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Solar chimney combined with earth to-air heat exchanger for passive cooling
of residential buildings in hot areas

Research Authors
Ahmed A. Serageldina
Ahmed Abdeen
Mostafa M.S. Ahmed
Ali Radwan
Ahmed N. Shmroukh
Shinichi Ookawara
Research Member
Research Year
2020
Research Journal
Solar Energy
Research Publisher
Elsevier
Research Vol
volume 206
Research Rank
1
Research_Pages
145-162
Research Website
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0038092X20306010
Research Abstract

In this study, a novel interrelationship between the ventilation rate and the solar chimney design parameters,
EAHE geometrical specifications, pressure drop, and climatic conditions in the hot arid area was presented based
on experimental and numerical comprehensive investigations. This new correlation simplified designing and
optimizing of the passive cooling/heating and ventilation system. Moreover, this correlation was used in a case
study of passive cooling/heating and ventilation of a two-stories residential building in Egypt by TRNSYS simulation.
The indoor operative air temperatures, heating and cooling loads, thermal comfort conditions, energy
consumptions/savings, and CO2 emission savings were calculated and analyzed. Two cases were simulated and
compared with the basic-case. In case 1, the basic-case combined with the solar chimney and EAHE. Case 2 had a
hybrid passive and active ventilation, which included case 1 equipped with electrical fans that continued operating
for 24 h. Finally, an economic study was conducted to calculate the payback period and discount payback
period for the construction of such a system using the local Egyptian market equipment. The basic case results
show that the zonal temperature was more than the ambient temperature yearly, and in summer, the indoor
temperature exceeded the surrounding temperature by 5–6 °C. Using the proposed system in case 1 and case 2
attained a zonal temperature around 5 °C and 9 °C less than the ambient temperature in the summer season,
respectively. However, the total annual electrical energy and CO2 emission savings were 42.9 kWh/m2/year and
4.545 tons/year, respectively, in case 2. Finally, the simple payback period was 5.4 years, and the discount
payback period was 6.8 years.