IMPROVEMENT IN EFFICIENCY AND COP

OF EARTH TUBE HEAT EXCHANGER BY

INFLUENCING THE GEOMETRIC
PARAMETERS
A Major Project Report

Submitted By:

ABHISHEK NIGAM (176310006)

ASHISH KUMAR (176310014)

AYURSH KUMAR (176310018)

SAMARTHA VARSHNEY (176310050)

SHAKTI VIKAS PANDEY (176310051)

in partial fulfillment for the award of the degree of

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
in

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
at

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

GURUKUL KANGRI DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY
JULY, 2021
 CANDIDATE’S DECLARATION

We hereby certify that the work which is being presented in the report entitled “Improvement
in Efficiency and COP of Earth Tube Heat Exchanger by Influencing the Geometric
Parameters” for the award of the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical
Engineering at Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Gurukul Kangri Deemed to be
University, Haridwar, during the year 2020 – 21 is an authentic record of own work carried out
under the guidance of Dr. Shobhit Srivastava, In charge and Assistant Professor in
Department of Mechanical Engineering.
The matter presented in the report has not been submitted in part or in full award of
degree/diploma of another university/institute.

Date: 03/08/2021 Abhishek Nigam (176310006)

Ashish Kumar (176310014)
Ayursh Kumar (176310018)
Samartha Varshney (176310050)
Shakti Vikas Pandey (176310051)

i
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the minor project report entitled “Improvement in Efficiency and COP
of Earth Tube Heat Exchanger by Influencing the Geometric Parameters” submitted by
Abhishek Nigam, Ashish Kumar, Ayursh Kumar, Samartha Varshney and Shakti Vikas Pandey
in partial fulfillment for the award of the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical
Engineering at Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Gurukul Kangri Deemed to be
University, Haridwar, during the year 2020 – 21, is a bonafide record of work carried out under
my guidance and supervision.

Dr. Shobhit Srivastava

Assistant Professor and in – charge
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Faculty of Engineering and Technology
Gurukul Kangri Deemed to be University
Haridwar – 249404 (UK)

ii
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We wish to express our deep gratitude and thanks to Dr. Shobhit Srivastava, In charge and
Assistant Professor in department of mechanical engineering, who guided us to successful
completion of this minor project. We take this opportunity to express our deep sense of
gratitude for his invaluable guidance. Thanks to his constant encouragement, constructive
comments, sympathetic attitude and immense motivation, which has sustained our effort at all
of the project work.
We sincerely wish to thank Prof. (Dr.) Pankaj Madan, Dean of Faculty of Engineering and
Technology, for his encouragement. We sincerely appreciate his magnanimity by taking us into
his fold and for that we shall remain indebted to him. We are extremely grateful to him for
providing his guidance throughout the course of this project work, even though he had a busy
schedule.
We are also thankful to all the faculty members for their valuable support and suggestion.
At last, but not least, we are thankful to the almighty GOD for his mercy and grace upon us for
carrying out this little piece of work.

iii
 ABSTRACT

The consumption of high-grade energy has increased considerably with growing needs to
achieve thermal comfort conditions inside buildings. Numerous alternative techniques are
being currently explored to achieve thermal comfort conditions inside buildings. The earth tube
heat exchanger is one of these promising techniques which can effectively be used to preheat
the air in winter and cool the air in summer.
The temperature of earth at a depth of 1.5 to 3 m remains fairly constant throughout the year.
The ambient air is drawn through the pipes of the ETHE buried at a particular depth, moderated
to the constant temperature, and gets heated in winter and vice versa in summer. In this way,
the heating and cooling load of building can be reduced passively.
In the last two decades, a lot of research has been done to develop analytical and numerical
models for the analysis of ETHE systems. But in those models, either high efficiency is
achieved or high COP is achieved. Both are not achieved simultaneously.
The aim of this report is to present a model and then to estimate the COP of the ETHE in the
month of June (for Summer) and November (for Winter).

iv
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

o Candidate’s Declaration (i)

o Certificate (ii)
o Acknowledgement (iii)
o Abstract (iv)

1. Chapter 1 – Introduction 1–3

1.1. Earth Tube Heat Exchanger
2. Chapter 2 – Literature Review 4–8
3. Chapter 3 – Objectives and Methodology 9
4. Chapter 4 – Earth Tube Heat Exchanger 10 – 14
4.1. Principle of Working
4.2. Earth as a Source or Sink
4.3. Types of ETHE
4.3.1. Open Systems
4.3.2. Closed Systems
4.4. Effects of Parameters on Performance of ETHE
4.4.1. Effect of Material
4.4.2. Effect of Velocity of Air inside Pipe
4.4.3. Effect of Tube Length
4.4.4. Effect of Tube Depth
4.4.5. Effect of Pipe Diameter and Air Flow Rate
4.4.6. Effect of Soil Nature and Operation Period
4.5. Advantages
5. Chapter 5 – Applications 14 – 16
6. Chapter 6 – Soil Temperature Modelling 17 – 18
7. Chapter 7 – Parameter Modelling of ETHE 19 – 20
8. Chapter 8 – Observations 21 – 22
9. Chapter 9 – Results 23 – 28
10. Chapter 10 – Cost Estimation 29
11. Chapter 11 – Conclusion 30
12. References 31 – 32

