COMPARISON OF EARTH LOOPS FOR LIVESTOCK HOUSING

Air-tempering can provide heating and cooling of livestock buildings. Earth loops, open and closed, can be basic components of tempering systems. Mathematical relationships for assessing loop characteristics were developed and include an expression for soil, pipe, and fluid thermal resistances. Based on analyses and examples, the open loop produces more heat per linear foot than the closed loop. However, at a common inlet temperature, a single closed loop can deliver up to four times more heat but would require six to eight times the pipe length than a single open loop.