A numerical evaluation on the utilization of earth to air heat exchangers in arid regions Algeria

Abstract

In this paper, the numerical results of the study on geothermal-air heat exchanger in dry areas of Algeria (Ghardaia region) were presented. Computational fluid dynamics equations were solved using our specific code compilated with Fortran. The outputs of the numerical calculations were compared and validated with the experimental results and the outputs of a commercial CFD code. In these conditions, our results present good agreements with an error not exceeding 2%. By using our numerical model, we have calculated the optimum length, the internal diameter, the air velocity of the pipe in winter and summer periods and have determined the optimum depth at different depths. The comparison of two types of pipes making material (PVC and PEHD) has taken into account the characteristics of the Ghardaia-Algeria region (specific heat capacity, density, thermal conductivity and temperature) of the soil. The obtained results proved that the chosen model gives a satisfactory agreement in all the studied variables.