v
 CHAPTER – 1
INTRODUCTION

Over past few years, the consumption of energy in buildings for heating and cooling purpose has
increased. Especially in countries with extreme climates, conventional heating and cooling systems
cause huge load demand. This has caused a call for passive systems. These systems are known to
produce noticeable reduction in energy consumptions.
Earth Tube Heat Exchanger is one of the passive cooling and heating systems, having benefits of
reduced energy consumption and CO2 emissions. According to the American Society of Heating,
Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers, below a depth of 3m, the soil temperature remains
constant throughout the year and is in close range with the mean annual ambient air temperature. The
soil can therefore be used as heat source in winter and as heat sink in summer. During the winter, as
ambient air travels through the ETHE, it receives heat from surrounding soil, resulting in higher outlet
temperature of ETHE as compared to the ambient temperature. The outlet air can be either used directly
or can be used as inlet for a conventional system, reducing its power consumption. Similar is the case
in summer. Such use of ETHE can contribute to reduction in energy consumption and carbon emission.

1.1 Earth – Tube Heat Exchanger

Earth tube heat exchanger is an underground heat exchanger that can capture heat from and dissipate
heat to the ground. They use the earth near constant temperature to warm or cool air or other fluids for
residential, agricultural or industrial uses. They are also called earth tubes or earth-air heat exchangers
or ground tube heat exchanger. Earth tubes are often a feasible and economical alternative or air
conditioning systems since there are no compressors, chemicals or burners and only blowers are
required to move the air as shown in Fig. (1). These are used for either partial or full cooling and their
use can help building meet passive house standards. In the case of cooling a building, the ground is the
heat sink, and the building to be cooled acts as heat source. In the case of heating, these functions are
reversed- the ground becomes the heat source and the building heat sink.

It is found that the soil at some depth from earth surface remaining cold during summer and relatively
hotter during winter days from the atmospheric temperature. Thus, use the temperature gradient of soil

1
for cooling in summer and heating in winter. As we have limited source of energy it is important to find
alternatives sources to save conventional fuel for future to save energy of universe. These days air
conditioning is widely employed in industries and for the comfort purpose in livestock buildings and
hospitals etc. It is employed efficiently by vapor compression cycle in which we are using high grade
electrical energy which also affects atmosphere by CFC so to reduce the use of high-grade energy,
number of methods are explored. ETHE is one of such techniques. An earth tube heat exchanger consists
in one or more tubes lied under the ground in order to cool the air in summer or pre -heat the air in
winter to be supplied in a building. The physical phenomenon of earth tube heat exchanger is simple:
the ground temperature commonly higher than the outdoor air temperature in winter as shown in Fig.
2(i) and lower in summer as shown in Fig. 2(ii), so it makes the use of the earth convenient as warm or
cold sink respectively. Both of the above uses of earth tube heat exchanger can contribute to reduction
in energy consumption.

The Earth Tube Heat Exchangers (ETHE) coupled with buildings as an effective energy source for
building space conditioning. An earth tube heat exchanger system suitably meets heating and cooling
energy loads of a building. Its performance is based upon the seasonally varying inlet temperature, and

the tunnel-wall temperature which further depends on the ground temperature as shown in fig.3 The
performance of an ETHE system depends upon the temperature and moisture distribution in the ground,
as well as on the surface conditions

Over the decades concentrated on the development of ETHE to improve and enhance the heat transfer.
In this project, the aim to improvement in efficiency or COP of earth tube heat exchanger by influencing
the geometric parameters. Specifically, with the ultimate goal of both making better use of ETHE in
Buildings and maintaining better functioning.

2
3
 CHAPTER – 2
LITERATURE REVIEW

An extensive literature search was conducted to assess the use, performance, and air quality of ETHEs.
The search turned up many other papers which are not listed here. In particular, there are many papers
which are solely devoted to simulation. While this is certainly of interest, this was not the focus of this
study, which is seeking to compile actual ETHE results.
Some of the important research undertaken up till now over last two decades can be summarized as
follows:
Kalashnikov et al. (2000) studied the efficiency of EAHE system considering the spacing of
the tubes as a variable. The other variables such as length, diameter, burial depth and air flow
rate were also studied. The thermal power was calculated for the only winter season. The results
were independent of the tube diameter but the reduction of the spacing between the tubes causes
a loss of power by 5–15% depending on the air flow rate, while the reduction of the spacing to
1m resulted in a loss of 10–25% as compared to the case of an infinite spacing between the
tubes. Thus, it was concluded that the efficiency of the system greatly depends on the
orientation and spacing between the tubes along with other variables.

