Geothermal technology relies on the fact that the Earth (beneath the surface) remains at a relatively constant temperature throughout the year, warmer than the air above it during the winter and cooler in the summer, very much like a cave. The geothermal heat pump takes advantage of this by transferring heat stored in the Earth or in ground water into a building during the winter, and transferring it out of the building and back into the ground during the summer. The ground, in other words, acts as a heat source in winter and a heat sink in summer. *
The system includes three principal components:
• Geothermal earth
connection subsystem
• Geothermal heat
pump subsystem
• Geothermal heat
distribution subsystem
For more information
about:
Us: http://www.thewaterexperts.com
Water: http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/earthwherewater.html
http://www.ngwa.org
Geothermal
Energy: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/heatpumps.html
http://geoexchange.us/residential/res.htm
http://www.igshpa.okstate.edu/geothermal/residential.htm
EARTH CONNECTION
Using the Earth as a heat source/sink, a series of pipes, commonly called
a "loop," is buried in the ground near the
building to be conditioned. The loop can be buried either vertically or
horizontally. It
circulates a fluid (water, or a mixture of water and antifreeze) that
absorbs heat from, or relinquishes heat to, the surrounding soil, depending
on whether the ambient air is colder or warmer than the soil.
GEOTHERMAL CLOSED LOOP COMPARISON
VERTICAL LOOP
• 200 - 300 feet per ton
• 400 - 600 feet of pipe per ton
The vertical loop is the preferred loop when land space is limited or
where rocky soil, or dry clay, conditions exist. Safest from drought
induced dry soils and disruption from breach by other land activities.
HORIZONTAL LOOP
• 5 - 8 feet deep
• 800 – 1000’ of pipe per ton
• 200 – 330’ of trench per ton
• Slinky or Quad u-pipe
The Horizontal loop is the preferred configuration,
when
land space
and soil conditions are adequate or breaching by other land activities
are not a concern,
as it is relatively inexpensive to install.
POND LOOP
• Minimum 8 feet deep
• 1/4 acre pond surface/5 tons
• 400-500 feet of pipe per ton
The pond loop is the least expensive to install when
a
pond of sufficient
size and stable water level is available and preferred if breaching
via animals, livestock, boat anchoring or other uses are not a concern.
The geothermal heat pump, also known as the ground source heat pump, is a highly efficient renewable energy technology that is gaining wide acceptance for both residential and commercial buildings. Geothermal heat pumps are used for space heating and cooling, as well as water heating. Its great advantage is that it works by concentrating naturally existing heat, rather than by producing heat through combustion of fossil fuels.
Two 36-ton
geothermal heat pumps
For heating, a geothermal heat pump removes
the heat from the fluid in the Earth connection, concentrates it, and
then transfers it to the building. For cooling, the process is reversed.
Heat Distribution
Conventional ductwork is generally used to distribute heated or cooled
air from the geothermal heat pump throughout the building. Radiant
heat is becoming an increasingly popular choice.
Residential Hot Water
In addition to space conditioning, geothermal heat pumps can be used to
provide domestic hot water when the system is operating. Many residential
systems are now equipped with desuperheaters that transfer excess heat
from the geothermal heat pump's compressor to the house's hot water tank.
A desuperheater provides no hot water during the spring and fall when
the geothermal heat pump system is not operating; however, because the
geothermal heat pump is so much more efficient than other means of water
heating, manufacturers are beginning to offer "full demand"
systems that use a separate heat exchanger to meet all of a household's
hot water needs. These units cost-effectively provide hot water as quickly
as any competing system.
