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ENCIT 2020
18th Brazilian Congress of Thermal Sciences and Engineering
NUMERICAL ANALYSIS COMPARING THE THERMAL PERFORMANCE OF VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL EARTH-AIR HEAT EXCHANGERS
Submission Author:
Igor Vaz , RS
Co-Authors:
Igor Vaz, Joaquim Vaz, Lucas Costa Victoria, Luiz Alberto Oliveira Rocha, Vinicius de Freitas Hermes, Elizaldo dos Santos, Michel Kepes Rodrigues, Liércio Isoldi
Presenter: Igor Vaz
doi://10.26678/ABCM.ENCIT2020.CIT20-0286
Abstract
Earth-Air Heat Exchanger (EAHE) consist in buried ducts on the ground with air passing through it. The surface of the soil is a heat source and during the flow, the air is subjected to a heat transfer. Several numerical simulations have been performed with different geometric configurations. To evaluate the operation of each model, a verified and validated 3D finite volume analysis was developed using Fluent. Boundary conditions were set, such as the inlet velocity, temperature, and the soil and air properties. Operating conditions were evaluated in two different places, one with clayey soil and the other with saturated soil. The use of Horizontal EAHE, buried at different depths, was compared to Vertical EAHE operating with only one device or up to three in series. It was observed that Vertical EAHEs function properly and are viable for installations in places with limited physical space and that have saturated soil. However, the operation of Vertical EAHE for air heating (in cooler days of the year) presents some limitations related to the properties of the soil where it is installed, and different weather conditions.
Keywords
Earth-Air Heat Exchanger (EAHE), Thermal Analysis, Vertical EAHE, Computational modeling
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