Popiel et al. (2001) in Poznan, studied the ground temperature by considering two different
ground surfaces i.e., car park and lawn, at two different soil depths. It was found that the subsoil
temperature below 1m for the lawn was about 4 °C lower than the car park. Again, when the
subsoil temperature for the conditions was not in the desirable range (18–30 °C) for thermal
comfort, the conditions were improved to bring the temperature into the desirable
heating/cooling temperature range. A short variation in temperature was observed for a depth
of 0–1 m. It was also observed that during summers the ground temperature in the car park was
4 °C higher than the lawn. Also, similar variations were observed in winters. Thus, the author
concludes that a temperature variation is necessary for heat loss calculations.

Kumar et al. (2003) studied the numerical techniques of finite difference method and FFT
(MATLAB) model. The results were validated against the experimental data of a similar tunnel
in Mathura (India). It was observed that when the length and flow rate was decreased the outlet
temperature increases and decreases respectively. Also, when the radius of the pipe was
increased, the outlet temperature was increased but convective heat transfer coefficient is
lowered. Thus, can be concluded that longer tunnel length is efficient for more cooling energy
saving. Results indicate that the cooling potential of the setup was 456kWh. By increasing the
pipe radius above a critical value, the outlet temperature can be increased which affects the
heating/cooling potential. Thus, it was concluded that by using larger diameter pipe large outlet
temperature can be achieved.

Pfafferott et al. (2003) considered soil temperature surrounding the pipes as a design input
parameter and observed that the thermal recovery of soil was adequate to maintain the requisite
performance level.

Sharan et al. (2004) used an earth tube heat exchanger (ETHE) system for a greenhouse in a
closed-loop mode at Kutch (India). The ETHE pipe system was installed underneath the
greenhouse of size 20m×6m × 3.5 m. Two layers of four mild steel pipes (each pipe of 0.20m
diameter and 23m length) were placed at a depth of 2m and 3m with a common header. A 4.2
kW blower was used to deliver the air at a rate of 194m3/min for achieving 20 air changes per
hour (ACH) in the greenhouse, and it was noted that the air temperature of greenhouse

4
decreased by 7 °C. Thus, the crop yielding increased by 2.7 times with 34 % less consumption
of irrigation water .

Balghouthi et al. (2005) carried out an experimental study to examine thermal and moisture
behaviours of wet and dry soils heated by buried capillary plaits and found that the thermal
diffusivity of wet soil is higher than that of dry soil.

Ghosal et al. (2006) developed a simplified analytical model to study year around effectiveness
of an EAHE coupled greenhouse located in New Delhi, India. They found the temperature of
greenhouse air on average 6–7 ◦C more in winter and 3–4 ◦C less in summer than the same
greenhouse when operating without EAHE.
Florides and Kalogirou (2007) presented a review of ground heat exchangers systems, models
and applications. They explained several types and several calculation models for ground heat
exchangers.
Bandyopadhyay et al. (2008) offered analytical solutions for short time transient response of
ground heat exchangers and showed that borehole boundary temperature data can be analyzed
for measurements of thermal conductivity of medium in thermal response tests.
Nayak and Tiwari (2009) applied an EAHE and photovoltaic/Thermal (PV/T) system to a
greenhouse in Delhi, India under three operating conditions (viz., case I- greenhouse system
operated exclusively with PV/T for 24 h, case II- with EAHE for 24 h, case-III-with PV/T for
12 h during daytime and with EAHE for 12 h in the night) for the winter season. Results
revealed that the relative fluctuations of air temperature in greenhouse decreased and the air
temperature inside the greenhouse was also 7-8 °C greater than the ambient air temperature
with the use of PV/T air collector during daytime and EAHE in the night time.
Maerefat and Haghighi (2010) investigated the combined effect of the solar chimney (SC)
and EAHE system on ventilation and cooling of a solar house (Fig. 17) and noticed that SC
could provide sufficient force to EAHE system during the daytime, without any electricity
consumption.
Ascione et al. (2011) used an EAHE system in the Italian climate for cooling/heating of an
office building for both summer/winter seasons and concluded that EAHE is a feasible and
economic system for heating as well as cooling.
Haigh et al. (2012) developed a theoretical model for thermal conductivity of sands. He
considered heat conduction among the soil-solid, water and air.
Benhammou et al. (2013) made an analytical design model to investigate the design
parameters that influence the performance of EAHE. The outlet of the EAHE is placed inside
the building and the inlet is connected to a wind tower considering that the wind direction was
unidirectional. A mathematical model was developed for the thermal analysis of EAHE.
Yang and Zhang (2014) coupled EAHE system with building thermal mass (BTM) and
assessed combined effects of EAHE and BTM on the indoor thermal comfort. It was observed
that this hybrid system produced the annual time lag of indoor air temperature as large as 10
days and hence, EAHE-BTM system could provide the requisite indoor thermal comfort in
winter as well as in summer.
Kaushal et al. (2015) attached a single-pass solar air heater (SAH) to an EAHE system for the
heating of air during day-hours in the winter season and found that the air temperature rise in
the simple and hybrid EAHE system were 14.4 K and 49.83 K respectively. Therefore, hybrid

