Ground-Coupled Heat Exchange for Heating and Air Conditioning Applications
First Claim
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1. A system for heating or cooling a structure, comprising:
- a) a thermosiphon in thermal communication with a thermal storage material, said thermosiphon being partially filled with a heat transfer fluid;
b) a heat exchanger operatively connected to the thermosiphon and in thermal communication with the structure such that thermal energy can be transferred between the thermal storage material and the structure; and
c) a fluid transfer device fluidly associated with the heat transfer fluid and configured to draw the heat transfer fluid towards the heat exchanger.
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Abstract
The invention provides systems and methods for cooling and/or heating a structure. Generally, a system for heating or cooling a structure can include at least one thermosiphon in thermal communication with a thermal storage material such as a volume of earth. The thermosiphon can be partially filled with a heat transfer fluid and a heat exchanger operatively connected to the thermosiphon which is in thermal communication with the structure. Thermal energy can be transferred between the thermal storage material and the structure in either a passive or assisted mode, depending on whether the system is charging or in use.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A system for heating or cooling a structure, comprising:
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a) a thermosiphon in thermal communication with a thermal storage material, said thermosiphon being partially filled with a heat transfer fluid; b) a heat exchanger operatively connected to the thermosiphon and in thermal communication with the structure such that thermal energy can be transferred between the thermal storage material and the structure; and c) a fluid transfer device fluidly associated with the heat transfer fluid and configured to draw the heat transfer fluid towards the heat exchanger. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A system for cooling and heating a structure, comprising:
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a) a cooling system in thermal communication with the structure, said cooling system comprising; i) a first thermosiphon in thermal communication with a first thermal storage material, said first thermosiphon being partially filled with a first heat transfer fluid; ii) a first heat exchanger operatively connected to the first thermosiphon and in thermal communication with the structure such that thermal energy can be transferred between the first thermal storage material and the structure; and iii) a first fluid transfer device fluidly associated with the first heat transfer fluid and configured to draw the first heat transfer fluid towards the first heat exchanger; and b) a heating system in thermal communication with the structure, said heating system comprising i) a second thermosiphon in thermal communication with a second thermal storage material, said second thermosiphon being partially filled with a second heat transfer fluid; ii) a second heat exchanger operatively connected to the second thermosiphon and in thermal communication with the structure such that thermal energy can be transferred between the second thermal storage material and the structure; and iii) a second fluid transfer device fluidly associated with the second heat transfer fluid and configured to transfer the second heat transfer fluid within the second thermosiphon. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of energy transfer between a structure and outside the structure, comprising:
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a) charging a thermal storage material by forming a thermal gradient between the structure and the thermal storage material using a thermal transfer fluid; and b) transferring thermal energy between the structure and the thermal storage material using a thermosiphon containing the thermal transfer fluid, wherein at least one of the steps of charging and transferring is augmented using a fluid transfer device. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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22. A method of designing a pump-assisted thermosiphon heating or cooling system for heating or cooling a structure, comprising the steps of:
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a) acquiring site data including at least ground heat capacity, ambient outdoor temperatures, thermosiphon orientations, and structure square footage; b) calculating heat transfer as a function of time between a thermal storage material and the structure using the site data to determine heat transfer performance; c) using the heat transfer performance to build the pump-assisted thermosiphon heating or cooling system or to revise the site data. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
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Specification