Heat exchange system

Abstract

A system and a method for heating two buildings using geothermal energy comprises pumping a heat transfer liquid through conduits located in a water filled well and then passing the heat transfer liquid through floor conduits located in a first building, subsequently pumping the heat transfer liquid through a reservoir and then back to the well, pumping a second heat transfer liquid through a compressor and using the warm side of the compressor to heat a second building, the second heat transfer liquid being passed through a serpentine arrangement in the reservoir. The first building is normally an outbuilding and the second building is a residence.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a heat exchange system and a method for heating buildings.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of geothermal energy for heating and/or cooling is well known in the art. The low intensity temperature maintained by the mantle of the earth may be used to provide a sump for cooling or heating absorption when the air temperature is either higher or lower than the temperature of the earth mantle.

Typically, geothermal heating systems utilize a heat pump to extract the heat from the water which is circulated through the earth in either a horizontal or vertical arrangement depending upon the area available and location.

In rural areas, there are frequently buildings which need to be heated to a certain degree, although not necessarily to the temperature that a typical residence would require. For example, barns, storage buildings, and the like are outbuildings which require a source of heat, particularly in very cold climates. Also, some industrial buildings such as airport hangers have the same requirement. To date, traditional forms of heat such as furnaces have been utilized for these buildings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and heat exchange system for the heating of larger buildings which generally do not require the temperatures that residences would require.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a heat exchange system which would have the capability of supplying low grade heat to a residence or other space.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a heat exchange system which is also capable of cooling a building.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a system for heating a first building having a floor and a second building, the system comprising a well having water therein, a down conduit and an up conduit located in said well, a portion of at least one of the conduits having a heat exchange section, a liquid containing reservoir located in the first building, a plurality of floor conduits in the floor, the floor conduits being connected to the down and up conduit to form a closed loop, a heat transfer liquid filling the conduits, a pump for pumping the heat transfer liquid through the conduits, a compressor, the compressor having a closed loop system containing a second heat transfer liquid, the closed loop system extending into the reservoir, and a fan arranged to blow warm air from the compressor into the second building.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for heating a first building and a second building comprising the steps of pumping a heat transfer liquid through conduits located in a water filled well, passing the heat transfer liquid from the well through floor conduits located in the first building, subsequently passing the heat transfer liquid from the floor conduits to a reservoir and subsequently to the conduits located in the water-filled well, pumping a second heat transfer liquid through a compressor, passing the second heat transfer liquid from the compressor through conduits located in the reservoir, and blowing air from a warm side of a compressor to the second building.

The first buildings with which the system of the present invention may be used are varied. The outbuilding may be used to store various types of equipment and could include relatively large buildings such as hangers for aeroplanes. Other plans would include barns, equipment storage buildings, etc.

The second building being heated may, in one aspect of the invention, be a residence associated with an outbuilding. Alternatively, a second building being heated may form a portion of the first building and be separated therefrom. Examples would include offices located in an outbuilding such as an equipment storage building or an aeroplane hanger or an office area of a barn or the like.

The well from which heat is to be extracted must be of a sufficient depth such that the water therein is at a constant temperature. Typically, the well will be drilled to depths of 50 metres or more and could include wells of twice this depth. The size of the outbuilding will determine whether a plurality of wells are required.

The heat transfer liquid within the closed loop system may be any which is suitable for the efficient transfer of thermal energy. Typically, a mixture of glycol and water or methanol and water may be utilized.

The well is, for reasons of convenience, preferably located under the floor of the building to be heated. Naturally, if this is not convenient, nearby locations may be utilized.

The heat transfer liquid is pumped through the floor conduits from the well conduit. The particular requirements of the situation will determine whether the entire floor is heated or only portions thereof. Preferably, the floor is of a concrete material.

The heat transfer liquid is pumped through the floor conduits at a relatively high speed such that the heat transfer liquid will only lose any where from one half degrees centrigrade to 2 degrees centrigrade. Naturally, a suitable manifold arrangement may be utilized to ensure that the heat transfer liquid is efficiently delivered.

A liquid reservoir is provided and the heat transfer liquid is pumped from the floor conduits into the reservoir. From there, the heat transfer liquid is recycled down through the well to gain heat.

A second integrated system will include a compressor having a closed loop with a second heat transfer fluid such as Freon therein. The second heat transfer fluid passes through the compressor and a fan is utilized to blow air from the warm side of the compressor into the second building. The second heat transfer system liquid is then passed through the first heat transfer liquid located in the reservoir. Preferably, a serpentine arrangement is utilized to permit maximum heat transfer.

For summer use, the system may use the relatively cool first heat transfer liquid for purposes of cooling. In this arrangement, the compressor is not utilized. Preferably, however, a thermostat is employed to regulate flow of the first heat transfer liquid to keep the first building at the desired temperature.