5
 EAHE-SAH system enhanced the performance of EAHE system by almost three times than the
simple EAHE system with the same blower power.
Soni et al. (2016) found the energy saving of 10.9% and discounted payback period (DPBP) of
three years for the hybrid system.
Ghaith and Alsouda (2017) coupled an EAHE system with the vapour compression cooling
(VCC) system to enhance the performance of VCC system and found that the integration of
EAHE system, improved the COP of VCC up to 50%.
Li et al. (2018) studied the feasibility of EAHE with air handling unit (AHU) for preheating of
fresh air and noticed that in severe cold regions, this hybrid system increased air temperature
by 26.1 °C (14 °C by EAHE system and remaining 12.1 °C by AHU). Therefore, this hybrid
system provided sufficient heating to air without any auxiliary heating systems.
Elminshawy et al. (2019) used EAHE system for cooling of solar PV panels in Egypt. In this
study, the ambient hot air (in summer season) gets cooled by passing through EAHE pipe and
then this cooled air was passed over back panel surface as shown in Fig. 7. The study revealed
that by passing the EAHE cooled air to solar PV, the temperature of the solar PV module was
decreased from average 55 °C to 42 °C and the electrical conversion efficiency and output
power of the PV module increased by 22.98% and 18.90% respectively.

RESEARCH GAPS

1. Use of Water as Fluid

a. Effect of Soil Thermal Conductivity

Soil thermal conductivity varies ranging from 1 W/mK to 3 W/mK. It is influenced by water
content, saturation degree temperature and minerals composition. To evaluate the effect of
varying soil thermal conductivity, all other parameters including fluid velocity, inlet
temperature and ground surface temperature are kept constant.
It was observed that as soil thermal conductivity is increased, the amount of heat transfer from
pipe to soil increases. Hence, water outlet temperature decreases. The increase in rate of heat
exchange is proportional to the increase in outlet temperature at higher soil thermal
conductivities. Thus, it is critical to test the soil thermal conductivity prior to installation of a
ground heat exchanger, since it will dramatically dictate the size and length.

b. Effect of Fluid Velocity

Water outlet temperature increases with an increase in fluid velocity. A higher velocity results
.
in a greater mass flow rate. The rate of heat transfer can be determined as : Q = mc p T .

An inverse relation between mass flow rate and T for a constant rate of heat transfer. It is
expected that as velocity is increased, the Reynolds number also increases but the time of

6
 contact between the fluid and the ground is reduced. Thus, for cooling application, a higher
difference in temperature is desired.

c. Effect of Fluid Inlet Temperature

A higher temperature difference between the inlet fluid and outlet fluid indicates an enhanced
performance. The effect of inlet temperature is significant between 330K to 350K. The slope
at inlet temperature of 350K is steeper than other cases, which indicates greater heat exchange
rate. The inlet temperature to system will depend upon cooling load. A greater load results in
higher temperature.

d. Effect of Ground Surface Temperature

The soil temperature has major effect on performance. The soil surface temperature depends
on geographical location, soil properties, ground depth and seasonal weather. Placing the
ground heat exchanger in shaded area would enhance the performance and increase the rate of
extracted heat.

2. Application of Fins

As we know, to increase the rate of heat transfer, we use fins. So, if we have to increase the heat transfer
between the pipe and the earth, fins may be used.

tanh ( ml )
We know,  fin = .
h
kA

So,  fin  k .

The order of thermal conductivity for some materials is as follows:

Diamond > Silver > Copper > Gold > SiC > Aluminum
The first four materials are very costly and hence are not used. So mostly, Aluminum is preferred. The
effectiveness is higher for closely packed fins.

7
3. Use of Radiation Shield

By using radiation shield, there is less loss of heat between the pipe and earth.

Q Q 1
  =  
 A  with shield  A  without shield n + 1

Most preferred material for making radiation shield is Lead.

The role of radiation shield is to reduce the rate of radiation heat transfer by placing additional
resistance in path of radiation heat flow.

8
 CHAPTER – 3
OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY

Objectives:

1. To study the heating and cooling potential of Earth Tube Heat Exchanger by using pipe
geometrics.
2. To investigate and assess the best pipe geometry and material for Earth Tube Heat Exchanger
in Indian climatic conditions.
3. To find out the COP in different inlet and outlet temperatures.
4. To evaluate temperature reduction of air in summers and temperature increment of air in
winters.

Methodology:

The following methodology is adopted for present work:

1. Proper study of Literature and research gaps have been identified.

2. Various designs and parameters are identified.
3. After proper analysis of research papers and brainstorming, length of pipe and velocity of air is
decided for optimum performance.
4. Selection of a numerical model and its modification as per the conditions of our setup.
5. Collection of Data for Input Parameters.
6. Calculation of output Temperature and COP by using the selected model.

