Enhancing the Performance of the Building’s Vapor Compression Air Cooling System Using Earth-Air Heat Exchanger

Author(s):  
Fadi A. Ghaith ◽  
Fadi J. Alsouda

This paper aims to evaluate the thermal performance and feasibility of integrating the Earth-Air Heat Exchanger (EAHE) with the building’s vapor compression air cooling system. In the proposed system, the ambient air is forced by an axial fan through an EAHE buried at a certain depth below the ground surface. EAHE uses the subsoil low temperature and soil thermal properties to reduce the air temperature. The outlet air from the EAHE was used for the purpose of cooling the condenser of the vapor compression cycle (VCC) to enhance its coefficient of performance (COP). The potential enhancement on the COP was investigated for two different refrigerants (i.e. R-22 and R410a) cooling systems. A mathematical model was developed to estimate the underground soil temperature at different depths and the corresponding outlet air temperature of EAHE was calculated. The obtained results showed that the soil temperature in Dubai at 4 meters depth is about 27°C and remains relatively constant across the year. In order to estimate the effect of using EAHE on the performance of the VCC system, a sample villa project was selected as a case study. The obtained results showed that EAHE system contributed efficiently to the COP of the VCC with an overall increase of 47 % and 49 % for R-22 and R410a cycles, respectively. Moreover, the calculated values were validated against Cycle_D simulation model and showed good agreement with a maximum deviation of 5%. The payback period for this project was found to be around two years while the expected life time is about 10 years which makes it an attractive investment.

1979 ◽  
Vol 101 (4) ◽  
pp. 516-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
James C. Eastwood

The efficiency of turbocharged diesel engines can be increased by cooling the charge air. This paper presents a design approach for liquid-coupled indirect-transfer heat exchanger systems to perform the air-cooling function. The two advantages most commonly cited for this approach to charge-air cooling are (1) the heat exchangers involved are easily packaged so that their shapes can be controlled by judicious design, and (2) simple gas ducting allows for compact machinery arrangements and relatively low charge-air pressure drop. An analytical approach to the design of liquid-coupled indirect-transfer heat exchanger systems is presented. Performance curves are constructed on the basis of this analysis. Four important design conditions are evident from the observation of these performance curves including (1) the relative capacity rate combination of the three fluids (ambient air, coupling liquid, and engine charge-air) which yields the highest overall effectiveness, (2) an optimum coupling-liquid flow rate, (3) the relative effectiveness distribution for each of the two component heat exchangers (hot and cold components), and (4) a broad design range for the optimum area distribution between the hot and cold exchangers. These performance curves serve as a guide for the design of a liquid-coupled charge-air cooling system.


Author(s):  
Cheng Yang ◽  
Zeliang Yang ◽  
Ruixian Cai

Inlet air temperature increase results in a considerable reduction in GTCC power output. Present design of inlet air cooling system usually applied static method, which considered a constant depression of inlet air temperature, an approximate estimate of runtime, output power increase and fuel consumption variation per temperature depression, etc. However, to a crumb, at least another two problems should be studied. One is GTCC performance variation with inlet air temperature, since the kilowatt increment per centigrade is not a constant; the other is off design performance of inlet air cooling system, since the inlet air temperature depression through the cooling system varies with the actual operation conditions, such as ambient air temperature and cooling water temperature, etc. This paper presents an economic evaluation with numerical integration method on GTCC inlet air cooling with absorption chiller. For a typical GTCC composed of series E gas turbine and combined components, their non-dimensional performance curves are fitted with regression equations. Associating with these equations, the inlet air temperature characteristics of GTCC are simulated; and the fitted analytical expressions for GTCC inlet air temperature characteristics are also presented. The simulation method of off design performance of a typical absorption chiller is described. For a typical GTCC with inlet air cooling in south China area, integrated with the everyday typical weather data, GTCC everyday average output power and fuel consumption, output power increment and GTCC fuel consumption increment are simulated. The simulation results show that, for every 1°C depression in inlet air temperature, the GTCC output power increases 0.5%, while heat rate varies slightly and trends towards a rise at the inlet air temperature of about 15°C. Research on inlet air cooling scheme (Scheme 10°C, cooling the ambient air temperature from ambient temperature 30°C to 10°C) shows that, Scheme 10°C yields annual average 16°C of inlet air temperature depression. Economic evaluation based on numerical integration indicates that, in the case of Scheme 10°C, annual output power increases by 8.27%, fuel consumption rate increases by 1.03%; payback period approximately amounts to 2.0 years when power price is 12 cent/(kW.h) and fuel cost is $265/t.


Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 6201
Author(s):  
Andrii Radchenko ◽  
Eugeniy Trushliakov ◽  
Krzysztof Kosowski ◽  
Dariusz Mikielewicz ◽  
Mykola Radchenko

The efficiency of cooling ambient air at the inlet of gas turbines in temperate climatic conditions was analyzed and reserves for its enhancing through deep cooling were revealed. A method of logical analysis of the actual operation efficiency of turbine intake air cooling systems in real varying environment, supplemented by the simplest numerical simulation was used to synthesize new solutions. As a result, a novel trend in engine intake air cooling to 7 or 10 °C in temperate climatic conditions by two-stage cooling in chillers of combined type, providing an annual fuel saving of practically 50%, surpasses its value gained due to traditional air cooling to about 15 °C in absorption lithium-bromide chiller of a simple cycle, and is proposed. On analyzing the actual efficiency of turbine intake air cooling system, the current changes in thermal loads on the system in response to varying ambient air parameters were taken into account and annual fuel reduction was considered to be a primary criterion, as an example. The improved methodology of the engine intake air cooling system designing based on the annual effect due to cooling was developed. It involves determining the optimal value of cooling capacity, providing the minimum system sizes at maximum rate of annual effect increment, and its rational value, providing a close to maximum annual effect without system oversizing at the second maximum rate of annual effect increment within the range beyond the first maximum rate. The rational value of design cooling capacity provides practically the maximum annual fuel saving but with the sizes of cooling systems reduced by 15 to 20% due to the correspondingly reduced design cooling capacity of the systems as compared with their values defined by traditional designing focused to cover current peaked short-term thermal loads. The optimal value of cooling capacity providing the minimum sizes of cooling system is very reasonable for applying the energy saving technologies, for instance, based on the thermal storage with accumulating excessive (not consumed) cooling capacities at lowered current thermal loads to cover the peak loads. The application of developed methodology enables revealing the thermal potential for enhancing the efficiency of any combustion engine (gas turbines and engines, internal combustion engines, etc.).


2012 ◽  
Vol 52 (No. 2) ◽  
pp. 39-47
Author(s):  
V. Šleger ◽  
P. Neuberger

This paper first proposes a technique of computing air temperature and humidity in stables based on outdoor air parameters and biological production of animals. The computation technique is outlined. The calculated values are then used to assess the potential of evaporation cooling in mild climatic conditions. Graphs illustrate the assumed effect of evaporation cooling equipment inside a stable housing of egg laying hens. Used in the computation were hourly meteorological readings obtained during the period May to August in years 2000 to 2002, in the locality with a potential installation of a cooling system. Other Graphs illustrate the time the animals spent in an environment with a particular air temperature. For instance in June 2002, the time animals in the stable were exposed to temperatures 27°C or higher was reduced by using an air cooling system from 39 h to 22 h, and in July 2002 from 33 h to 4 h. The envisaged model can be modified for other kinds of gallinaceous poultry and pigs.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 168781402093499
Author(s):  
Shafqat Hussain ◽  
Abdulrahim Kalendar ◽  
Muhammad Zeeshan Rafique ◽  
Patrick Oosthuizen