In this arrangement, the second building may be cooled by blowing air directly from the first building into the second building. Alternatively, the air from the first building could pass through a conventional heat exchanger to utilize fresh air which is cooled by the air from the first building.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, an arrangement similar to the one above described could be utilized for road protection during the winter months. Thus, the road could contain a plurality of conduits under the paved surface and preferably embedded in the concrete. A well could be drilled under the overpass and the heat transfer liquid pumped through the conduit. Such an arrangement would obviate the necessity for the use of chemicals for de-icing purposes. The conduits, as in the previous embodiments, could be formed of any suitable material including those known a KYTEK.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Having thus generally described the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings illustrating an embodiment thereof, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a heat exchange system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, partially in cutaway, of the reservoir used in the heat exchange system;

FIG. 3 is a side view, partially in a section, of the well portion of the system; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the heat exchange section in the well.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings in greater detail and by reference characters thereto, the system of the present invention, as best seen in FIG. 1, includes a well generally designated by reference numeral 10 which, in the preferred embodiment, is located under the first building. Preferably the well is of a considerable depth and typically may be drilled to have a depth in excess of 75 metres.

Mounted in well 10 is an up conduit 12 and a down conduit 14. Up conduit 12 and down conduit 14 are connected by a U-shaped portion 16 which will be described in greater detail herein below.

The outbuilding has a floor 18 which includes a plurality of floor conduits 20 therein. The floor conduits 20 preferably cover substantially the whole area of the floor.

A small pump 22 is mounted on the conduit portion between up conduit 12 and floor conduits 20.

After passing through floor conduits 20, a heat exchange liquid is then pumped through a return line 24 to a reservoir 26. In some embodiments, an outer casing 28 is provided about reservoir 26 for reasons which will become clear herein below. After passing through reservoir 26, the heat exchange liquid passes to a lower feed conduit 30 which is connected to down conduit 14.

There is provided a second conduit 34 which takes a second heat exchange liquid and feeds the same to a compressor 36. The liquid then returns through return conduit 38 to a serpentine arrangement as will be discussed in greater detail herein below. A fan 40 is designed to blow heat from warm side of compressor 36 through a duct 42 to the second building.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the lower portion of the up conduit 12, down conduit 14 and U-shaped portion 16 includes a plurality of metallic heat exchange plates. Preferably this portion of the conduits is formed of a metallic material to ensure proper heat transfer.

The liquid passing through compressor 36 passes through a serpentine arrangement generally designated by reference numeral 46 in FIG. 3. Again, this ensures adequate heat transfer between the liquid in the serpentine arrangement and the heat exchange liquid 48.

In operation, the heat exchange liquid is pumped through down conduit 14 and by means of the heat exchange section, the heat exchange liquid will reach the temperature at the bottom of the well. Heat exchange liquid is then pumped through up conduit 12 and into floor conduits 20 to thereby heat the floor 18 of the outbuilding.

The heat exchange is pumped fairly rapidly such that it will only lose some of its heat through floor conduits 20—typically half a degree or so. The heat exchange liquid is then pumped through return line 24 to reservoir 26 where it then goes through down conduit 14 and repeats the cycle.

A second heat exchange fluid such as Freon is fed to compressor 36 where it is compressed with the warm side of the compressor giving up heat which is then blown by a fan 40 through duct 42 to the second building. The cooled heat exchange fluid is then returned into the serpentine pipes inside reservoir 26 which will then cool the heat exchange liquid prior to being pumped into down conduit 14.

In the summer time, the system can be used such that the heat transfer liquid will cool the floor of the first building and thereby the interior of the building. Cool air can be drawn from within the building from between outer casing 28 and reservoir 26 and blown through duct 42 by means of a fan 41 to cool the residence. Alternatively, a second heat exchanger may be employed to take the cool air from the outbuilding and used to cool a second stream of air which is cycled through the heat exchanger.

It will be understood that the above described embodiments are for purposes of illustration only and that changes and modifications may be thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A system for heating a first building having a floor and a second building, the system comprising:

a well having water therein;

a down conduit and an up conduit located in said well;

a portion of at least one of said conduits having a heat exchange section;

a liquid containing reservoir located in said first building;

a plurality of floor conduits in said floor, said floor conduits being connected to said down and up conduit to form a closed loop;

a heat transfer liquid filling said conduits;

a pump for pumping said heat transfer liquid through said conduits;

a compressor, said compressor having a closed loop system containing a second heat transfer fluid, said closed loop system extending into said reservoir; and

a fan arranged to blow warm air from said compressor into said second building.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said heat exchange section comprises a plurality of metallic plates extending outwardly from at least one of said up and down conduits.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said heat transfer liquid comprises a mixture of water and glycol.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein said heat transfer liquid comprises a mixture of methanol and water.

5. The system of claim 2 wherein said well is located under said first building.

6. The system of claim 2 wherein said closed loop system of said compressor includes a serpentine section within said reservoir.

7. The system of claim 2 wherein said second building comprises a residence.

8. The system of claim 2 wherein said well has a depth in excess of 60 metres.

9. A method for heating a first building and a second building comprising these steps of;

pumping a heat transfer liquid through conduits located in a water filled well;

passing said heat transfer liquid from said well through floor conduits located in said first building;

subsequently passing said heat transfer liquid from said floor conduits to a reservoir and subsequently to said conduits located in said water-filled well;

pumping a second heat transfer fluid through a compressor;

passing said second heat transfer liquid from said compressor through conduits located in said reservoir; and

blowing air from a warm side of said compressor to said second building.

10. The method of claim 9 further including the step of passing said second heat transfer liquid through a serpentine arrangement of conduits within said reservoir.