A review on earth tube heat exchanger in heating and cooling systems

Abstract

Systems for heating and cooling that use renewable energy are becoming more popular. One method for lowering ventilation heat losses and enhancing thermal comfort in buildings is the use of earth tube heat exchangers to heat or cool the air. Earth Tube Heat Exchanger is an apparatus that transfers heat from ambient air to underground and vice versa which is used in heating and cooling applications. It started using an Earth tube heat exchanger (ETHE) by relying on the use of sustainable energy sources. Numerous researchers have put many different concepts into practice, carried out studies on ETHE with various parameters based on location, and discovered the best values of parameters for improved performance. This paper reviews ETHE's experimental and numerical research which focuses on its design (Construction materials, distance from the earth's surface, air speed, and pipe length, among other factors). The use of geothermal energy (sustainable energy source) through ETHE leads to meeting energy demand and preserving the environment by reducing carbon dioxide emissions, which in turn affects the ozone.