This article presents numerical investigations of the solar-assisted hybrid desiccant evaporative cooling system integrated with standard air collectors for applications under the hot and humid climatic conditions of Kuwait city. The objective is to introduce the energy-efficient and carbon-free solar-assisted hybrid desiccant evaporative cooling system to alleviate the principal problems of electricity consumption and carbon emissions resulting from the use of the conventional vapor-compression cooling systems. In the normal building, during cooling load operation, the solar-assisted hybrid desiccant evaporative cooling system can cope with the cooling load particularly sensible by evaporative cooling and latent through desiccant dehumidification. The outcomes of this work indicate that solar-assisted hybrid desiccant evaporative cooling device integrated with air collectors is capable of providing average coefficient of performance of 0.85 and has the potential to provide cooling with energy saving when compared with conventional vapor-compression refrigeration systems. It was concluded that under the intense outdoor environmental conditions (ambient air at greater than 45°C and 60% relative humidity), the delivered supply air from the evaporative cooling was nearly at 27°C and 65% relative humidity. To solve this problem, the system was assisted with conventional cooling coil (evaporator of heat pump) to supply air at comfortable conditions in the conditioned space.


Volume 3 ◽  
2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takamasa Ito ◽  
Jinliang Yuan ◽  
Bengt Sunde´n

Heat exchangers are used in proton exchange membrane fuel cell systems (PEMFCs) for stack cooling, intercooling, water condensation and fuel reforming. Especially, the heat exchanger for the intercooling before the humidifier is investigated in this paper. It is found that, at high pressure or high mass flow rate, the need to cool the air (oxidant) is large. The heat exchanger uses coolant water from the stack cooling system or ambient air as the cold stream. With water-cooling, the volume of the heat exchanger will be small. However, difficulties exist because the small available temperature difference. Air-cooling can be used over a wide operating range but the heat exchanger volume will be large.


Irriga ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 140-150
Author(s):  
Antonio José Steidle Neto ◽  
SÉRGIO ZOLNIER

Este trabalho foi conduzido com o objetivo de analisar o desempenho de um sistema de resfriamento evaporativo do ar (tipo painel-exaustor) em casa-de-vegetação, ao longo do período diurno em dias com condições climáticas distintas. Foram realizadas medições de temperatura e umidade relativa do ar no interior e exterior de uma casa-de-vegetação durante o período de crescimento e desenvolvimento de tomateiros cultivados em substrato de areia. Verificou-se que as eficiências médias diárias de resfriamento evaporativo do ar variaram entre 74% e 81%. Os decréscimos máximos na temperatura do ar, imediatamente após a sua passagem pelo painel de celulose, foram de 8,2ºC e 11,4ºC. Observou-se ainda que, a eficiência de resfriamento do ar foi sensivelmente melhorada quando o déficit de pressão de vapor d'água do ar externo foi superior a 1,8 kPa.   UNITERMOS: déficit de pressão de vapor d'água do ar, temperatura do ar, eficiência de resfriamento evaporativo.     STEIDLE NETO, A. J.; ZOLNIER, S. EVAPORATIVE AIR COOLING SYSTEM PERFORMANCE IN A GREENHOUSE     2 ABSTRACT   This work aimed to analyze the performance of an evaporative air cooling system (pad-fan type) in greenhouse along daytime period in days with different climatic conditions. Air temperature and relative humidity measurements inside and outside of an greenhouse were made during the growing period of tomato plants cultivated in sand substrate. It was verified that the average daily evaporative cooling efficiency ranged from 74% to 81%. The maximum air temperature decrements, immediately after its passage through the cellulose pad, were 8.2°C and 11.4°C. It was also observed that the air cooling efficiency was sensitively improved when the vapor pressure deficit of the external air was higher than 1.8 kPa.   KEYWORDS: vapor pressure deficit, air temperature, evaporative cooling efficiency.  


2019 ◽  
pp. 10-14
Author(s):  
Андрій Миколайович Радченко ◽  
Богдан Сергійович Портной ◽  
Сергій Анатолійович Кантор ◽  
Ігор Петрович Єсін

