Design and analysis of earth-air heat exchanger integrated into the building ventilation system

• Published in: IOP conference series. Earth and environmental science 2023-12, Vol.1281 (1), p.12060
• Main Authors: Lapisa, Remon, Kurniawan, Andre, Jasman, Waskito, Purwantono, Arwizet, Yuvenda, Dori, Rahmadiawan, Dieter, Ambiyar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air supplies; Air temperature; Cooling; Cooling effects; Design analysis; Flow rates; Heat; Heat exchangers; Hot climates; Hot weather construction; Passive cooling; Soil temperature; Soil water; Thermocouples; Ventilation; Water tanks
• ISSN: 1755-1307; 1755-1315
• DOI: 10.1088/1755-1315/1281/1/012060

This experimental study intent to design and to analyse the passive cooling effect of an Earth-Air Heat Exchanger (EAHE) integrated into the building ventilation system. For hot climate regions, ground thermal inertia can be used as a passive cooling strategy in the building ventilation where the air supply comes from outside with hot temperature. The proposed EAHE device consists of two main-components; a water tank and a PVC hose as a heat-exchanger between air and water in the tank. Fresh air from outside with a flow rate of 5.63 kg. min -1 is blown through a 2 ½-inch PVC hose, and cooled by the low water-soil temperature before being distributed into the room. To analyze the effectiveness of the passive cooling effect, measurements are performed for several parameters; inlet and outlet air temperature of ventilation ducts and indoor-outdoor air temperature using a multichannel thermocouple data logger for 48 hours of measurement time. The results present that the EAHE device can reduce the air temperature to a maximum of 10.6 °C. This proposed EAHE device presents good performance as a passive cooling technique for a building ventilation system, especially during the day.