Experimental Monitoring of an EAHX for Building Air Refreshment in Marrakech

An experimental study of an Earth-to-Air Heat Exchanger (EAHX) for air refreshment connected to a residential building in Marrakech has been performed. The EAHX is constituted of 3 PVC pipes of 72 m length each buried at 2-3m in the building’s garden. Each pipe is equipped with a fan which forces ambient air into the pipe to get fresh air and then blow it into the building. The EAHX was monitored during 38 days of summer 2013. Dataloggers for temperature and humidity measurements were installed inside one of the EAHX pipes. Results of this monitoring are presented in terms of temperature and humidity profiles and analyzed to assess the energy performances of the EAHX for air refreshment in Marrakech climate. It is shown that the EAHX is a good semipassive system for air refreshment as its outlet temperature is quasi-constant during summer and equal to 25°C, while the outside temperature reaches up to 40.8°C.