Significant fluctuations in the current temperature and relative humidity of the ambient air lead to significant changes in the heat load on the air cooling system at the inlet of the gas turbine unit, which urgently poses the problem of choosing their design heat load, as well as evaluating the efficiency of the air cooling system for a certain period of time. The efficiency of deep air cooling at the inlet of gas turbine units was studied with a change during July 2015–2018 for climatic conditions of operation at the compressor station Krasnopolie, Dnepropetrovsk region (Ukraine). For air cooling, the use of a waste heat recovery chiller, which transforms the heat of exhaust gases of gas turbine units into the cold, has been proposed. The efficiency of air cooling at the inlet of gas turbine units for different temperatures has been analyzed: down to 15 °C – an absorption lithium-bromide chiller, which is used as the first high-temperature stage for pre-cooling of ambient air, and down to 10 °C – a combined absorption-ejector chiller (with using a refrigerant low-temperature air cooler as the second stage of air cooling). The effect of air-cooling was assessed by comparing the increase in the production of mechanical energy as a result of an increase in the power of a gas turbine unit and fuel saved during the month of July for 2015-2018 in accumulating. Deeper air cooling at the inlet of the gas turbine unit to a temperature of 10 °C in a combined absorption-ejector chiller compared to its traditional cooling to 15 °C in an absorption bromine-lithium chiller provides a greater increase in net power and fuel saved. It is shown that due to a slight discrepancy between the results obtained for 2015-2018, a preliminary assessment of the efficiency of air cooling at the inlet of gas turbine plants can be carried out for one year.


2019 ◽  
pp. 76-80
Author(s):  
Андрій Миколайович Радченко ◽  
Анатолій Анатолійович Зубарєв ◽  
Сергій Георгійович Фордуй ◽  
Володимир Володимирович Бойчук ◽  
Віталій Васильович Цуцман

The analysis of the efficiency of cooling air of cogeneration gas-piston module of installations for combined production of electric energy, heat, and cold is performed. The installation for energy supply includes two JMS 420 GS-N.LC GE Jenbacher cogeneration gas-piston engines manufactured as cogeneration modules with heat exchangers for removing the heat of exhaust gases, scavenge gas-air mixture, cooling water of engine and lubricating oil. The heat of hot water is transformed by the absorption lithium-bromide chiller AR-D500L2 Century into the cold, which is spent on technological needs and for the operation of the central air conditioner for cooling the incoming air of the engine room, wherefrom it is sucked by the turbocharger of the engine. The temperature of the scavenge gas-air mixture at the entrance to the working cylinders of the engine is maintained by the system of recirculating cooling with the removal of its heat into surroundings by the radiator. Because of significant heat influx from working engines and other equipment, as well as through the enclosures of the engine room from the outside to the air-cooled in the central air conditioner in the engine room, from where it is sucked by a turbocharger, the air temperature at the inlet of the turbocharger is quite high: 25...30 °C. At elevated temperatures of the ambient air at the inlet of the radiator for cooling scavenge gas-air mixture and the air at the turbocharger inlet the fuel economy of engine is falling, which indicates the need for efficient cooling of air. The efficiency of cooling the air of the gas-piston module was estimated by a reduction in the consumption of gaseous fuel and the increase in electric power of the engine. For this purpose, the data of monitoring on the fuel efficiency of the gas-piston engine with the combined influence of the ambient air temperature at the inlet of the radiator and the air at the turbocharger inlet were processed to obtain data on their separate effects and to determine the ways to further improve the air cooling system of the gas-piston module.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 4117-4126
Author(s):  
P. Rakkwamsuk ◽  
P. Paromupatham ◽  
K. Sathapornprasath ◽  
C. Lertsatitthanakorn ◽  
S. Soponronnarit

A thermoelectric (TE) air-cooling system for dehumidifying indoor air in a building was investigated. The system was composed of 4 TE modules. The cold sides of the TE modules were fixed to an aluminum heat sink to remove moisture in the air of a test chamber of 1 m3 volume, while a heat sink with circulating cooling water at the hot sides of the TE modules was used for heat release. The effects of input electric current to the TE modules and air flow rate through the heat sink were experimentally determined. The system’s performance was evaluated using dehumidification effectiveness and coefficient of performance (COP). A suitable condition occurred at 18.5 A of current flow and 240 W of power being supplied to the TE modules with a corresponding cooling capacity of 149.5 W, which gave a dehumidification effectiveness of 0.62. Therefore, it is anticipated the proposed TE dehumidifier concept will contribute to the air conditioning system’s reduction of room humidity. 


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