Ground source heat pump heat exchanger
OwnerRoy Dan Halloran, Don R. Richardsoninventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A heat pump, heat pump exchanger component, and method of using a heat exchanger, the heat pump exchanger has long pipes arranged in at least one layer in fluid communication with one another, and spaced a minimum of about two (2) feet apart. Shorter pipes may be disposed between long pipes, and connectors between adjacent pipes. The long pipes are composed of high thermal conductive materials, such as aluminum, while the short pipes and/or connectors may be composed of flexible lower thermal conductive materials. Heat exchanger is placed a minimum of twenty-four (24) inches beneath the ground surface.
Claims19
A heat exchanger for use with a heat pump system in which the heat pump system has a heat pump with a refrigerant carrying coil to which the heat exchanger exchanges in ground heat using water or water-antifreeze fluids pumped through a heat exchanger loop in the heat pump, in which the heat exchanger loop has an input/output extending from the heat pump in fluid communication with the heat exchanger forming a closed loop, the heat exchanger comprising:
- input and output terminuses for fluid communication with the input/output extending from the heat pump in series or in parallel with
- at least two lengths of thermally conductive aluminum or aluminum alloy long pipes, including an input long pipe extending from the input terminus and an output long pipe extending from the output terminus;
- each of the long pipes being spaced at least two feet (2′) apart from any other long pipe and connected on end with at least a pair of connectors, the pair of connectors having a short length of short pipe disposed therebetween;
- wherein
- a total combined length of the aluminum or aluminum alloy long pipes does not exceed one hundred twenty (120) feet between input and output terminuses;
- the long pipes have an outer diameter, the outer diameter being from about three (3) inches to about four (4) inches, and
- the connectors and short pipe are composed of thermally conductive material, HDPE, flexible material, or combinations thereof, wherein
- the thermally conductive material is taken from the group consisting of aluminum, copper, iron, or alloys thereof;
- and
- wherein
- the heat exchanger consists essentially of six long pipes disposed in parallel in which a layer of three parallel long pipes forming a row are disposed above a layer of three parallel long pipes forming a row, with five short pipes connected therebetween by the pairs of connectors to define the heat exchanger having upper and lower rows of the long pipes connected via the short pipes and the pairs of connectors, with each of the long pipes in the upper row disposed from about two (2) to about three (3) feet above a long pipe in the lower row.
A heat exchanger for use with a heat pump system in which the heat pump system has a heat pump with a refrigerant carrying coil to which the heat exchanger exchanges in ground heat using water or water-antifreeze fluids pumped through a heat exchanger coil in the heat pump, in which the heat exchanger coil has an input/output extending from the heat pump in fluid communication with the heat exchanger, the heat exchanger comprising:
- input and output terminuses for fluid communication with the input/output extending from the heat pump in series or in parallel with
- at least two lengths of long pipes, including an input long pipe extending from the input terminus and an output long pipe extending from the output terminus;
- each of the long pipes being spaced at least two feet (2′) apart from any other long pipe and connected on end with at least a pair of connectors, the pair of connectors having a short length of short pipe disposed therebetween;
- wherein
- the long pipes have an outer diameter, the outer diameter being from about three (3) inch to about four (4) inches,
- the long pipes are composed of a thermally conductive material taken from the group consisting of aluminum, copper, iron, or alloys thereof, and
- the connectors and short pipe are composed of HDPE.
A heat exchanger for use with a heat pump system in which the heat pump system has a heat pump with a refrigerant carrying coil to which the heat exchanger exchanges in ground heat using water or water-antifreeze fluids pumped through a heat exchanger loop in the heat pump, in which the heat exchanger loop has an input/output extending from the heat pump in fluid communication with the heat exchanger, the heat exchanger comprising:
- input and output terminuses for fluid communication with the input/output extending from the heat pump heat exchanger loop in series or in parallel with six lengths of thermally conductive aluminum or aluminum alloy long pipes, including an input long pipe extending from the input terminus and an output long pipe extending from the output terminus;
- each of the long pipes being spaced at least two feet (2′) apart from any other long pipe and connected on end with at least a pair of connectors, the pair of connectors having a short length of short pipe disposed therebetween;
- wherein
- a total combined length of the aluminum or aluminum alloy long pipes does not exceed about one hundred twenty (120′) feet between input and output terminuses;
- the long pipes have an outer diameter, the outer diameter being from about three (3″) inches to about four (4″) inches, and
- the connectors and the short pipe are composed of high-density polyethylene (HDPE);
- wherein:
- the aluminum or aluminum alloy long pipes are disposed in parallel which a layer of three of the parallel long pipes forming a row are disposed above a layer of three of the parallel long pipes forming a row, with five of the short pipes connected therebetween by the pairs of connectors to define the heat exchanger having upper and lower rows of the long pipes connected via the short pipes and the pairs of connectors, with each of the long pipes in the upper row disposed from about two (2) to about three (3) feet above each of the long pipes in the lower row.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.