Numerical study on enhanced heating of a novel solar chimney and soil-air heat exchanger combined system

The combination of a Solar Chimney and Soil-Air Heat Exchanger (SCEAHE) system for passive ventilation in buildings is an effective method for improving indoor air quality and enhancing thermal comfort. However, Soil-Air Heat Exchangers often fail to meet the heating demands indoors. To address this issue, this study proposes a new SCEAHE system that enhances its winter heating capacity based on the conventional SCEAHE design. Using a validated numerical model (MATLAB+TRNSYS), the annual performance of the system is simulated and analyzed. The results indicated that the average indoor temperature can be increased by 6 °C in winter compared to the conventional ventilation model. In addition, the innovative system saves 32.27% of energy during the heating season. This demonstrates that the system, while ensuring the original ventilation capability, makes more effective use of solar energy, significantly improving its winter heating performance.