Comparison of Single- and Multipipe Earth-to-Air Heat Exchangers in Terms of Energy Gains and Electricity Consumption: A Case Study for the Temperate Climate of Central Europe
[ 1 ] Instytut Inżynierii Środowiska i Instalacji Budowlanych, Wydział Inżynierii Środowiska i Energetyki, Politechnika Poznańska | [ P ] employee
2021
scientific article
english
- earth-to-air heat exchangers
- pressure losses
- multipipe
- renewable energy
- geothermal energy
- building energy performance
- ventilation
EN Earth-to-air heat exchangers (EAHEs) can be used in the ventilation systems of various types of buildings. Multipipe structures can be found in large-volume buildings, yet scientific analysis of such systems is rare. Annual energy gains and electricity consumption for equivalent single-pipe and multipipe systems are typically not available. This paper bridges this gap, presenting the results of experimental studies on pressure losses in three-, five- and seven-pipe EAHEs and analysis for the annual energy gains and electric energy consumption as compared to a single-pipe exchanger. The results showed that the multipipe EAHE can be successfully replaced by a single-pipe structure with the same thermal performance and similar pressure losses if a tube with the appropriate diameter is used. However, multipipe heat exchangers can also use pipes of larger diameter (manifolds and/or branches), which improves their energy efficiency and may then make them more advantageous than single-pipe structures. From this reason, ultimately, the final selection of exchanger geometry should take into account economic and environmental issues and also user preferences and their importance in the hierarchy.
07.12.2021
8217-1 - 8217-28
Article Number: 8217
CC BY (attribution alone)
open journal
final published version
at the time of publication
public
140
140
3,252