9
 CHAPTER – 4
EARTH TUBE HEAT EXCHANGER

An earth tube heat exchanger is an underground heat exchanger that can capture heat from and dissipate
heat to the ground. They use the Earth's near constant or subterranean temperature to warm or cool air
or other fluids for residential, agricultural or industrial uses. Earth tube heat exchangers are often a
viable and economical alternative or supplement to conventional central heating or air conditioning
systems since there are no compressors, chemicals or burners and only blowers are required to move
the air. These are used for either partial or full cooling and/or heating of facility ventilation air. Earth
tube heat exchanger may also use water or antifreeze as a heat transfer fluid, often in conjunction with
a geothermal heat pump.

4.1 Principle of Working

The concept of earth tube heat exchanger (ETHE) is very simple as shown in Fig. 1. The ambient air is
drawn through the pipes of the ETHE buried at a particular depth, moderated to EUT, and gets heated
in winter and vice versa in summer. In this way, the heating and cooling load of building can be reduced
passively. In an open loop system, outdoor air is drawn through the ETHE pipes and cooled/heated air
is supplied to a space where it is required. Whereas, in a closed-loop system, air from the conditioned
space is re-circulated through ETHE pipes and supplied back. The temperature of Earth becomes almost
constant after an approximate depth of 1.5m. This constant temperature is also known as Subterranean
Temperature. Due to this constant temperature, the Earth can be used as either heat sink and as a heat
source in summer and winter respectively. In the summer, the temperature of the ground is cooler than
outside air. This keeps the tubes cool, which then cools the air as it passes through and into the building.

10
4.2 Earth as a Source or a Sink

The temperature inside the Earth’s surface becomes almost constant after a depth of approximately
1.5m. There might be very small seasonal or annual variation, but no diurnal fluctuation. This stability
is a result of a natural physical phenomenon. Temperature waves dampen as they penetrate through
layers of soil. High frequency waves do so more rapidly. Accordingly, diurnal fluctuations (one cycle
per day) diminish less than a meter. But the annual wave penetrates deeper. Its amplitude of
fluctuation is much smaller.
As the temperature of soil is nearly constant, it can be used as sink and source of heat in summer and
winter respectively.

4.3 Types of Earth Tube Heat Exchangers

In general, there are two types of ETHEs: Open system and Closed system.

4.3.1 Open Systems:

In open systems, ambient air passes through the tubes buried in the ground for preheating (in winters)
or pre cooling (in summers). The fresh fluid is circulated through the earth tube heat exchanger. One
end of the tube is open to surrounding for inlet of ambient air, and the other end is connected to the
building or to the conventional system.

11
4.3.2 Closed System:
In closed systems, both ends of the pipe are connected to the control system, which can be a room, in
case of air and a tank, in case of water. The fluid passes continuously over and over through the loop.
Hence, the system is called a closed system.

4.4 Effect of Parameters on Performance of ETHE

4.4.1 Effect of Material

When ETHEs were introduced, concrete pipes were used. But concrete pipes were heavy to transport
and use. Hence, steel pipe came into scene. Then, experiments were conducted for different materials.
Experimental studies showed that PVC also gives similar performance. Also, PVC is cheaper and
lighter material. Steel pipes also had a disadvantage of corrosion, which was eliminated by PVC.
Even though conductivity of PVC is less than steel, yet the outlet temperature in both cases are almost
same. Hence, it can be concluded that in ETHE, convective heat transfer plays more important role
than conductive heat transfer.

4.4.2 Effect of Velocity of Air Inside Pipe

Experimental studies showed that the reduction in temperature of air at the outlet of pipe due to
increment in air velocity occurs because when the air velocity is increased from 2.0 to 5.0m/s, the
convective heat transfer coefficient is increased by 2.3 times and the duration to which the air remains
in contact with the ground is reduced by a factor of 2.5. The latter effect is dominant and hence, at
high speed, the performance gets reduced.

12
4.4.3 Effect of Tube Length
Lengths less than 15m are considered as unsatisfactory, and there are no significant advantages do not
occur for lengths over 70m.

4.4.4 Effect of Tube Depth

The temperature of Earth’s surface becomes almost constant after a depth of approximately 1.5m.
Hence the depth should be more than 1.5m. Also, according to the EREC2002, depths more than 3.5m
are also not justifiable.

4.4.5 Effect of Pipe Diameter and Air Flow Rate

Experiments show that increasing the diameter of pipe results in reduction of mass flow rate and
increment of length increases the pressure drop and blower input. According to EPEC2002, the
optimal solution is to use parallel pipes of proper length and diameter. Generally, 150 to 450 mm
tubes are used.

