Comparison of energy prediction of three ground-coupling heat transfer calculation methods

The annual energy use predictions of three ground-coupling heat transfer calculation methods - the ITPE technique, the Bahnfleth method, and the Mitalas method - are compared for more than 100 slab and basement configurations. The comparative analysis is conducted for three locations: Minneapolis, Minnesota; Chicago, Illinois; and Phoenix, Arizona. Empirical data for two basements in Ottawa also are included in this study. The comparative analysis shows that when an effective floor half-width is used, the ITPE technique predictions are in good agreement with both the Bahnfleth and Mitalas methods. It is found that the corrected two-dimensional ITPE method provides predictions of the total basement and slab heat loss within 5% for the annual means and within 15% for the annual amplitudes. The annual ground heat losses calculated by the three-dimensional ITPE method are found to agree well with those predicted by the Mitalas method for both slab and basement configurations. The agreement between the three-dimensional ITPE and the Mitalas methods is found to be within 6% for both annual means and annual amplitude of total building ground heat loss.

Comparison of energy prediction of three ground-coupling heat transfer calculation methods Conference Paper