Direct refrigerant geothermal heat exchange or multiple source subcool/postheat/precool system therefor

• US 6,167,715 B1
• Filed: 10/06/1998
• Issued: 01/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olive Tree Patents 1 LLC
• Original Assignee: Global Energy & Environment Research
• Inventors: Hebert, Thomas H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Doerrler, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHULMAN, MARK S
• Application Number:
  US09/167,429
• Time in Patent Office: 819 Days
• Field of Search: 622/60, 623/246, 165/46
• US Class Current: 62/260
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2005/0057 receiving heat-exchange fluid from a closed circuit in the ground
• CPC Class Codes: F24T 10/10 with circulation of working fluids through underground channels, the working fluids not coming into direct contact with the ground
• CPC Class Codes: F24T 10/30 using underground reservoirs for accumulating working fluids or intermediate fluids
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 16/00 Devices using a combination of a cooling mode associated with refrigerating machinery with a cooling mode not associated with refrigerating machinery
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 7/0008 the conduits for one medium being in heat conductive contact with the conduits for the other medium
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 7/0016 the conduits for one medium or the conduits for both media being bent F28D7/0033 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/40 Geothermal heat-pumps
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/10 Geothermal energy

Abstract

First, a system for providing liquid refrigerant subcooling, subsequent to that subcooling accomplished by the primary condenser, by means of direct geothermal heat exchange and if required, secondary (or more) fluid(s) supplementary cooling of the liquid refrigerant contiguous with the direct geothermal subcooling. This system could be utilized with standard condensers for higher efficiency air conditioning, heat pump in the cooling mode, or refrigeration operation of any kind. No modifications to the actual condenser would be required, but a larger evaporator surface could be required.

Secondly, a system for providing supplemental heat to the primary evaporator of a heat pump operating in the heating mode, by means of a direct geothermal heat exchange, coupled with heat reclaim of the liquid refrigerant, and if necessary with secondary (or more) fluid(s). This system would require some modification of a standard heat pump in addition to the installation of the direct geothermal liquid refrigerant reclaim, secondary (or more) fluid heat postheater. Next, a system that would provide liquid refrigerant subcooling by means of direct geothermal heat exchange and if required, secondary (or more) fluid(s) supplementary subcooling, coupled with a system that would provide direct geothermal, plus a possible secondary (or more) fluid, supplementary heat, to a postheater of a heat pump in the heating mode. That said postheater becoming a precooler of the hot gas refrigerant when the heat pump is in the cooling mode. Finally, a system that would provide liquid refrigerant subcooling by means of direct geothermal heat exchange and if required, a secondary (or more) fluid(s) supplementary subcooling coupled with a system that would provide direct geothermal heat exchange precooling of the hot gas refrigerant and if required, a secondary (or more) fluid(s) precooling of the hot gas refrigerant. This system could be utilized with standard air source or water source air conditioning or refrigeration condensers for producing more capacity and higher efficiency.

Claims

1. A direct geothermal heat exchange refrigerant subcool system comprising in combination:

a) a subcooler connected in fluid communication with an output of a condenser of an air conditioner, refrigeration unit, or heat pump enabling a refrigerant to flow through said subcooler;

b) a secondary fluid refrigerant subcool system for subcooling the refrigerant that had previously passed through the condenser including at least one secondary tube thermally connected to a tube carrying the liquid refrigerant;

c) said subcooler and secondary thermally connected tubes being buried in the ground for direct geothermal heat exchange between the refrigerant and the earth; and

d) means for controlling the rate of flow of fluid through said secondary tube for purposes of additional auxiliary sub-cooling or for purposes of preventing geothermal saturation, to provide the maximum available subcooling of the liquid refrigerant.

2. A direct geothermal heat exchange refrigerant postheat and subcool system for postheating a refrigerant that had previously passed through an evaporator of a heat pump unit operating in the heating mode, while simultaneously subcooling a refrigerant that had previously passed through a condenser of that same heat pump unit, comprising in combination:

a) a postheater/subcooler combination including a postheater tube thermally connected to a subcooler tube, said postheater connected in serial communication with an output of the evaporator enabling the refrigerant to flow through said postheater after first flowing through the evaporator, and the subcooler connected in serial communication with an output of the condenser enabling the refrigerant to flow through said subcooler; and

b) said postheater/subcooler combination being buried in the ground for direct geothermal heat exchange between the refrigerant in the postheater and the refrigerant in the subcooler,

thereby providing maximum heat available to the postheater from both the ground and the liquid refrigerant and providing the maximum subcooling possible to the liquid refrigerant.

3. A direct geothermal heat exchange refrigerant postheat, subcool plus at least one secondary fluid postheat, subcool system for postheating a refrigerant that has already passed through an evaporator of a heat pump unit operating in the heating mode, while simultaneously subcooling a refrigerant that had previously passed through a condenser of that same heat pump unit, comprising in combination:

a) a postheater/subcooler combination including a postheater tube thermally connected to a subcooler tube and to at least one secondary fluid tube in which the postheater is in serial communication with an output of the evaporator enabling the refrigerant to flow through said postheater after first flowing through the evaporator, the subcooler being in serial communication with an output of the condenser, enabling the refrigerant to flow through said subcooler;

b) said postheater/subcooler combination and secondary thermally connected tubes being buried in the ground for direct geothermal heat exchange between the refrigerant in the postheater and the refrigerant in the subcooler and the earth; and

c) means for controlling the rate of flow of fluid through said secondary tubes for purposes of additional postheating and subcooling or for purposes of preventing geothermal saturation,

thereby providing the maximum heat possible to the postheater and the maximum subcooling possible to the liquid refrigerant.

4. A direct geothermal heat exchange refrigerant postheat or precool system, comprising in combination:

a) a postheater/precooler connected in serial communication between a reversing valve of the heat pump unit and an outdoor air source coil of an air source heat pump or water source coil of a water source heat pump;

b) a secondary fluid postheat or precool system for postheating a refrigerant that had previously passed through an evaporator of a heat pump unit operating in the heating mode or for precooling the hot gas refrigerant before it passes into the condenser of a heat pump unit operating in the cooling mode including at least one secondary tube thermally connected to the tube carrying the refrigerant;

c) said postheater/precooler combination and secondary thermally connected tubes being buried in the ground for direct geothermal heat exchange between the refrigerant and the earth; and

d) means for controlling the rate of flow of fluid through said secondary tube for purposes of additional postheating or precooling or for the purposes of preventing geothermal saturation to provide the maximum amount of postheating or precooling.

5. A direct geothermal heat exchange refrigerant precool system, comprising in combination:

a) a precooler connected in serial communication between an output of a compressor and an input of a condenser of an air conditioning or refrigeration system;

b) a secondary fluid refrigerant precool system for precooling the refrigerant before passing into the condenser including at least one second tube thermally connected to a tube carrying the refrigerant;

c) said precooler and secondary thermally connected tubes being buried in the ground for direct geothermal heat exchange between the refrigerant and the earth; and

d) means for controlling the rate of flow of fluid through said secondary tube for purposes of additional precooling or for the purposes of preventing geothermal saturation, to provide the maximum amount of precooling.