4.4.6 Effect of Soil Nature and Operation Period

Effects of soil thermal conductivity and time period of continuous operation of ETHE on thermal
performance has been carried out for different pipe lengths and pipe diameters of ETHEs by a lot of
researchers. Maximum deterioration in the performance in terms of temperature drop obtained during
continuous operation of 24 hr. is recorded as 2.9 K for soil with thermal conductivity of 0.52Wm/K.
The thickness of the soil annulus beyond which no significant rise in temperature of soil is observed
to be equal to the pipe diameter.

4.5 Advantages

• They are Environment friendly.

• They reduce the load on conventional systems.
• They have a low cost of operation.
• The system is not very complex.
• A single system can be used for both heating as well as cooling.
• ETHE can be coupled with various other systems to produce different effects.

13
 CHAPTER – 5
APPLICATIONS

• Earth tube heat exchangers have been used in agricultural facilities (animal buildings)
and horticultural facilities (greenhouses)
• Earth Tube Heat Exchangers (ETHE) coupled with buildings as an effective passive
energy source for building space conditioning. An earth tube heat exchanger system
suitably meets heating and cooling energy loads of a building.

• ETHE with a Solar chimney:

The coupled system for providing cooling and ventilation in buildings is Shown in Fig. 4. It
includes a piece of ETHE pipe with one end exposed to the outside and the other to the indoor.
A solar Chimney is connected to the building via a solar collector. Further illustrates the plan
view of the test facility. The cooling and ventilation process works in this way: the air inside
the solar collector is heated up as the solar radiation strikes the solar collector; hence, the hot
air migrates from the solar collector to chimney bottom and rises to the top of the chimney. As
the system components are tightly connected, the hot air migration creates a pressure difference
and draws the ambient air through the ETHE; as the warm ambient air travels through the ETHE
tube, it cools
down due to the heat exchange process that occurs with the underground soil, providing a fresh
cool air draft to the test facility building.

14
• ETHE coupled with an evaporative cooling system:
The ETHE system presented in this model is integrated with an evaporative cooler at the inlet
of the ETHE system. Therefore, cooling is carried out in two stages. The stages are as follows:
The schematic of both ETHE without evaporative cooling and ETHE integrated with
evaporative cooler are shown in Figure 5a and b, respectively.
The ETHE coupled with an evaporative cooling system improves the financial and technical
performance of a simple ETHE system.

• ETHE coupled with wind tower:

The wind tower was coupled with an ETHE system to increase the thermal performance of the
coupled system. A wind tower, also known as windcatcher is a customary architectural
component used to generate natural ventilation to cool a building in a passive process.

15
• ETHE coupled with a photovoltaic system:
The simple ETHE used the blower to such the intake air from the pipe inlet that was powered
by the PV panel. A photovoltaic system often called a PV system, or sometimes solar power
system involves several components such as solar panels to absorb sunlight and convert it into
electricity, an inverter to transform current from direct to alternating, and other mechanical and
electrical hardware accessories to make the system functional. ETHE provides better
performance for the coupled with a photovoltaic system.

16
 CHAPTER – 6
SOIL TEMPERATURE MODELLING

The equation governing the soil temperature is based on the heat conduction theory applied to a semi –
infinite homogeneous solid.
For heat conduction in soil, the equation given by Ben Jmaa Derbel H. et al. (2010) is:

 −z   2
cos  ( t −t0 )−
z 365 
 
T ( z, t ) = Tmean + As  e  …….(6.1)
365  365 2  

 
 
• The thermal and physical properties of the soil, pipe and air used for the study can be tabulated
as:

Table 1- Thermal and physical properties of air, pipe and soil

used in this work
Material Density Heat Capacity Thermal
Conductivity
(𝒌𝒈/𝒎𝟑 ) (J/kg.k) (W/m.k)

Air 1.16 1005 0.0255

Soil 2555 781.4 0.29
PVC 1330 1005 0.2

References:
Air: https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/air-properties-d_156.html
PVC: https://material-properties.org/polyvinyl-chloride-density-strength-melting-point-thermal-conductivity/
Soil: http://cgwb.gov.in/AQM/NAQUIM_REPORT/Uttarakhand/Haridwar.pdf

• The parameters of the ETHE used for the study can be tabulated as:

Table 2- Parameters of the earth tube heat exchanger used

in the simulation
Parameter Reference Value

Pipe length (L) 18m

Inside diameter (Di) 0.1m
Pipe thickness (e) 0.03m
Air velocity (V) 3.2m/s
Pipe depth 2.5m

17
 • The monthly maximum and minimum temperatures at Haridwar can be tabulated as:

Table 3- Monthly maximum and minimum temperature of

the site in Haridwar
Maximal ambient air Minimal ambient air
Months temperature (ºC) temperature (ºC)
January 19.3 6.4
February 22.7 9
March 28.5 12.6
April 35 18
May 37.4 22.3
June 35.8 25.1
July 31.5 25.3
August 30.7 24.7
September 30.3 22.4
October 29.3 16.3
November 25.5 11.5
December 21 7.5

