Experimental Study on the Effect of Flow Rate on the Performance of Horizontal Ground Heat Exchangers in Sand Soil during Hot Climates | ||
| International Journal of Applied Energy Systems | ||
| Volume 7, Issue 2, July 2025, Pages 61-68 PDF (2.43 M) | ||
| Document Type: Original papers | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/ijaes.2025.371100.1036 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Abdelrahman A.Elsherief* 1; ِAhmed M Reda2; Ahmed M Eltohamy3; Ali G. Hafez4; Hany Madkour5; Safia M. Khodary5 | ||
| 1Department of Civil Engineering Faculty of Engineering, Aswan University and Nahda University, Aswan and Beni Suef, Egypt | ||
| 2Department of Mechanical Engineering Faculty of Energy Engineering Aswan university Aswan, Egypt | ||
| 3Department of Civil Engineering Faculty of Engineering Beni Suef university Beni Suef, Egypt | ||
| 4Seismology Department, National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG), Helwan 11421, Egypt Control and Computer Department, College of Engineering, Almaaqal University, Basrah, Iraq. R&D Division, LTLab, Inc., | ||
| 5Department of Civil Engineering Faculty of Engineering, Aswan University Aswan, Egypt | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Ground heat exchangers (GHE) are extensively utilized in geothermal heating and cooling systems due to their efficiency and sustainability. This research presents an experimental study on the effect of flow rate on the performance of horizontal ground heat exchangers (HGHE) in sand soil. The study investigates how varying flow rates impact heat exchange efficiency, soil temperature distribution, and thermal performance during hot climates. A laboratory setup was developed to simulate real-world conditions, incorporating a spiral coil heat exchanger buried in sand soil. Experiments were conducted at different flow rates (5 L/min, 6 L/min, and 7 L/min), while monitoring temperature variations in both the soil and circulating fluid. The results indicate that increasing the flow rate enhances convective heat transfer, leading to a 31.8% improvement in heat exchange rate (HER) when increasing from 5 L/min to 7 L/min. However, the benefits diminish over time, with HER decreasing by approximately 55% within the first three hours as thermal equilibrium is approached. In terms of soil temperature distribution, the study found that heat dissipation in the horizontal direction becomes negligible beyond 0.4 meters, while in the vertical direction, temperature influence fades beyond 0.4 meters. At lower flow rates, soil temperature gain increased by up to 38% compared to higher flow rates, due to prolonged heat retention. This study focuses the importance of optimizing flow rates to balance energy efficiency and thermal performance in ground heat exchangers | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Flow rate; Ground Heat Exchanger; Heat Exchange Efficiency; Soil Temperature Gain; Thermal Performance | ||
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