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Field study using the ground as a heat sink for the condensing unit of an air conditioner in Thailand

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  • Khedari, Joseph
  • Permchart, Watchara
  • Pratinthong, Naris
  • Thepa, Sirichai
  • Hirunlabh, Jongjit

Abstract

This paper reports on an investigation of the feasibility of using earth to absorb the heat normally rejected into the atmosphere by the condensing unit of a conventional air conditioner. To this end, a copper tube of about 67 m in length was buried at a depth of 1 m underground, where the temperature was constant at about 27°C year round. The copper coil of an air type condenser is about 22 m long. For the buried condenser, the R-22 refrigerant requirement was 5.8 kg as compared with 1.2 kg for the air condenser system. It was found that with this modified condensing unit, the coefficient of performance (COP) was much higher than that of a conventional one: it varied between 7.1 (daytime) and 8.1 (nighttime), compared to 2.8 and 3.1, respectively. The ground temperature near the buried copper coil did not increase, thus demonstrating the ability of the soil to dissipate the absorbed heat into the ground. Consequently, there is a high potential for contributing to environmental protection by using the ground as a heat sink. The elimination of the condensing fan is an additional advantage of the buried condenser system.

Suggested Citation

  • Khedari, Joseph & Permchart, Watchara & Pratinthong, Naris & Thepa, Sirichai & Hirunlabh, Jongjit, 2001. "Field study using the ground as a heat sink for the condensing unit of an air conditioner in Thailand," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 26(8), pages 797-810.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:26:y:2001:i:8:p:797-810
    DOI: 10.1016/S0360-5442(01)00036-6
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    Cited by:

    1. Tsilingiridis, G. & Papakostas, K., 2014. "Investigating the relationship between air and ground temperature variations in shallow depths in northern Greece," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 1007-1016.
    2. Selamat, Salsuwanda & Miyara, Akio & Kariya, Keishi, 2016. "Numerical study of horizontal ground heat exchangers for design optimization," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 561-573.
    3. Sorranat Ratchawang & Srilert Chotpantarat & Sasimook Chokchai & Isao Takashima & Youhei Uchida & Punya Charusiri, 2022. "A Review of Ground Source Heat Pump Application for Space Cooling in Southeast Asia," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-18, July.
    4. Liu, Zhengxuan & Yu, Zhun (Jerry) & Yang, Tingting & Roccamena, Letizia & Sun, Pengcheng & Li, Shuisheng & Zhang, Guoqiang & El Mankibi, Mohamed, 2019. "Numerical modeling and parametric study of a vertical earth-to-air heat exchanger system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 172(C), pages 220-231.
    5. Singh, Ramkishore & Sawhney, R.L. & Lazarus, I.J. & Kishore, V.V.N., 2018. "Recent advancements in earth air tunnel heat exchanger (EATHE) system for indoor thermal comfort application: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 82(P3), pages 2162-2185.
    6. Barkat Rabbi & Zhong-Hua Chen & Subbu Sethuvenkatraman, 2019. "Protected Cropping in Warm Climates: A Review of Humidity Control and Cooling Methods," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-24, July.

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