Geothermal Exchange Heat Pumps

1. Geothermal Exchange Heat Pumps Jordan Harris 4M-C

2. Objectives • What is a HEAT PUMP? • What is Geothermal exchange? • Air vs. water • Closed vs. open system • Heating and cooling mode • Sources

3. What is a heat pump • Moves heat rather than burning a fuel • Opposite of Air conditioning • Removes heat from source to deliver to desired heating area • Fluid expanded, forcibly condensed to release heat, gains more

4. What is Geothermal Exchange • Using the Earth as a heat source or a heat sink • Consists of a loop of pipe, a compressor, and a pump • Pipe is installed below the frost line • Ideal, temperatures below ground are fairly constant • 70% of energy used is renewable energy from the ground

5. Air vs. Water One cubic foot of water 3472 cubic feet of air • Traditional air conditioning uses air as a medium • Geothermal exchange pumps use water • Water can store 3472 times more heat than air • Water requires less energy to move,

6. Open vs. Closed Loops • Open • Loop between a water source and a discharge area • Higher performance • Water needs to be analyzed and treated (for corrosives, acid, abrasives) • Cost of pumping is higher

7. Open vs. Closed Loops • Closed • Water is re-circulated • No new water is introduced • Heat is transferred through the walls of pipe • High installation cost, low pumping cost

8. Heating and Cooling • Heating • Fluid is drawn from the earth - is expanded to vapour in heat exchanger – forced to compress in compressor releases heat – returned to earth • Cooling • Opposite.

9. Sources • http://www.geothermalheatpump.com/how.htm • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_exchange_heat_pump • http://home.howstuffworks.com/question49.htm • http://home.howstuffworks.com/ac.htm