A novel solar-geothermal system integrated with earth-to-air heat exchanger and solar air heater with phase change material-numerical modelling, experimental calibration and parametrical analysis

In order to compensate drawbacks of traditional earth-to-air heat exchanger (EAHE) system, such as the unstable outlet air temperature, the overheating and the limited operation period, a novel coupled system systematically integrating an EAHE and a solar air heater (SAH) with phase change material (PCM), was proposed in this study. The complementary between geothermal and solar energy is exploited and served for building energy savings. On-site experimental testing and enthalpy-based numerical modelling using the control volume method were conducted for thermal and energy performances prediction. Systematic and parametrical analyses have been conducted using the developed mathematical model to investigate the effects of critical parameters on the thermal and energy performances. Our findings illustrate that the implementation of PCM can effectively stabilize the outlet air temperature for nearly 4.5 h and prolong the working period to 24 h. Due to the heat transfer enhancement, the increase of the airflow rate can significantly increase the system heating capacity, whereas the outlet air temperature is decreased with a maximum magnitude of 5.3 degrees C. Furthermore, the diurnal thermal performance of the system is highly dependent on the phase change temperature, whereas the time-duration of the effective operation is highly dependent on the PCM latent heat. Moreover, the system nocturnal thermal behavior can be improved with the increase of the PCM thermal conductivity, whereas a saturated improvement can be noticed when the PCM thermal conductivity is 1.0 W/(m.K). This study proposes a complementary geothermal and solar energy system, together with phase change material for the performance stability improvement, which are important for the promotion of green buildings with energy-efficient utilization of geothermal and solar energy.

Automated summary

This study proposed a novel coupled system integrating an EAHE and a SAH with PCM to compensate drawbacks of traditional EAHE system. The implementation of PCM effectively stabilized the outlet air temperature and prolonged the working period. Systematic and parametrical analyses showed that critical parameters have significant effects on the thermal and energy performances of the system.