The invention relates to a ground circuit in a low-energy system in accordance with the preamble of claim 1. The invention also relates to a method for recovering energy in accordance with claim 16.
A ground circuit and a method of this kind are utilized, in particular, in systems where energy—as well heat as cold—is transferred with a terminal device from ground, rock or water by the intermediary of a transfer fluid. Said terminal device may be as well a heat pump as an air conditioning radiator.
In this context the low-energy system refers to a system whose energy source has a low temperature, and most conventionally this temperature may be in the range of +2 to +10° C. In this specification, the energy content generated by an energy source, such as ground, rock or water, will be referred to as low energy. Utilization of the low energy of ground, rock or water has generally referred to heating of a building or tap water by employing a heat pump or various heat collection circuits, for instance. There is conventionally obtained 2 to 4 units of heat per each electric energy unit used. In cold climate conditions the heating energy consumption for buildings is considerable, whereby the utilization of low-energy systems is becoming more and more economically viable as the costs of electricity and oil increase.
Naturally, the present collection circuit and collection method may also be utilized in cooling indoor spaces. In that case a cool transfer fluid coming from a heat collection circuit is circulated, for instance, through cooling beams, cooling radiators or the like devices.
Up to the present, a commonly used manner to recover energy has been to place a collection circuit, i.e. so-called ground circuit, in a soil layer surrounding a building, where it is buried in a frost-free depth substantially horizontally. A ground circuit of this kind requires a large surface area to obtain a sufficient efficiency, and consequently it can only be used on large plots of land. Pipe loops in a ground circuit shall be at least 1.5 m apart from one another so that the adjacent loops would not interfere with the energy recovery of one another. To place a horizontal pipe system in the ground requires that an extensive pipe trench system be dug throughout the length of the ground circuit, whereby the placement thereof in a finished courtyard area or park, for instance, is difficult without causing serious damage to the root systems of plants and trees.
A second manner to recover energy is to place a collection circuit in the bottom of a lake or another water body, whereby energy is transferred from the bottom sediment and water to a transfer fluid. The collection circuit may be conveyed into water on land, but in that case an outgoing pipeline and a return pipeline should have separate, specific trenches. The collection pipe system placed in water is easy to install in the bottom of the water body. However, a liquid-filled pipe is lighter than the surrounding water, and consequently it tends to rise towards the surface. Irregularly risen portions of the collection pipe system may produce in the collection pipe system air pockets that hamper the circulation of the transfer fluid. In order to provide steady energy yield the collection pipe system should be anchored to the bottom of the water body. The pipe system installed in the bottom of the water body is also more vulnerable to breakage than the one dug in the ground. For instance, an anchor of a boat or a similar device may get caught in the pipe system and break it. In the shore line the outgoing and incoming pipelines shall be buried sufficiently deep, so that the ice would not damage the pipe system in winter.
A third manner to recover energy, which is currently becoming more and more common, is to construct a so-called heat well. In that solution a special pipe system, which constitutes a ground circuit, is buried in a deep, vertical hole drilled preferably in rock. The heat well requires a very small surface area compared with a horizontal pipe system, and the amount of energy obtained therefrom is conventionally double compared with a collection circuit placed in a soil layer or in a water body. Energy yield is particularly good when the heat well is drilled in rock. It is common, however, that on top of the rock there is a significant layer of loose material, such as soil and/or rubble. This portion containing loose material increases the cost of a heat well, because it must be furnished with a special protective pipe which prevents the well from collapsing. In addition, energy yield from the loose material portion is poorer than from the rock portion, and consequently the well is to be made deeper, or there is to be made a plurality of wells side by side in the loose material.
Selection between these three collection methods depends on the location, surface area and soil of the available area. Because the construction of a collection circuit is labour intensive, the costs incurred have often been high, which for its part has curbed the interest in low-energy systems.
The object of the present invention is to provide a ground circuit in a low-energy system, whereby the above-described problems could mainly be avoided.
This is achieved by a ground circuit in a low-energy system having the characteristics defined in the claims of the present invention. The problems of a ground circuit in the present low-energy system may be solved by combining the characteristics in the manner as stated in the characterizing part of claim 1. Further, the method for recovering energy in a ground circuit in a low-energy system in accordance with the invention is characterized by what is stated in the characterizing part of claim 16.
The preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the respective dependent claims.
