Subterranean heat exchanger for refrigeration air conditioning equipment

An apparatus for use in heating equipment which functions with a refrigerant which changes phase from vapor to liquid and which flows in a closed circuit through a condenser comprising:

• (a) a sealed housing comprising an elongate tubular member having a top end and bottom end sealed to enclose the interior thereof, said sealed housing extending into a well containing cool artesian water;
• (b) an inlet passing through said sealed housing through which a vaporous refrigerant is introduced into said sealed housing;
• (c) a plurality of deflector baffles constructed and arranged along the longitudinal axis of said elongate tubular member on the interior of said sealed housing for directing the vaporous refrigerant toward contact with the wall of said elongate tubular member of said sealed housing for condensation of the vaporous refrigerant to cool to form a liquid collecting at said bottom of said sealed housing;
• (d) a pump with an inlet positioned toward said bottom of said sealed housing, said pump inlet being covered by the liquid refrigerant in said sealed housing;
• (e) an outlet in said top of said sealed housing;
• (f) a conduit connected at a first end to said pump and passing through said outlet in said sealed housing and connectable at a second end to said expansion means such that said pump lifts the liquid refrigerant through said conduit into said expansion means;
• (g) a surface located, solar powered heat exchanger connected to said second end of said conduit into which liquid refrigerant flows, the liquid refrigerant thereafter being vaporized in said heat exchanger;
• and
• (h) means for transferring the vaporized refrigerant to the condenser of a conventional heating apparatus and htence to said inlet of said sealed housing.

For use in refrigeration equipment which functions with a refrigerant which changes phase from vapor to liquid and which flows in a closed circuit and wherein the refrigerant is expanded by an expansion means and passes through heat exchanger means to transfer heat at the heat exchanger means, the improvement for use with refrigeration equipment which comprises:

• (a) a closed housing extending into water from an artesian water well wherein said housing has
• (1) an inlet for introduction of vaporous refrigerant thereinto for condensation within said housing and
• (2) further including a sump in said housing for accumulation of liquid refrigerant formed from vaporous refrigerant introduced thereinto;
• and
• (b) pump means having an intake submerged in said sump for pumping liquid refrigerant from said sump and having an outlet extending from said housing for flowing liquid refrigerant for use in refrigeration equipment.