GEOEXCHANGE SYSTEMS INCLUDING GROUND SOURCE HEAT EXCHANGERS AND RELATED METHODS

• US 20140110082A1
• Filed: 10/15/2013
• Published: 04/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Piledriving Equipment Incorporated
• Original Assignee: American Piledriving Equipment Incorporated
• Inventors: Suver, Paul W.
• Granted Patent: US 11,796,225 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/45
• CPC Class Codes: F24T 10/17 using tubes closed at one end, i.e. return-type tubes
• CPC Class Codes: F24T 2010/53 Methods for installation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/10 Geothermal energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A geoexchange system is provided which includes a ground source heat exchanger positioned in the ground and a distribution system coupled to the ground source heat exchanger to circulate water through the ground source heat exchanger during operation. The distribution system may include a supply line, a return line and a circulation pump to circulate water through the internal fluid cavity of the ground source heat exchanger via the supply and return lines. The distribution system may further include a purge valve to release gas from the distribution system and a fill circuit that is configured to automatically replenish the internal fluid cavity of the ground source heat exchanger with water upon leakage of water from the ground source heat exchanger or conversion of water from the ground source heat exchanger to gas. Other geoexchange systems and related methods are also provided.

Claims

1. A geoexchange system comprising:

a ground source heat exchanger including a metallic vessel that defines an internal fluid cavity; and

a distribution system coupled to the ground source heat exchanger to circulate a heat transfer medium through the internal fluid cavity of the ground source heat exchanger during operation, the distribution system including

a supply line to deliver the heat transfer medium to the ground source heat exchanger,

a return line to withdraw the heat transfer medium from the ground source heat exchanger, and

a fill circuit to automatically replenish the ground source heat exchanger with supplemental heat transfer medium upon leakage of said heat transfer medium from the metallic vessel of the ground source heat exchanger.

2. The geoexchange system of claim 1 wherein the geoexchange system is operable with a heat pump to provide heating and cooling functionality and is configured to absorb heat from the ground during a heating mode and to reject heat into the ground during a cooling mode.

3. The geoexchange system of claim 1 wherein the heat transfer medium consists of water or essentially of water.

4. The geoexchange system of claim 1 wherein the supply line, the return line and the ground source heat exchanger collectively define a ground source loop, and wherein the fill circuit includes a check valve to introduce supplemental water into the ground source loop from a supplemental water source in response to an existence of a pressure differential across the check valve that exceeds a threshold.

5. The geoexchange system of claim 4 wherein the heat transfer medium is water and the operating pressure of the ground source loop may decline below the threshold upon water leakage from the ground source heat exchanger or conversion of water in the ground source loop to gas.

6. The geoexchange system of claim 4 wherein the upstream side of the check valve is in direct unobstructed fluid communication with supplemental water from the supplemental water source.

7. The geoexchange system of claim 1 wherein the heat transfer medium is water and the fill circuit is configured to automatically replenish the ground source heat exchanger with supplemental water upon water leakage from the ground source heat exchanger or conversion of water from the ground source heat exchanger to gas.

8. The geoexchange system of claim 1 wherein the distribution system further includes a purge valve to release gas from the distribution system.

9. The geoexchange system of claim 1 wherein the metallic vessel of the heat exchanger is a deep foundation member.

10. The geoexchange system of claim 9 wherein the deep foundation member is a pile that includes at least one of an auger structure at a lower end thereof and an engagement structure at an upper end thereof for coupling to a rotary pile driver system.

11. The geoexchange system of claim 1 wherein the metallic vessel of the ground source heat exchanger includes a steel tubular casing and end caps to define a substantially closed fluid vessel.

12. The geoexchange system of claim 1 wherein the metallic vessel of the ground source heat exchanger is a load-bearing member selected from the group consisting of:

an anchor for an above-ground structure;

a foundation support for a structure; and

a soil retention element.

13. The geoexchange system of claim 1 wherein the supply line includes an outlet to discharge the heat transfer medium into the internal fluid cavity of the metallic vessel of the ground source heat exchanger and the return line includes an inlet to withdraw the heat transfer medium from the internal fluid cavity of the metallic vessel of the ground source heat exchanger, and wherein the outlet of the supply line and the inlet of the return line are each located at a different height along a longitudinal length of the ground source heat exchanger.

14. The geoexchange system of claim 13 wherein the outlet of the supply line and the inlet of the return line are each located within an upper portion of the internal fluid cavity of the metallic vessel of the ground source heat exchanger.