Reference: https://en.climate-data.org/asia/india/uttarakhand/haridwar-5856/

18
 CHAPTER – 7
PARAMETER MODELLING OF ETHE

The Earth Tube Heat Exchanger consists of a PVC pipe of 18m length.
It is assumed that the soil temperature is calculated by the Eqn. (6.1), defined by Ben Jmaa Derbel H.
et al. (2010).
The convective heat transfer coefficient is calculated by the equation:

Nu  
hconv = …….. (7.1)
Di

The Nusselt number is calculated as:

Nu = 0.0214  ( Re0.8 − 100 )  Pr 0.4 ………(7.2)

The Reynold’s number and Prandtl number inside the pipe are given as:

vair  Di
Re = ………… (7.3)

3.2  0.1
=
15.88 10−6
= 20151.133
v    Cp
Pr = ……….. (7.4)

3.2 1.16 1005
=
0.0255
= 146296.47

 Nu = 0.0214  ( 20151.1330.8 − 100 ) 146296.47 0.4

= 6668.29
6668.29  0.0255
 hconv = = 1700.42
0.1
The thermal resistance of the pipe is given as:

1 r 
Rpipe =  ln  e  …….. (7.5)
 pipe  2  ri 

1  0.08 
=  ln  
0.2  2  0.05 
= 0.3740 mK / W

19
The convective thermal resistance between the internal surface of the pipe and air is given as:

1
Rconv = ………. (7.6)
ri  hconv  2

1
=
0.05 1700.42  2
= 0.001872 mK / W

The thermal resistance of the soil is given as:

1  R ( z, t ) 
Rsoil =  ln   ………. (7.7)
  2  re 

1  2.5 
= ln  
0.29  2  0.08 
= 1.889 mK / W

The total thermal conductance of the ETHE is given as:

1
GTot = ………. (7.8)
Rconv + Rsoil + R pipe

1
=
0.001872 + 1.889 + 0.3740
= 0.4416W / mK

The air mass flow rate is given as:

air vair Di2

m= ……… (7.9)
4

1.16  3.2    0.12

=
4
= 0.029 kg / s

The daily variation of the ambient temperature is defined by a Fourier Series given by Wu H et al.
(2004), given as:

Tmax + Tmin Tmax − Tmin  

Tamb (t ) = + cos  ( t − 198 )  …….. (7.10)
2 2  15 
The temperature at the outlet of the ETHE is defined by an equation given by Mahmoud Bourouis et
al. (2016), which is given as:

 − GTot
L 
 
Ts = Tamb + (T ( z , t ) − Tamb )  1 − e
mC p f
 ……….. (7.11)
 
 

20
 CHAPTER – 8
OBSERVATION

For our project, we have taken the month of November for Winter and June for Summer to study the
performance of ETHE.

The values of Tmean , T ( z , t ) , Tamb and Ts for the month of November can be tabulated as:

Day t Tmean T(z,t) Tamb Ts

1 305 18.5 18.7535 12.105 17.72

2 306 18.5 18.7094 12.837 17.77

3 307 18.5 18.6737 13.816 18.05

4 308 18.5 18.6434 15 18.19

5 309 18.5 18.6190 16.337 18.43
6 310 18.5 18.5989 17.768 19.52
7 311 18.5 18.5823 19.232 20.92

8 312 18.5 18.5686 20.663 22.24

9 313 18.5 18.5573 22 24.59

10 314 18.5 18.5479 23.184 25.78

11 315 18.5 18.5402 24.163 26.88

12 316 18.5 18.5337 24.895 27.93

13 317 18.5 18.5284 25.347 28.11
14 318 18.5 18.5239 25.5 28.32
15 319 18.5 18.5202 25.347 28.07

21
The values of Tmean , T ( z , t ) , Tamb and Ts for the month of June can be tabulated as:

Day t Tmean T(z,t) Tamb Ts

1 152 30.45 21.187 25.217 24.255

2 153 30.45 21.191 25.1 24.167

3 154 30.45 21.195 25.217 24.257

4 155 30.45 21.201 25.563 24.948

5 156 30.45 21.205 26.122 24.948

6 157 30.45 21.208 26.870 25.518

7 158 30.45 21.212 27.775 26.208

8 159 30.45 21.215 28.797 26.987

9 160 30.45 21.219 29.891 27.827
10 161 30.45 21.221 31.009 28.673

11 162 30.45 21.227 32.103 29.507

12 163 30.45 21.233 33.125 30.286

13 164 30.45 21.238 34.030 30.976

14 165 30.45 21.242 34.778 31.546

15 166 30.45 21.251 35.337 31.974

22
 CHAPTER – 9
RESULTS

The coefficient of performance of the earth tube heat exchangers system was evaluated by using the
following equation:

Desired effect(DE)
• Coefficient of performance (COP) = Work Input(Win)

• 𝐷𝐸 = 𝑚̇𝐶𝑝∆𝑇
𝜋
• 𝑚̇ = 𝜌𝐴𝑜 𝑣𝑜 = 𝜌 4 𝑑𝑜2 𝑣𝑜

Where,

𝑚̇ is the mass flow rate of air in kg/s,

Cp is the specific heat of air in KJ/Kg K,

ΔT is the difference temperature between ambient air temperature and outlet temperature of
ETHE .

