Feasibility of periodic thermosyphons for environmentally friendly ground source cooling applications

摘要

This paper presents a feasibility study of a low-energy consumption ground source cooling system based on a periodic two-phase thermosyphon (PTPT) device in which a condensate is periodically transferred back to the evaporator. Operation of the PTPT is passive with the ground condenser positioned 1-11 m below the evaporator. The ground condenser may be at the condensing temperatures of 12-20℃ depending on the ground depth. A semi-analytical approach is used to simulate the transient behaviour of the PTPT device. The simulation aims to study the effect of several parameters on the cooling rate of the device, including the length of condensing coil, the ground depth, the temperatures of the soil and the indoor air. The preliminary simulation results indicate that the PTPT device may be promising for ground source cooling applications.