Numerical Analysis of Phase Change Material Parameters on the Behavior of a Ground-Air Heat Exchanger

Abstract:

The ground-air heat exchanger (GAHE) represents an eco-friendly solution for improving temperature conditions and, consequently, lowering the power demand in facilities. The aim of this research is to numerically analyze how the length and position of the phase change material (PCM) affect the behavior of the GAHE. To achieve this, a 3D computational simulation of the PCM integrated with the GAHE was employed, utilizing the equivalent heat capacity approach and tailored to the climate and ground properties of southern Brazil. This GAHE-PCM numerical model was created employing the finite volume method through the ANSYS Fluent program. From the obtained results, it was found that for a PCM length of 20.61 m, the incorporation of this material placed from the duct inlet offered an improvement of 13.37% in the average heating energy performance indicator (EPI) in the month of May, in contrast to the EPI value of 18.04% achieved when the PCM was added from the duct outlet.

• Periodical: Defect and Diffusion Forum (Volume 436)
• Pages: 103-115
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-v6GiLq
• Online since: September 2024
• Authors: Giovanni Antonio Vielma Vivas, Michel Kepes Rodrigues, Luiz Alberto Oliveira Rocha, Elizaldo Domingues dos Santos, Ruth da Silva Brum, Liércio André Isoldi*
• Keywords: Computational Modeling, Ground-Air Heat Exchanger (GAHE), Phase Change Materials (PCM), Sustainable Energy

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