Performance measurement and configuration optimization based on orthogonal simulation method of earth-to-air heat exchange system in cold-arid climate

Abstract

The earth-to-air heat exchanger (EAHE) is a remarkable technology that taps into the Earth’s subsurface heat to either heat or cool the air circulating within buried underground pipes, which can effectively reduce building energy consumption. In cold-arid regions of northwest China, outdoor climate parameters vary considerably throughout the year, and shallow soil temperatures also fluctuate dramatically. This dynamic thermal environment significantly impacts the practical application of the EAHE system. Furthermore, the operation efficiency of the EAHE system can be influenced by the configuration of system parameters. Therefore, this paper takes an EAHE project in Lanzhou as the research object to investigate the operation performance, energy consumption and economy of EAHE in the cold-arid regions of Northwest China. The research results show that heat exchange potential is high in summer and winter, and the outlet temperature varies more gently in winter. During the summer, the cooling capacity of the system is sufficient to the cooling demands of the building, without using auxiliary equipment for cooling; compared to an air-cooled unit with a COP of 3.2, the system reduces cooling energy consumption by 2063.4 kWh. Moreover, we determined the influence degree and optimal scheme of each factor under different evaluation indexes through orthogonal simulation. The specific parameters of the optimal scheme are as follows: pipe length 20 m, pipe diameter 100 mm, buried depth 4 m, and airflow velocity 7 m/s. Compared with the original scheme, the heat transfer efficiency and heat transfer power of this scheme are increased by 37.91 % and 17.6 %, respectively, and the cost per unit heat transfer power is 11,700 CNY/kW, which is 8000 CNY/kW lower than the original scheme.