Will earth-to-air heat exchangers find application in swimming pool HVAC systems?
[ 1 ] Instytut Inżynierii Środowiska i Instalacji Budowlanych, Wydział Inżynierii Środowiska i Energetyki, Politechnika Poznańska | [ P ] employee
2023
abstract
english
- earth-to-air heat exchangers
- ventilation
- swimming pools
- energy
- efficiency
EN HVAC = heating ventilation and air conditioning systems in swimming pool buildings are responsible for maintaining thermal comfort, indoor air quality (IAQ) and protecting the building structure from the negative effects of water vapor. Due to the large number of people and intensive evaporation of water, ventilation systems are particularly important as well as energy-consuming in these buildings. Various types of solutions for these systems are currently in use: decentralized structures, waste heat recovery or heat pumps to meet the energy needs of pool facilities. Earth-to-air heat exchangers, on the other hand, are a device that provides pre-treatment of ventilation air: its cooling and dehumidification (in summer) or heating (in winter) thanks to the use of renewable energy accumulated in the ground. These devices are used rarely (or not at all) in swimming pool facilities. The poster presents the concepts and structures of earth-to-air heat exchangers and their potential to discuss their applicability in swimming pool facilities. The poster presents earth-to-air heat exchanger technology as a system that (i) protects air handling unit heat exchangers from frosting, (ii) dehumidifies and cools ventilation air in summer, (iii) preheats ventilation air in winter, and (iv) can reduce frosting of air heat pump evaporators and increase the annual average COP (for heating) and EER (for cooling). The graphs show the annual variation of ground temperature at different depths against a typical meteorological year, characteristic of the climate of Central Europe. Using previously developed computational models, the annual heat and cooling yields due to exchanger operation were presented quantitatively for sample input data. Finally, research questions were presented to inspire research into the feasibility of using earth-to-air heat exchangers in swimming pool facilities, which will quantitatively assess whether this technology will enable a reduction in energy consumption for heating, ventilation and cooling purposes, and thus reduce the cost of pool operation, as well as reduce the negative impact of the swimming pool on the environment by reducing the use of natural resources (energy resources).
69 - 69
CC BY-NC-ND (attribution - noncommercial - no derivatives)
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