Horizontal Closed Loop Geothermal Systems
From Closed Loop Systems
Horizontal Closed Loop Systems are commonly installed using a backhoe which opens a trench 2 feet wide and 6 feet deep. Three rows of polyethylene pipe are installed into the bottom of the trench at 6 feet deep, covered by 2 feet of soil, and a second layer of pipe is installed at 4 feet deep. The entire trench is back-filled and the series of 6 pipes is joined by a heat fusion process into 2 larger pipes that serve as supply and return lines (extended header). The extended header is installed through the foundation and connected from the loop pump to the unit.
Product Details
Closed loop geothermal systems utilize a series of piping buried in the ground or submerged in a pond to create a heat exchanger. This piping is filled with a water/antifreeze solution (loop solution) that allows the geothermal system to take advantage of the constant temperatures stored in the earth or pond. There are several types of systems. Horizontal, Pond & Vertical.
The loop solution which circulates in the closed piping system absorbs heat or rejects heat into the surrounding earth or water. Closed loops can be installed into ponds, excavated and buried in the ground in a horizontal configuration using a backhoe, or drilled vertically with drill rig. Closed loops are virtually maintenance free, recirculating the same loop solution, and having no need for a well or drain to discharge the water. Due to the excavation and loop piping material costs, closed loops systems are generally more expensive to install than open loop systems.
How it Work
Geothermal heating and cooling systems use the natural and nearly constant temperature of the earth to heat in the winter and cool in the summer. This is accomplished with a compressor or heat pump unit, the liquid heat exchanger medium, and the air delivery system.
Geothermal systems quite simply extract heat from the ground or ground water and transfer that heat to a refrigerant, then distribute the heat into the structure with a forced-air or hydronic system. In cooling, geothermal systems take heat from the structure, transfer the heat to the refrigerant, then transfer the heat back to the water or loop fluid. This works the same as a standard air conditioner, except a geothermal system uses water or loop fluid at a constant temperature (average 50 degrees) instead of varying outdoor air.
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