Geothermal direct expansion heat pump system
AssigneeGeothermal Heat Pumps, Inc.
InventorsB. Ryland Wiggs, Jack L. Womack, William C. Bickford
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A geothermal direct expansion heat pump system wherein subterranean heat exchange tubes have an internal diameter to length ratio of between 1/4000 and 1/6000, with 5 tubes per ton of BTU capacity; where the interior air heat exchange tubes have 50% of the interior volume of the subterranean tubes; where the thermal expansion valve is sized to match the interior air handler capacity; where the receiver holds 75% to 95% of the total refrigerant volume; where a pump down sequence is employed on system shut down; where an oil trap is installed at the vapor line existing the subterranean heat exchange tubes; and where 4 refrigerant cut-off/isolation valves are installed for service convenience.
Claims11
A geothermal direct expansion heat pump system, including subterranean heat exchange tubes, an accumulator, a compressor, interior air heat exchange tubes, a receiver, and a thermal expansion valve, and tubing connecting them in series, said tubing carrying a refrigerant through said system, wherein the subterranean heat transfer tubes have an internal diameter to length ratio between 1/4,000 and 1/6,000, with 5 tubes per ton of compressor BTU capacity.
A geothermal direct expansion heat pump system, including subterranean heat exchange tubes, an accumulator, a compressor, interior air heat exchange tubes, a receiver, and a thermal expansion valve, and tubing connecting them in series, said tubing carrying a refrigerant through said system, wherein the interior air heat exchange tubes contain an interior volume area which is fifty percent, plus or minus ten percent, of the interior volume area of the subterranean heat exchange tubes.
A geothermal direct expansion heat pump system, including subterranean heat exchange tubes, an accumulator, a compressor, interior air heat exchange tubes, a receiver, and a thermal expansion valve, and tubing connecting them in series, said tubing carrying a refrigerant through said system, and a thermostat which, upon sensing a predetermined temperature, sends a signal to shut off said compressor, and a low-pressure switch, and wherein said compressor is programmed ignore the signal from the thermostat and to continue to operate until the compressor is shut off in response to activation of said low-pressure safety switch.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.