Energy and exergy analyses of a helicoidal water to air geothermal heat exchanger for arid regions

ABSTRACT

Helicoidal water-air geothermal heat exchanger (HWAGHE) uses the water well as a heat source/sink for air refreshing purposes in space. It has been exploited as a passive technique to minimize the energy uses in buildings. This work goals to estimate the energy and exergy characteristics of HWAGHE for arid zone weather condition of Algeria. The helicoidally geometry enhancing the heat exchange with the soil is chosen to decrease the operating cost and the needed area. The studied HWAGHE was constructed from a flexible PVC pipe with 30 m length and 0.6 m diameter. It was immersed into a drilled borehole with 1 m diameter and 5 m depth. The heat exchange rate with the ground and exergy and energy efficiencies of HWAGHE is evaluated. Experimental findings revealed that the inlet ambient temperature has a considerable impact on the HWAGHE performances mainly when the change in temperature between the ambient and the water well increments. Maximal exergy and energetic efficiencies of the HWAGHE, reaching 89% and 92%, respectively, are obtained at 0.035 kg s⁻¹ mass flow rate.

KEYWORDS:

• Geothermal heat exchanger
• helicoidal water-air heat exchanger
• Sahara climate
• energy analysis
• exergetic analysis

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Additional information

Notes on contributors

Abdessamia Hadjadj

Abdessamia Hadjadj is a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of EL Ouargla and Ph. D. degree in Energy Engineering from the University of EL Oued, Algeria, in 2016 and 2021 respectively. member of Saharan Energy Resources Exploitation and Development Laboratory (LEVRES), Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of El Oued. His major research interests are thermal engineering, cooling and heating buildings systems, geothermal energy, heat exchangers, heat and mass transfer.

Abdelmalek Atia

Abdelmalek Atia received the Dipl. Eng., M. Eng. and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Boumerdes University, Algeria, in 2007, 2010 and 2016, respectively. He is currently a Lecturer/Researcher of Mechanical Engineering and a member of Saharan Energy Resources Exploitation and Development Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of El Oued, Algeria. His research interests include modeling and simulation of transport phenomenon, convection-diffusion computing, lattice Boltzmann method applications, transport in porous media, PEMFC simulation, MOSFET simulation, solar drying, Geothermal Heat Exchanger and looking for innovative solutions to enable the sustainable energy transition. He has published a set of research articles in journals and chapter Book, as well as papers in conferences, contributed as author/co-author. In addition, He is managing two scientific projects about Renewable Energy in Arid Zone.

Boubaker Ben haoua

Boubaker Benhaoua is presently working as a Professor of mechanical engineering and member of Valorization and Technology of Sahara Resources (VTRS) Laboratory in the University of El Oued, Algeria. He has published a number of papers in the International Journal and presented papers in Conferences / seminars. His main research interests are surface science, renewable energy, solar, geothermal energy, thin Films Synthesis and Material Characterization.

Müslüm Arıcı

Müslüm Arıcı is a faculty member in Mechanical Engineering Department of Kocaeli University, Turkey. He completed Diploma Course at von Karman Institute, Belgium in 2007 and received PhD degree from Kocaeli University in 2010. His research fields of interest are Numerical Heat Transfer, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Thermal management, Thermal Energy Storage, and Nanofluids.

Nabiha Naili

Nabiha Naili is an Assistant Professor of Physics and member of the Laboratory of Thermal Processes (LPT) and affiliated with the Research and Technology Centre of Energy (CRTEn) in the city of Hammam-Lif, Tunisia. His research fields of interest are Renewable Energy, Heat pump, Thermal of buildings, Thermal Energy Storage, and Geothermal Heat Exchanger.

Abdelmadjid Kaddour

Abdelmadjid Kaddour is a Lecturer/Researcher of Physics and a member of the Renewable Energy Applied Research Unit (URAER) and affiliated with the Renewable Energy Development Center (CDER) in the city of Ghardaia, Algeria, his research fields of interest are Numerical Heat Transfer, Plasma physics, Thermal of buildings, Thermal Energy Storage, and Photovoltaic system.