DESIGN OF

EARTH AIR TUNNELS

TO CONSERVE ENERGY

Presented by:

APURVA ANAND
10-MARC-01 M.ARCH.(BUILDING SERVICES)

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
DEFINITION Geothermal Energy is heat (thermal) derived from the earth (geo). It is the thermal energy from the earth's core, which is stored in the rock in the earth's crust. APPLICATIONS Industrial & Domestic heating HVAC Direct Greenhouses Indirec t Electricity generation
Hot water spring

Geothermal Power Plant

ADVANTAGES Renewable Environment friendly Sustainable Cost effective LIMITATIONS: Not every area has accessible geothermal sources. Green house gases emission. Localized Depletion

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY SYSTEMS

Systems that utilizes the thermal energy stored in earth. PRINCIPLE Earth behaves as a huge collectorcum-storage . Beyond 4m depth earth temperature remains constant (equal to mean air temperature at surface), since it absorbs only 50% of all solar energy WAYS OF TAPPING Geothermal energy

direct coupling

indirect coupling

earth envelope

Earth air tunnel

Geothermal exchange systems

Geothermal Gradient

DIRECT COUPLING- EARTH ENVELOPES DEFINITION Architectural practice of using earth against building walls. Passive solar & sustainable architecture. TYPOLOGY Earth Berming In-hill construction Underground/fully recessed construction ADVANTAGES Taking advantage of the earth as a thermal mass. Offering extra protection from the natural elements Energy savings Efficient use of land in urban settings Shelters have low maintenance requirements
Earth sheltering Earth berming

LIMITATIONS Water seepage Internal condensation Bad acoustics Poor indoor air quality. Requires heavier construction than conventional building techniques
In-hill construction

underground/fully recessed

INDIRECT COUPLING GEOTHERMAL EXCHANGE SYSTEMS

OVERVIEW
An active technique that applies geothermal energy in required purposes using ground source exchange. It is the refrigerant that circulates throughout the loop.

COMPONENTS
Ground Loop system
Heat Transfer fluid Heat Pump

Air distribution system

WORKING
Circulation of fluid through pipes buried in ground Exchange of heat eitherway ( from fluid to earth or vice-versa) Electrically driven concentrates this energy & release it at desired temperature Distribution through various distribution systems

INDIRECT COUPLING EARTH AIR TUNNEL

OVERVIEW
A passive technique consisting of a tunnel for passage of calculated amount of air for the purpose of HVAC of a space using natural heat of the earth, 4 m below the earth surface. Also known as ground- coupled heat exchanger or earth- tube heat exchanger. Used for either partial or full cooling and/or heating of facility ventilation air. Open loop System Closed Loop System Earth Air Tunnel

Combination system

PRINCIPLE
Uses constant air temperature below 4 m of earth surface. Air blown through long tubes buried in earth. Heat Dissipated through surface contact. Conditioned air supplied to space
Space to be conditioned Space to be conditioned Space to be conditioned

Surface Surface Surface

Earth Air Tunnel Earth Air Tunnel

Open System Closed Combination System System

concrete/plastic coated metal/ Inline plastic coated with antimicrobial Inle fan Filter layer tubes,hume t (optiona l) pipes and tunnels with WORKING ceramic tile Fresh Air sucked in through inlet.

COMPONENTS

INDIRECT COUPLING EARTH AIR TUNNEL

Outle t Blower Air Handling Unit (optional) Air distributio n system Air exhau st syste m

Inlet air filtered (mechanically/ natural filters) Air passed through the length of tunnel. Heat gained/ lost through surface contact Conditioned air supplied to AHU AHU contains evaporative coolers(summers)/dehumidifi ers (monsoons)/ chillers/cooling pads. Air Distribution, circulation and re-circulation of return air Schematics Earth Air Tunnel

Air Exhaust through solar chimneys/ exhausts

INDIRECT COUPLING EARTH AIR TUNNEL

Length of tube(80 M) Diameter of tube(4-24 inch) Clayey Soil is most effective. Sandy soil is least

