Feasibility study of a water-to-air heat pipe based heat exchanger for cooling load reduction and energy saving in the office buildings: A simulation study

In the present investigation, the feasibility of cooling load and power consumption effect of a water-to-air heat pipe based heat exchanger (HPHX) on an office building was studied. An office building in Chabahar Maritime University, in southeast region of Iran, which is considered as a high cooling load demanding region was chosen as the case study. The present research uses the TRNSYS software to investigate the hourly responses of the existing system added with the water-to-air HPHXs in terms of indoor air conditions and monthly power consumption. The effect of added water-to-air HPHXs on the system was determined and the results were compared with the existing situation. Water-to-air HPHXs with two, four, and six numbers of rows were examined to recommend the most appropriate configuration to the system. According to the simulation findings, the existing system with the added six-row water-to-air HPHX is capable of establishing the convenient air into the office space. Moreover, it was shown that by implementation of the six-row water-to-air HPHX, a total amount of 3,108.57 kWh power, which is about 42%, could be saved in a year.