1. what are the geothermal air-conditioning components?
There are 4 main components to Geothermal Systems:
1. An open or closed loop field on the property - to transfer heat to and from the ground through HDPE pipes (high-density polyethylene)
2. A liquid pump - to send water through the loop field and heat pump
3. A Geothermal Heat Pump (GHP) - to capture heat at one temperature reservoir and transfer to it another
4. Distribution System - standard Air-conditioning ducting to distribute the cool air.
2. types of geothermal system installations.
Vertical Loops
Vertical loops utilize bore holes drilled to an aver-age depth of 250 feet. Once the loop pipe is in-serted into the bore, it is grouted using a Bentonite mixture for maximum thermal conductivity. When space is a limited, vertical loops are the most com-mon type of geothermal loop installed.
Vertical loops utilize bore holes drilled to an aver-age depth of 250 feet. Once the loop pipe is in-serted into the bore, it is grouted using a Bentonite mixture for maximum thermal conductivity. When space is a limited, vertical loops are the most com-mon type of geothermal loop installed.
Horizontal Loops
Horizontal loops utilize trenches dug to an average depth of four to six feet. As one of the more cost effective loops to install, horizontal loops are com-monly found in open fields, parks or under parking lots.
Horizontal loops utilize trenches dug to an average depth of four to six feet. As one of the more cost effective loops to install, horizontal loops are com-monly found in open fields, parks or under parking lots.
Lake Loops
Lake loops utilize a "slinky" assembly of geother-mal loop piping placed at the bottom of a pond, lake, or other large body of water. An extremely cost effective loop system, lake loops are an easy alternative if the option is available.
Lake loops utilize a "slinky" assembly of geother-mal loop piping placed at the bottom of a pond, lake, or other large body of water. An extremely cost effective loop system, lake loops are an easy alternative if the option is available.
Well (Open) Loops
Most commonly known as "Open Loop", well sys-tems pump water out of a nearby body of water or water well, and then discharge the water into an-other body of water or water well. Well systems usually employ a plate heat exchanger inside the building to keep the building water loop separated from the well water. This prevents any contami-nates from affecting unit performance and extends system life. Well systems are often the most effi-cient as the well water is always at the same tem-perature year-round.
Most commonly known as "Open Loop", well sys-tems pump water out of a nearby body of water or water well, and then discharge the water into an-other body of water or water well. Well systems usually employ a plate heat exchanger inside the building to keep the building water loop separated from the well water. This prevents any contami-nates from affecting unit performance and extends system life. Well systems are often the most effi-cient as the well water is always at the same tem-perature year-round.
3. why air-conditioning tonnage (TR) is reduced & energy
efficiency (EER) is increased using geothermal
A typical "Air Conditioner" operates as follows.
Heat is transferred from the enclosure components by circulating air
around and through them, the air is then cooled, dehumidified and returned
to the enclosure without the admission of air from the outdoors. The
heat is removed from this air within the air conditioner and discharged
by means of a vapour compression refrigeration cycle. This takes place
in a hermetically sealed system, utilizing either an air-cooled or
water-cooled condenser coil. A schematic of a typical Air Conditioner
is illustrated (see figure 1)The compressor forces refrigerant, in vapour form, into the condenser coil where it is cooled by ambient air. As it cools, the refrigerant condenses into a liquid, which is passed through a filter to remove impurities and excess moisture. The liquid refrigerant flow is metered by a thermostatic expansion valve or capillary tube, to control its admission to the evaporator coil which is a part of the closed loop on the inside of the enclosure.
The refrigerant enters the evaporator as a liquid beginning to vaporize. As the blower or fan driven heated air from the enclosure passes through the evaporator coil, the heat is transferred to the refrigerant, converting the refrigerant to vapour. High levels of humidity present in the air are removed by condensation; the water is drained to the outside and evaporated in some cases. This cool, dehumidified air is then returned to the enclosure. After the heat is transferred to the refrigerant in the evaporator, the refrigerant passes into an accumulator, where any remaining liquid is separated. The gas then returns to the compressor to repeat the cycle in a continuous process.
Now with the increase in the energy prices and in the load demands resulting in frequent power crisis, Geothermal Space conditioning system finds itself as a solution. The specialty of a geothermal system when compared to a normal Air conditioning system is:
- It gives a more cooling area than the normal system; there by reducing the tonnage required which in turn reduces the capacity installed providing benefit economically in the capital cost to the client.
- The run time system of the system reduces considerably, thereby reducing the power consumption by the system and reducing the energy bills thus resulting in savings in the client behalf as well as on the Power supply companies.
The heat recovered from the space to be conditioned is dissipated to the atmosphere which acts as a condenser in the conventional air conditioning systems, where the temperature is not constant. So with the temperature rise in the atmosphere the condenser temperature increases thereby reducing the heat recovery process from the return air as the refrigerant is not cooled to a lower temperature in the condenser, which affects its performance in the evaporator where it removes the heat from the interior. Also the air supplied into the room is not at a cooler temperature which makes the system run for more time to provide the required cooling. Therefore, the run time of the system increases, increasing the power consumed by the system and therefore resulting in higher energy bills.
The Savings Calculator is an approximation
based on our experience to date and uses Conventional Central Air-conditioning
as the benchmark for comparison. The Savings Calculator should
be used as an indicator only. Geothermal India is able to calculate
specific and accurate savings for each and every project after
in-depth analysis of your proposed installation.
Contact us now to find out how much we can save for you!
Contact us now to find out how much we can save for you!