What is Geothermal ?
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
VERTICALLOOP
• 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.
GEOTHERMAL
HEAT PUMPS
Heat Pump
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.
