2001     

Long-term performance of BHE (borehole heat exchanger) fields with negligible groundwater movement

The long-term performance of double U-tube BHE (borehole heat exchanger) fields is investigated by finite element simulations, performed through the software package COMSOL Multiphysics (^©COMSOL, Inc.), for grounds in which the effects of groundwater movement are negligible. Six time periodic heat loads with period of 1 year are examined, with either full compensation, or partial compensation or no compensation of winter heating with summer cooling. A single BHE surrounded by infinite ground and the following BHE field configurations are analyzed: a single line of infinite BHEs, two staggered lines of infinite BHEs, a square field of infinite BHEs. For each BHE field configuration, four different distances between adjacent BHEs and two values of the ground thermal conductivity are considered. The undisturbed ground temperature is assumed equal to 14 °C, and −5 °C is prescribed as the lowest allowed temperature for the working fluid. For each BHE field geometry, heat load and ground thermal conductivity, plots of the minimum annual value of the fluid temperature for a period of 50 years are reported, and the pairs “distance – heat load” which keep the fluid temperature above the prescribed limit are evidenced.     

District heating and cooling for business buildings in Madrid

Energy needs for heating and cooling in Spain are of paramount interest in the context of the European roadmap to a decarbonized environment; because of that, it is highly desirable that more examples of district heating and cooling networks are developed. The present work evaluates the implementation of one of them into the climatic environment of Madrid. It consists on a complex of business office buildings with a total useful surface of 50,000 m², linked with heating and cooling rings of 1 km of loop length. Basic energy needs of buildings lead to the following design values: 1.7 MW of electricity, 1.3 MW of heating and 2 MW of cooling. They will be supplied by the trigeneration plant here proposed, which relies on an internal combustion engine.The high demand of cooling for air conditioning makes the dimensioning of the engine critical because of the large differences between the heat demand for summer and the one for winter. If the total amount of the cooling demand is covered with an absorption chiller, the heat demand during the summer reaches about 5 MW. In consequence, a critical decision has to be taken relative to the way the cooling demand is attended: with an absorption chiller (single or double effect) or with a conventional chiller powered by electricity. Applying the criteria developed in the present work, which are focused on maximum primary energy reduction, the fraction of the cooling demand to be met with each technology is determined as a function of the engine nominal power, on the grounds of the instantaneous demand.The high cooling demand during the summer season suggests the inclusion of a thermal solar collector field, to be used for complementing the waste heat rejection from the engine to drive the absorption chiller. During the winter, the heat provided by the solar field could be applied in attending a fraction of the heating demand. Thus a hybrid Trigeneration Plant is introduced. This way, over sizing of the engine can be avoided, as the electric demand is small.The analysis is based on the solution of energy and mass balance equations for a trigeneration plant. Monthly demands and environmental conditions (ambient temperature and solar irradiance) are introduced as input data into the model. Monthly and annual primary energy consumption and CO₂ emission reductions are obtained as outputs. Economical data, such as fuel and operating costs, electricity prices, tariffs and subsidies are considered in order to optimize the size of the plant in terms of its payback period.     

Heat and mass transfer analysis of a wavy fin-and-tube heat exchanger under fully and partially wet surface conditions

In this study a mathematical model of heat and mass transfer performance of a wavy fin-and-tube heat exchanger under wet surface condition is presented. The heat exchanger is a counterflow heat exchanger in which humid air and liquid are flowing in opposite direction. A water film that causes evaporative cooling of the humid air is circulated on the humid air side. The heat and mass transfer equations are first derived for fully wet heat exchanger and then by defining a wettability parameter, these equations are obtained for partially wet heat exchanger. In modeling, values of Lewis number and wettability parameter are not necessarily specified as unity. The temperature distributions of humid air, liquid and water film, and relative humidity distribution of humid air are obtained numerically. The theoretical results are found to be in good agreement with the available experimental measurements.