Surface Area available for contact

Soil Type

Season Efficiency Soil Conditions Depth of water table Depth of tunnel Surface conditions

Works best in dry summer and winters

Shady, sunlit, wet, dry, combination

INDIRECT COUPLING EARTH AIR TUNNEL ADVANTAGES

Cost saving(operational phase-upto 70%) Reduces air pollution High installation costs

LIMITATIONS

Cumbersome Installation

Energy saver Reduces green house gases

Subject to climate

Need add-ons to achieve effective conditioning

100% fresh air without recirculation

Large space required Retrofit Not every area has accessible geothermal sources.

Durable

Low Noise

Long payback period

PRACTICAL APPLICATION IN INDIA STUDY I- RETREAT, GUAL PAHARI

EAT used for south block living quarters. Tunnels cool outside air and maintains a comfortable o temperature of 22-26 C inside. 4 tunnels to handle 6,000CFM Each Tunnel 70 m with 70 cm dia. 4 fans 2 HP each force air in. Solar chimney force air out. Supplemented by 10 TR dehumidifier and chillers.

ENERGY CONSERVATION

PRACTICAL APPLICATION IN INDIA STUDY II-CINEMA HALL IN JODHPUR, CHOPASANI ROAD, JODHPUR
Exit Verandah, 1.8 M Wide &35.36 M Long The projector room projects out at a height of 3 M X 2 M.

The north, south and east walls contribute very little to the heat load of the conditioned space. The overhang provided for these walls reduces the solar load.

East wall, there are no windows or ventilators. The east side has extended foyers and A recessed entrance with an overhang of 1.75 M which reduces the solar load on this wall

PRACTICAL APPLICATION IN INDIA STUDY II-CINEMA HALL IN JODHPUR, CHOPASANI ROAD, JODHPUR
Roof is made of asbestos sheet, supported on beams. Acts as an air cavity to circulate the cooled air available through a wind tower. Length of EAT- 40 m Dia of hume pipes- .7 m Humidity is added by the fresh air inlets covered with wet gunny bags at the wind tower.

Area

Volume (m3) 1800

Temperature (C) 168 253.9 43 842.6 43.75 - 27 = 16.75 41.75-27 = 14.75 41.75 -27= 14.75 41.75-27= 14.75 41.75-27 = 14.75 33.75 -27 = 6.75 6.75

U value (W/m2 C) 53.48 -

Total heat gain - 218 KW = 218 x 3412 BTU = 7,43,816 BTU Therefore 61 TR is the HVAC load. After introducing the passive techniques and earth air tunnel the HVAC load was reduced to 23 TR. Almost 70% reduction in energy consumption

Item Roof (without treatment) 3.53 Roof (with treatment) 3.53 West wall North wall East wall South wall Doors Floor Ventilation Infiltration Occupancy (a) 806 (No.) Occupancy Light Light Appliances (b) 806 (No.) (a) 1500W (b) 1000 W 15 770W

(m2)

Thermal gain/loss (W) 27 = 26.48

1800 344.3 11 743.34 344.3 11 743.04 45 1537.92 19 839.16

33.9- 27 = 6.9 3.5 1.86 3.5 1.86 0.5 4.42 0.28 75 55 1.25 20 184.6 20 385.3 17 774.5 20 385.3 331.9 45 883.8 227.3 57 220 60 450 ( - )44330 1875 1250 15880

PRACTICAL APPLICATION IN INDIA STUDY III- ONGC- RAJIV GANDHI URJA BHAWAN VASANT KUNJ, NEW DELHI
OVERVIEW Client ONGC. Architect Hafeez Contractor. Site Area- 36,340 Sqm. G+5 Structure with two basements

Built Up Area- 46,900 Sqm

HVAC Load- 3100 TR. GREEN AND ENERGY EFFICIENT FEATURES Use renewable energy such as geothermal energy, solar energy to reduce power consumption Ensure roof / wall insulation to reduce load on HVAC. Use high efficiency and HFC based chillers for reducing environmental degradation due to carbon & NOX emissions Use energy modeling before construction so that complete building performance is known and can be optimized at the design stage itself Use CO2 sensors monitoring air quality to enhance benefits to occupants Use building material with high recycled content. Use certified wood & high-performance glass. Use double skin external wall.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION IN INDIA STUDY III- ONGC- RAJIV GANDHI URJA BHAWAN, VASANT KUNJ, NEW DELHI
To cater the requirement of the building HVAC load a Hume pipe is being laid at the depth of 8 m from the natural ground level covering a running length of about 1000 m.

