An Experimental and Numerical Case Study of Passive Building Cooling with Foundation Pile Heat Exchangers in Denmark

Søren Erbs Poulsen, Maria Alberdi-Pagola, Davide Cerra and Anna Magrini
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Søren Erbs Poulsen: R&D Center for Building, Energy, Water and Climate, VIA University College, DK-8700 Horsens, Denmark
Maria Alberdi-Pagola: Centrum Pæle A/S, Grønlandsvej 96, DK-7100 Vejle, Denmark
Davide Cerra: Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Anna Magrini: Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 14, 1-18

Abstract: Technologies for energy-efficient cooling of buildings are in high demand due to the heavy CO 2 footprint of traditional air conditioning methods. The ground source heat pump system (GSHP) installed at the Rosborg Gymnasium in Vejle (Denmark) uses foundation pile heat exchangers (energy piles). Although designed for passive cooling, the GSHP is used exclusively for heating. In a five-week test during the summer of 2018, excess building heat was rejected passively to the energy piles and the ground. Measured energy efficiency ratios are 24–36 and the thermal comfort in conditioned rooms is improved significantly relative to unconditioned reference rooms. A simple model relating the available cooling power to conditioned room and ground temperatures is developed and calibrated to measured test data. Building energy simulation based estimates of the total cooling demand of the building are then compared to corresponding model calculations of the available cooling capacity. The comparison shows that passive cooling is able to meet the cooling demand of Rosborg Gymnasium except for 7–17 h per year, given that room temperatures are constrained to < 26 °C. The case study clearly demonstrates the potential for increasing thermal comfort during summer with highly efficient passive cooling by rejecting excess building heat to the ground.

Keywords: passive cooling; shallow geothermal systems; ground source heat pumps; thermal comfort; indoor climate; energy efficiency; renewable energy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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