Impact of the environmental conditions on the efficiency of earth-to-air heat exchangers under various configurations

• Published in: International journal of environmental science and technology (Tehran) 2022, Vol.19 (1), p.223-236
• Main Authors: Sakhri, N., Menni, Y., Ameur, H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aquatic Pollution; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Science and Engineering; Original Paper; Soil Science & Conservation; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control
• ISSN: 1735-1472; 1735-2630
• DOI: 10.1007/s13762-021-03165-w

In the present paper, the impact of local climatic conditions on the efficiency of earth-to-air heat exchangers (EAHEs) is investigated by experiments. Four cases of EAHEs were considered: (1) a simple EAHE, (2) an EAHE with solar protection at the upper parts, (3) an EAHE with a chimney effect at the outlet, and (4) an EAHE with a fan at the inlet. The values of air temperature and relative humidity at the inlet, as well as at the outlet of the exchanger, were determined. For Cases 1 and 2, the lowest value of ΔT was -9 °C. However, the highest values were 11.9 and 12.5 °C for Cases 1 and 2, respectively. For Cases 3 and 4, the values of ΔT were equal to 7 and 12.5 °C, respectively. For the hygrometry and in Case 1, the difference in the relative humidity ( Δ RH) has been increased by 13% and then decreased by 30%. Case 2 provided an increase in Δ RH by 47%. However, an increase of Δ RH by 43% followed by a decrease by 47% was observed in Case 4. Finally, Case 4 yielded a drying tendency and a stable decrease in Δ RH by 30% during almost all day. The use of a fan allowed the most significant control and reducing the impact of external climatic conditions.