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Abstract

Utilizing geothermal cooling for refrigerants is considered cost-effective, innovative, and environmentally sustainable. This method leverages the Earth’s stable subsurface temperature to enhance cooling efficiency. In this study, the system was developed by modifying the condenser from an air-cooled configuration to a water-cooled configuration, ensuring enhanced operational clarity through the implementation of water-based cooling. This study introduces a novel integration of a groundwater-based indirect cooling loop with a conventional R-410A split-type system, tailored for hot-arid climates such as Karbala, Iraq. Unlike previous studies focusing on direct ground coupling or alternative refrigerants, this approach emphasizes a real-environment experimental setup combining existing air-conditioning technologies with subsurface cooling. Using a U-shaped heat exchanger, an advanced system was experimentally employed to harness the geothermal cooling effect at a depth of 24 meters. This heat exchanger, extending to the same depth, was utilized to cool water supplied from a primary reservoir. The cooled water was subsequently used to chill the refrigerant R-410A through another heat exchanger. The inlet water to the heat exchanger responsible for cooling R-410A was tested at three different temperature levels: low, medium, and high. Additionally, the impact of the inlet water flow rate on the refrigerant cooling performance was investigated. Various flow rates were tested. It was concluded from this experimental study that increasing the water flow rate into the water-refrigerant heat exchanger resulted in a decrease in refrigerant temperature. Also, the high-level water flow rate (0.3 Kg/s) yielded the highest reduction in refrigerant temperature, reaching below 10°C. Additionally, this flow rate provided the highest coefficient of performance for the cooling system, 5.49, and the lowest energy consumption.

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