This pipe is having a diameter of 880 mm and at the corners where the 90o turn is required, is being connected to each other using the 3mm thick mild steel plates.

As the Hume pipe is running all along the basement retaining wall so to avoid the infiltration into the walls through the condensation part of the pipe a gap of 1350 mm has been maintained between the walls and the pipes.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION IN INDIA STUDY III- ONGC- RAJIV GANDHI URJA BHAWAN, VASANT KUNJ, NEW DELHI
From the primary pipe secondary pipes are connected which consequently connects the earth air tunnels to the seven AHUs planned at the various points of the basement layout.

The Hume pipes are resting over the 1:2:4 R.C.C. bases so as to avoid deflection from the pressure exerted by the soil To cater the humidity requirement in hot and dry summer days two fan towers are incorporated with the mist sprays have been assimilated into the designing parameters which in later stage will act as a landscape feature to the site.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION IN INDIA STUDY III- ONGC- RAJIV GANDHI URJA BHAWAN, VASANT KUNJ, NEW DELHI
As the Hume pipes territory ends on the outward portion of the basement retaining walls the rest of the distance covered by the cool air to the AHUs is undertaken with the help of ducts placed at the ceiling level.

At the intersection the air filters and the dampers are also proposed to enhance the indoor air quality and to minimize the noise created by the change in the cross sectional area from the Hume pipe to the duct

CONCLUSIONS

The depth should be 4 meters below the ground level for nearly constant ground temperature characteristics.. The length of the tunnel should be limited between 6070meters for optimum results. The tunnel can be constructed using any type of pipe ,concrete ,masonry etc, thickness of tunnel wall should be as less as possible for faster heat exchange The pipe diameter should preferably be between 3-6 Pipes of lower diameter would require a larger flow velocity and more pressure to ensure same volumetric supply of cool air. Adjacent pipes shall have minimum gap of 2 times of the diameter of each pipe. The pipe overlay ground should preferably be left loose or covered with lawn/foliage. Shade on the ground would be even better.

The blower should be used with Variable Frequency Drive(VFD)

In case of space constraints the vertical air shaft can also be used. In dry ambient conditions, use of water mist/spray in the tower before supplying air to rooms/AHU is suggested.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
SECONDARY SEARCH
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RENEWABLE ENERGY: LAURIE BURNHAM (EXECUTIVE ISLAND PRESS SOURCES FOR FUELS EDITOR) AND ELECTRICITY GEOTHERMAL HARSH K. GUPTA ELSEVIER RESOURCES: AN SCIENTIFIC ENERGY ALTERNATIVE PUBLISHING COMPANY ENERGY A. K. SINGH, G. N. TIWARI, N. DEVELOPMENT CONSERVATION IN A LUGANI AND H. P. GARG ALTERNATIVES, BCINEMA HALL UNDER 32, TARA HOT AND DRY CRESCENT, QUTAB CONDITION INSTITUTIONAL AREA, NEW MEHRAULI ROAD

TERTIARY SEARCH http://www.worldbank.org/html/fpd/energy/geothermal/index.htm http://www.geothermie.de/egec-geothernet/ci_prof/europe/italy/italy_data.pdf http://gibsonhomebuilders.com/masterbuildershow/2008/07/08/earth-sheltered-homes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_energy http://www.eai.in/ref/ae/geo/geo.html http://www.thefullwiki.org/Earth_warming_tubes http://www.geos.iitb.ac.in/geothermalindia/pubs/geoweb.htm