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The aim of this study is to explore the performance of an Earth to Air Heat Exchanger (EAHE) and find out the utility of the device in the cooling of buildings in the hot region. The EAHE cooling potential was experimentally investigated for a placement in Biskra, a city located in the south east of Algeria. A cylindrical tube of PVC in the serpentine form having an internal diameter of 0.110m and a total length of 56m is buried at 3m depth with a slope of 2% at Biskra University. The temperature readings of soil, external air and a buried duct at several positions were recorded during the period of May and September of the year 2013. Results showed that EAHE cooling potential (discrepancy between the inlet temperature (ambient) and the outlet temperature of the EAHE) was found promising as it could exceed 15 °C. The duration of operation of the heat exchanger does not influence the outlet temperature. EAHE is very useful to refresh buildings during spring and early summer, but it can just be used for pre-cooling in the rest of summer and autumn seasons. Moreover, a database was developed about the temperatures of the soil, external air and at the outlet of the device which may be useful for researchers in the future.
air-ground heat exchange, buried pipe, energy performance, soil temperature
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