Given

• Work input from Blower (WIN) = 72 W

• Diameter of Pipe at Outlet (do) = 0.1 m
• Value of Specific Heat of Air (Cp) = 1005 J/kg-k
• Value of Density of Air () = 1.16 kg/𝑚3
• Outlet Velocity of Air (𝑣𝑜 ) = 3.2 m/s
• Calculated Mass Flow Rate of Air (𝑚̇) = 0.029kg/s

23
The following table consists of the values of Inlet and Outlet temperatures for the ETHE for the
month of November. It also contains the values of Desired Effect and COP.

Day Tamb Ts ∆Ts D.E. COP

1 12.105 17.72 5.615 163.649 2.273
2 12.837 17.77 4.933 143.772 1.997

3 13.816 18.05 4.234 123.399 1.714

4 15 18.19 3.19 92.973 1.291

5 16.337 18.43 2.093 61.001 0.847

6 17.768 19.52 1.752 51.062 0.709

7 19.232 20.92 1.688 49.197 0.683

8 20.663 22.24 1.577 45.962 0.638

9 22 24.59 2.59 75.485 1.048

10 23.184 25.78 2.596 75.66 1.051
11 24.163 26.88 2.717 79.187 1.100

12 24.895 27.93 3.035 88.455 1.229

13 25.347 28.11 2.763 80.528 1.118
14 25.5 28.32 2.82 82.189 1.142

15 25.347 28.07 2.723 79.362 1.102

24
The following table consists of the values of Inlet and Outlet temperatures for the ETHE for the
month of June. It also contains the values of Desired Effect and COP.

Day Tamb Ts ∆Ts D.E. COP

1 25.217 24.255 0.962 28.037 0.389

2 25.1 24.167 0.933 27.192 0.378

3 25.217 24.257 0.96 27.979 0.389

4 25.563 24.948 0.615 17.924 0.249

5 26.122 24.948 1.174 34.216 0.475

6 26.870 25.518 1.352 39.404 0.547

7 27.775 26.208 1.567 45.670 0.634

8 28.797 26.987 1.81 52.752 0.733

9 29.891 27.827 2.064 60.155 0.835
10 31.009 28.673 2.336 68.083 0.946
11 32.103 29.507 2.596 75.660 1.051

12 33.125 30.286 2.839 82.743 1.149

13 34.030 30.976 3.054 89.009 1.236

14 34.778 31.546 3.232 94.197 1.308

15 35.337 31.974 3.363 98.015 1.361

25
Various results from above can be summarised in the following charts:

26
27
From the charts it can be concluded that:

i. During the month of November, the COP was better when the ambient temperature was low.
ii. During the month of November, the difference between the outlet and inlet temperatures was
high, i.e., heating was better, when inlet temperature was low. The difference reduced with
increase in inlet temperature.
iii. During the month of June, the COP was better when the ambient temperature was high.
iv. During the month of June, the difference between inlet and outlet temperatures was high, i.e.,
cooling was better, when inlet temperature was high. The difference reduced with decrease in
inlet temperature.

28
 CHAPTER – 10
COST ESTIMATION

Material Cost (Rs)

06 - 10 feet × 4-inch PVC pipe 4600

01 - 10 feet × 2-inch PVC pipe 450
14 - 4-inch elbow 1100
01 - 2-inch elbow 90
01 - 4 inch to 2-inch reducer 100
01 - 2-inch Tee 90
02 - 2-inch gate valve 950
Miscellaneous 920

Power Supply and Instruction

01 - Blower 2450
01 - Variable Power Supply Unit 1250
01 - Digital Anemometer 1850
02 - Digital Thermometer 850

Miscellaneous

Site Excavation 2600

Travel and Transportation 2650
Plumber 2000

Total Cost. 21,950

29
 CHAPTER – 11
CONCLUSIONS
• The overall performance of the ETHE was improved by 3% as compared to [24] for
applications in both summer as well as winter.
• During the winter, i.e., month of November, the COP increased with decrease in inlet
temperature, which is a positive aspect as more heating is required in winters when inlet
temperatures are low.
• During summer, i.e., month of June, the COP increased with increase in inlet temperature,
which is a positive aspect as more cooling in required in summer when the inlet temperatures
are high.
• A major factor limiting the usefulness of ETHE is its reliability. This is also seen in the
results. The performance of the ETHE varies vastly with the environmental conditions.
• Nevertheless, encouraging results have been obtained and overall results indicate a great
potential for such passive systems to give better results.

30
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