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A techno‐economic analytical comparison of the performance of air‐source and horizontal‐ground‐source air‐conditioners in South Africa
Author(s) -
Petit P. J.,
Meyer J. P.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
international journal of energy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.808
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1099-114X
pISSN - 0363-907X
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-114x(199709)21:11<1011::aid-er307>3.0.co;2-l
Subject(s) - air conditioning , payback period , environmental science , environmental engineering , engineering , hydrology (agriculture) , meteorology , geography , geotechnical engineering , mechanical engineering , economics , production (economics) , macroeconomics
In this paper, a comparison is made of the economical viability in South Africa of horizontal‐ground‐source systems and air‐source systems. This study is undertaken because South African manufacturers of air‐source systems are considering producing ground‐source systems, since the latter systems are gaining more acceptance for environmental reasons. Monthly heating/cooling capacities and coefficients of performance for both systems are determined. Furthermore, it is found that overseas data concerning the optimum depth for the placement of a horizontal water‐loop for a ground‐source system are not valid for South African conditions, due to climatic differences. Therefore, a techno‐economic analysis is conducted to determine the optimum depth. The payback period, net present value and internal rate of return of ground‐source systems at various depths are calculated for Pretoria, South Africa. It is conclude that ground‐source systems are more viable than air‐source systems. It is also observed that the optimum depth for the horizontal water‐loop is very shallow compared to recommendations in literature. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.