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OPTIMIZING THE EFFICIENCY AND ENERGY USAGE OF A GEOTHERMAL MULTIPLE HEAT PUMP SYSTEM

  • US 20110114284A1
  • Filed: 11/16/2010
  • Published: 05/19/2011
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2009
  • Status: Abandoned Application
First Claim
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1. A method for efficiently operating a geothermal heat pump system, the geothermal heat pump system comprising a geothermal flow loop including an earth loop circulator and a heat pump load flow loop, containing a load loop circulator, the two flow loop systems being interconnected for fluid flow and direct heat exchange at a flow interface;

  • two temperature sensors and a flow sensor at the entrance to and exit from each of the two loops, each of the sensors providing a signal output;

    a watt transducer operably connected to the circulators and providing a signal output indicating amount of total power usage; and

    a data receiver/controller operably connected to the sensors and watt transducer to receive the data and provide control to the circulators;

    the method comprising measuring fluid flow and inlet and outlet temperatures at the flow interface in each of the two flow loop systems, and measuring the total input wattage to the load loop heat pump (Whp),and to the earth loop circulator (Wcirc), calculating the instantaneous rate of heat transfer for the earth flow loop as follows;


    Qearthloop=(8.01×

    D
    earthloop×

    c
    earthloop

    fearthloopin×

    (Tearthloopin

    T
    earthloopout)Qload=instantaneous rate of heat transfer to load side of hydraulic separator (Btu/hr)Qearthloop=instantaneous rate of heat transfer on earth loop side of hydraulic separator (Btu/hr)D is the density of the fluid flowing through the loops (lb/ft3);

    c is specific heat of the fluid in the loops (Btu/lb/°

    F.);

    f is the fluid flow rate in the indicated loop (gallons/minute);

    T is the temperature (°

    F.) at the inlet to, or the outlet from, the hydraulic separator in the indicated loop; and

    8.01 is a units constant.And calculating the instantaneous rate of ea transfer for the heat pump load flow loop as follows;


    Qloadloop=(8.01×

    D
    loadloop×

    c
    loadloop

    floadloop×

    (Tloadloopin

    T
    loadloopout)Qloadloop=instantaneous rate of heat transfer to load side of hydraulic separator (Btu/hr)D is the density of the fluid flowing through the loops (1b/ft3);

    c is the specific heat of the fluid in the loops (Btu/lb/°

    F.);

    floadloop is the fluid flow rate in the load loop (gallons/minute);

    T is the temperature (°

    F.) at the inlet to, or the outlet from, the hydraulic separator in the load loop; and

    8.01 is a units constant;

    balancing the equality of Qloadloop and Qearthloop, by raising and lowering the flow through the earth loop, inverse to the value of Qearthloop relative to the value of Q1loadloop

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