The implementation of earth-air pipe heat exchanger (EAPHE) system as a passive cooling technology for both residential and commercial buildings in the hot and humid climate of Malaysia is relatively new. To date this technology has not been implemented in Malaysia, although it is proven in many studies particularly in drier climates, that it has the potential to reduce energy consumption for passive cooling system for the country. Thinner on the ground are the potentials of the appropriate pipe materials for the EAPHE system. The objectives of the research are to study the potential of temperature reduction between ambient temperature at pipe inlet and at outlet utilizing the EAPHE system and to find the most appropriate pipe material for the EAPHE system. Finally the research intends to find the most appropriate pipe materials that will predict the optimum air temperature reduction through parametric studies for achieving thermal comfort. The study utilizes the EnergyPlus simulation program to investigate the performances of three pipe materials system: single pipe material, hybrid pipes and insulated hybrid pipes system. Through an exhaustive enumeration process, the study found that the insulated hybrid pipes with water system (Polyethylene + Water + Polyethylene) reduces the air at the outlet with a 6.233°C difference than at the inlet indicating promising cooling and energy savings potentials.

This thesis is an investigation into the performance of Earth-to-Air Heat Exchanger (EAHE) in Malaysian climate. The passive cooling technology, where the ground is used as a heat sink to produce cooler air, is an emerging of area of interest in Malaysia. The aim of this thesis is to find the best ground cover in improving the EAHE proficiency through thermal model using computer simulation. The pipe, which was used in the thermal model, has same parameters of the real pipe which is 3 inches diameter, 50 meters in length, made of PVC, has the velocity of flow air was 1 m/s and buried in a 4-meters depth. The performance of the EAHE was simulated using loam, clay, silty clay, sandy clay loam as back fill material. It was found that sandy soil is the best cover material.

This study elucidates the usage of the Earth-to-Air Heat Exchanger (EAHE) system. The emphasis is on replacing the conventional air conditioning systems with the EAHE technology, as low energy cooling system for residential and commercial buildings in Malaysia. The turnover in the usage will contribute to reducing electric-energy consumption and minimize environmental impact caused by the high usage of electrical appliances for cooling in the buildings. The EAHE technology uses simple methods of transferring the air from its intake into the ground through a pipe, and it releases the air from its outlet into a building or a room. The air travels through the pipe and gives away some heat to the surrounding underground soil, and then enters into the room as cool air. To fulfill the requirements of the empirical investigations, this research utilized the EnergyPlus program to simulate the EAHE system, based on ASHRAE weather database and data collected in previous field studies at the IIUM Gombak Campus, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This study went through some meta-analysis and observations on the cooling potential (ΔT) which represents the difference between ambient air temperature (Tam) and pipe outlet air temperature (Tpo). The research also observed the influence of other factors such as pipe diameter, air velocity, pipe-depth, and pipe-length on the cooling potential (ΔT). The simulation results showed that, the maximum (ΔT) achieved by utilizing the EAHE was 3.57 °C at 2:00 pm. The PVC pipe is required to achieve the aforementioned reduction of 0.075 m (3 inches) in diameter, 50 m long, and placed 1.0 m deep underground, with an air velocity of 1 m.s-1.