Performance of earth-air heat exchanger in cooling, heating, and reducing carbon emissions of an industrial poultry farm: A case study

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper aims to study an earth-air heat exchanger system proposed to cover the living environment needs and reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of an industrial poultry house in southern Algeria. For this purpose, a detailed mathematical model was used to determine the thermal needs of this industrial building. The soil temperature was studied to estimate the appropriate depth for installing the earth-air heat exchanger, followed by a parametric and economic study to determine its dimensions and cost. Finally, compare its performance with the systems currently used in this industrial farm. The study results, which were obtained in extreme working conditions, showed that the earth air heat exchanger could cover 45% and 38% of the heating and cooling demands, respectively. In summer, the proposed heat exchanger was able to reduce the temperature from 47°C to 27.1°C, while in winter, it was able to increase the temperature from 4.8°C to 22.9°C, and its performance was stable compared to the systems currently used, and, it recorded temperatures better under hot outside conditions. Furthermore, its use reduces CO2 emissions to 719 kgCO2/day in heating and 2531 kgCO2/day in cooling, making it a suitable solution for this type of industrial building.