EARTH AIR TUNNELS

Prepared by: Angad Deep Singh

INTRODUCTION
Energy Saving: One of the
most important global
challenges
Energy Efficiency:

Supply Side: Higher

Efficiency power plants,
renewable sources of energy,
Smart Grids etc
Demand Side: Energy
efficient Building Envelopes
(direct systems), Earth Air
Tunnels (indirect systems) etc

EARTH-AIR TUNNEL: PRINCIPLE

Underground heat exchanger
Also called:

Earth-Air Heat Exchangers

Air-to-soil Heat Exchangers
Earth Canals etc.

EARTH-AIR TUNNEL: PRINCIPLE

Earth acts a source or sink
High thermal Inertia of
soil results in air
temperature fluctuations
being dampened deeper in
the ground
Utilizes Solar Energy
accumulated in the soil
Cooling/Heating takes
place due to a temperature
difference between the soil
and the air

EARTH-AIR TUNNEL: PRINCIPLE

Summer and day

Cooling of air by charging of soil

Winter and night

Heating of air by discharging of

soil

Performance of EAT also impacted by the thermal conductivity

of soil.

SOIL: FACTORS AFFECTING THERMAL

CONDUCTIVITY

Moisture content

Dry density of soil

Soils with higher mineral content have higher conductivity

Soils with higher organic content have lower conductivity

Soil Texture

As dry density increase thermal conductivity increase

Mineral Composition

Most notable impact on thermal conductivity

Thermal conductivity increases with moisture to a certain
point (critical moisture content)

Coarse textured, angular grained soil has higher thermal

conductivity

Vegetation

Vegetation acts as an insulating agent moderating the affect

of temperature

APPLICATIONS OF EATS

EATs can be used in a vast variety of buildings:

Commercial Buildings: Offices, showrooms, cinema

halls etc.
Residential buildings
University Campuses
Hospitals
Greenhouses
Livestock houses

NIIT University: An example of earth air tunnel being used in an

university

DESIGN GUIDELINES

IMPORTANT DESIGN PARAMETERS:

The design parameters that impact the

performance of the EAT are:

Tube Depth
Tube Length
Tube Diameter
Air Flow rate
Tube Material
Tube arrangement
Open-loop system vs closed-loop system
One-tube system vs parallel tubes system

Efficiency
Coefficient of Performance (COP)

TUBE DEPTH

Ground temperature defined by:

External Climate
Soil Composition
Thermal Properties of soil
Water Content

Ground temperature fluctuates

in time, but amplitude of
fluctuation diminishes with
depth
Burying pipes/tubes as deep as
possible would be ideal
A balance between going deeper
and reduction in temperature
needs to be drawn
Generally ~4m below the earths
surface dampens the oscillations
significantly

TUBE LENGTH

Heat Transfer depends on surface area.

Surface area of a pipe:
Diameter
Length

So increased length would mean

increased heat transfer and hence
higher efficiency
After a certain length, no significant
heat transfer occurs, hence optimize
length
Increased length also results in
increased pressure drop and hence
increases fan energy
So economic and design factors need to
be balanced to find best performance at
lowest cost

TUBE DIAMETER
Heat Transfer depends on surface area.
Surface area of a pipe:

Diameter
Length

Smaller diameter gives better thermal

performance
Smaller diameter results in larger pressure drop
increasing fan energy requirement
Increased diameter results in reduction in air
speed and heat transfer
So economic and design factors need to be
balanced to find best performance at lowest cost
Optimum determined by actual cost of tube and
excavation cost

AIR FLOW RATE

For a given tube diameter, increase in airflow

rate results in:
Increase in film coefficient
Increase in total heat transfer
Increase in outlet temperature

High flow rates desirable for closed systems

For open systems airflow rate must be selected
by considering:

Outlet temperature
Total cooling or heating capacity

TUBE MATERIAL

The main considerations in selecting tube

material are:

Cost
Strength
Corrosion
Resistance
Durability

Tube material has little influence on

performance
Selection would be determined by other factors
like ease of installation, corrosion resistance etc.
Spacing between tubes should enough so that
tubes are thermally independent to maximize
benefits

TUBE ARRANGEMENT

EAT can be used in either:

Closed loop system
Open loop system

Open Loop system:

Outdoor air is drawn into tubes and
delivered to AHUs or directly to the
inside of the building
Provides ventilation while hopefully
cooling or heating the building interior
Improves IAQ

Closed Loop system:

Interior air circulates through EATs
Increases efficiency
Reduces problem with humidity
condensing inside tubes.

TUBE ARRANGEMENT

EAT can be used in

either:
One-tube system
Parallel tubes system

One tube system may not

be appropriate to meet
air conditioning
requirements of a
building, resulting in the
tube being too large
Parallel tubes system

More pragmatic design

option
Reduce pressure drop
Raise thermal

EAT EFFICIENCY

Calculating benefits from EAT is difficult due to:

Soil Temperatures
Conductivity

Performance of EAT can be calculated as:

()
=

where;
To = Inlet Air Temperature
To (L) = Outlet Air Temperature
Ts = Undisturbed ground temperature

CO-EFFICIENT OF PERFORMANCE(COP)

COP based on:

Amount of heating or cooling done by EAT (Heat
Flux)
Amount of power required to move the air through
the EAT
Q= Heat Flux

W= Power

COP decreases as system is operated

COP can be integrated into system control
strategies
When COP down to a certain point, EAT should
be shut down and conventional system should
take over

POTENTIAL ISSUES

MOISTURE ACCUMULATION AND IAQ

PROBLEM
ISSUE

Condensation inside the tubes

has been observed
Condensation occurs if temp. in
the tube is lower that dew point
temp.
Condensation occurs in systems
with low airflow and high
ambient dew point temperature
Removal of moisture from the
cooled air is always an issue
and system may be used with a
regular air conditioner or a
desiccant
Water in tubes also results in
growth of mould or mildew
leading to IAQ issues

SOLUTIONS

Good construction and drainage

Tubes are tilted to prevent
water from standing in the
tubes
In the service pit at the lowest
point water can be captured
and pumped
Water tight tubes can be used
to prevent ground water from
entering into the system

INSECTS AND RODENTS

ISSUE

Insects and rodents

may enter into the
tubes of an open-loop
system

SOLUTIONS

A sturdy grille and

insect screen should
be installed at the
tube inlet to deter
potential intruders

CONCLUSION

CONCLUSIONS

EATs are based on the following principles

Using earth as a source or sink
Uses Soil Thermal inertia
Depends on the Thermal Conductivity of Soil

Various Factors affect the performance of EAT

which need to be optimized to maximize
performance
Integrate the EAT into the building systems to
maximize performance and maximize energy
savings

THANK YOU