Sarwo Edhy Sofyan, Teuku Meurah Indra Riayatsyah, Khairil, Eric Hu, Akram Tamlicha, Teuku Muhammad Reza Pahlefi, H.B. Aditiya
This study uses Ansys Fluent to compare the thermal performance of series and parallel earth air heat exchanger (EAHE) systems for cooling. The model was validated using experimental data from published literature and matched simulation results. The sensitivity study examined how length, diameter, and ground surface coverings affected EAHE performance. The relationship between effectiveness and the Number Transfer Unit (NTU) of EAHE was explored along with the soil thermal regime. The simulation results show that the series EAHE can achieve a lower temperature drop than parallel. With an input air temperature of 32 °C and EAHE lengths varying from 10 m to 50 m (in 10 m increments), the 50 m EAHE produced the lowest outlet air temperatures: 27.2 °C for the series configuration and 28.8 °C for the parallel arrangement. Changing the EAHE diameter (4–6 in) results in a ±0.2 °C outlet air temperature drop for both setups. EAHE performed best under short grass soil cover, yielding 1.4 °C and 0.5 °C lower outlet air temperatures, for series and parallel arrangements than the asphalt cover. The pressure drop increased proportionally with EAHE's length. Simulation results indicate a ±6 times larger pressure loss in the series design compared to the parallel setup. The effectiveness-NTU relationship shows that parallel EAHEs are 15 % more effective than series ones. © 2024 The Authors
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, 23111, Indonesia; Program Study of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Production and Industrial Technology, Institut Teknologi Sumatera, South Lampung, 3536, Indonesia; Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Technology Sydney, 2007, NSW, Australia; School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, SA, Australia; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Sampoerna University, Jakarta, Indonesia; Sampoerna University Energy Research Center, Pancoran, Jakarta Selatan, 12780, Indonesia; Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, 81 Broadway, Ultimo, 2007, NSW, Australia