15. The geoexchange system of claim 13 wherein the heat transfer medium is water and the outlet of the supply line and the inlet of the return line are offset from a lower end of the metallic vessel of the ground source heat exchanger such that a lower half of the internal fluid cavity of the metallic vessel is occupied only by a standing column of water.

16. A geoexchange system comprising:

a ground source heat exchanger positioned in the ground, the ground source heat exchanger comprising a metallic vessel that defines an internal fluid cavity; and

a distribution system coupled to the ground source heat exchanger to circulate water through the ground source heat exchanger, the distribution system including

a supply line,

a return line,

a circulation pump to circulate water through the internal fluid cavity of the ground source heat exchanger via the supply and return lines,

a purge valve to release gas from the distribution system, and

a fill circuit configured to automatically replenish the internal fluid cavity of the ground source heat exchanger with water upon leakage of water from the ground source heat exchanger or conversion of water from the ground source heat exchanger to gas.

17. The geoexchange system of claim 16 wherein the geoexchange system is operable with a heat pump to provide heating and cooling functionality and is configured to absorb heat from the ground during a heating mode and to reject heat into the ground during a cooling mode.

18. The geoexchange system of claim 16 wherein the metallic vessel of the ground source heat exchanger comprises a tubular structure having an exterior surface that interfaces with the ground and an interior surface that is in contact with the water circulated through the ground source heat exchanger during operation.

19. The geoexchange system of claim 16 wherein the metallic vessel of the ground source heat exchanger is at least one of a deep foundation member and a load-bearing member.

20. A method of installing a geoexchange system, the method comprising:

installing at least one ground source heat exchanger into the ground, the ground source heat exchanger comprising a metallic vessel having an exterior surface that interfaces with the ground and an interior surface that defines an internal fluid cavity;

coupling the at least one ground source heat exchanger to a heat pump via a fluid distribution system, the fluid distribution system including a supply line, a return line and a circulation pump to circulate water through the internal fluid cavity of the ground source heat exchanger during operation to absorb heat from the ground during a heating mode and/or to reject heat into the ground during a cooling mode; and

coupling the fluid distribution system to a water source to enable automatic replenishment of the heat exchanger with supplemental water upon water loss.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein installing the at least one ground source heat exchanger into the ground includes installing a plurality of ground source heat exchangers into the ground.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

coupling the plurality of ground source heat exchangers to the heat pump in a series arrangement, a parallel arrangement or a combination thereof.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

acquiring performance data from the plurality of ground source heat exchangers, and

installing one or more supplemental ground source heat exchangers into the ground and coupling the one or more supplemental ground source heat exchangers to the heat pump based at least in part on said performance data and an expected demand of the heat pump.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

installing at least one supplemental ground source heat exchanger into the ground and coupling the at least one supplemental ground source heat exchanger to the heat pump in response to a change in expected demand of the heat pump.

25. A method of operating a geoexchange system, the method comprising:

circulating water through a ground source loop to absorb heat from the ground during a heating mode and/or to reject heat into the ground during a cooling mode, the ground source loop including at least one ground source heat exchanger comprising a metallic fluid vessel having an exterior surface that interfaces with the ground and an interior surface that is in contact with said water during operation; and

introducing supplemental water into the ground source loop upon water leakage from the at least one ground source heat exchanger or conversion of water from the ground source loop to gas.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

destressing the at least one ground source heat exchanger and the ground surrounding the at least one ground source heat exchanger.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the ground source loop is coupled to a heat pump to exchange heat with a heat exchanger thereof, and wherein destressing the at least one ground source heat exchanger and the ground surrounding the at least one ground source heat exchanger includes circulating water through the at least one ground source heat exchanger.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein circulating water through the at least one ground source heat exchanger with a circulation pump, includes circulating water through the at least one ground source heat exchanger at a volumetric flow rate that is less than an average volumetric flow rate at which the water is circulated when the heat pump is active.

29. The method of claim 26 wherein destressing the at least one ground source heat exchanger and the ground surrounding the at least one ground source heat exchanger includes discharging water from the ground source loop and introducing supplemental water into the ground source loop having a different average temperature than the discharged water.

30. The method of claim 26 wherein introducing supplemental water into the ground source loop upon water leakage from the at least one ground source heat exchanger or conversion of water from the ground source loop to gas includes automatically maintaining the ground source loop at operational capacity despite such water loss from the at least one ground source heat exchanger.