The invention is based on the idea that the physical length a ground circuit takes in the environment may be substantially reduced by utilizing a coiled pipe in the structure of the ground circuit. A hollow profile encircling an internal cavity formed by a pipe of this kind may provide up to a 50-metre long collection pipe system for one metre of pipe in longitudinal direction. By arranging these coils nested one inside the other it is possible to further increase the total length of the collection pipe system. Each coil being tubular in structure, there is provided a ground circuit solution that is easy to manufacture and reliable in operation.
Considerable advantages are achieved by the invention. So, the same kind of collection pipe system may be used individually or in groups, in a water body or buried in the ground, either in vertical drillings or horizontal diggings.
Of the large amount of hollow profile arranged for the length of pipelines constituting the collection pipe system a considerably shorter pipe than before will suffice for implementing a collection circuit, whereby both installation and maintenance work becomes significantly easier.
By arranging several coiled collection pipe systems nested one inside the other it is possible to provide a multi-pipe collection circuit that is particularly well suited for flowing water and that is able to utilize effectively the energy content of water conveyed therein and flowing therethrough.
In particular, a multi-pipe collection pipe system consisting of nested coils is well suited for utilization, for instance, in the vicinity of flowing water such that the collection pipe system is connected at its opposite ends to vertical wells, into which a flow of the nearby water body is conveyed. Maintenance of the collection pipe system that is located on dry land and has a closed outer surface becomes simpler, when it is possible to use vertical wells for servicing the exchanger, for instance, for washing with pressure washers. In addition, the vertical wells enable flow rate control in the collection pipe system.
By placing the collection pipe system of the invention such that a flow space formed therein is substantially vertical, it is possible to provide in the flow space a flow-through even in low-flow water. As the collection pipe system extracts energy from the surrounding water, this water mass cools down, which in turn results in natural water circulation as the cooled water starts moving towards the surface of the water body.
In the manufacture of the pipe system it is even possible to utilize double-walled pipelines known per se, whose hollow profile is connected to connection and return pipelines.
Other advantages provided by the invention are described below, as particular embodiments of the invention are described in greater detail.
In the following, some preferred embodiments of the invention are described in greater detail, with reference to the attached drawing, in which
In the present figures, embodiments of ground circuits in a low-energy system have not been shown on scale, but the figures are schematic illustrating the structure and operation of the preferred embodiments in principle. Thus, the structural parts indicated by reference numerals in the attached figures, correspond to the structural parts denoted by reference numerals in this specification.
It is known per se to collect energy, for instance, for use in a heat pump by utilizing the solutions in accordance with
Even a schematic figure of this kind shows the large dimensions of the collection pipe systems 2 of these known solutions, which constitutes one essential challenge in the construction of low-energy systems.
It has been found that this kind of collection pipe system 2 of large physical dimensions is replaceable by a considerably more compact solution, in which a hollow profile 6 forming the collection pipe system is arranged, unlike before, to form a compact coil to be buried in the environment. A schematic embodiment of this coil is shown in
The coil of
The collection pipe system 2 of
By providing the flat bars 9 between the hollow profile 6 with perforations 12 it is possible to convey material into the flow space 11 of the collection pipe system 2 both through the opposite ends of the flow space and through the outer surface of the collection pipe system. This feature may be utilized both when installing the collection pipe system to be surrounded by soil and when installing it to be surrounded by water. For instance, when filling the trench for the collection pipe system with sufficiently fine-grained filling material, the filling material runs more easily also into the flow space, which makes the contact surface larger between the collection pipe system and the material. On the other hand, when the collection pipe system provided with perforated flat bars is installed such that it is surrounded by water, the perforation enables freer flow of water through the structures of the collection pipe system.
The embodiments of the collection pipe system 2 in accordance with
A variation of this coiled, double-walled pipe is provided, when the successive rounds in the above-mentioned hollow profile are separated from one another by two substantially juxtaposed flat bars such that both the inner surface and the outer surface are uniform.
In accordance with
Even though
When the collection pipe system 2 is made of a plurality of nested, double-walled pipes as shown in
The hollow profile 6 of the collection pipe system 2 in accordance with the above embodiments preferably has a cross section that is substantially square-shaped. However, the shape of the profile is not restricted to this shape, but also other known cross-sectional shapes are possible, as long as they are suitable for the manufacture of helical collection pipe system. Even though particularly the above-mentioned double-walled pipes are mainly manufactured of square-shaped plastic profile, also other materials, such as aluminium and steel, are well suited for the manufacture of collection pipe systems described herein.
The present collection pipe system 2 of a ground circuit in a low-energy system may be installed in a variety of ways to be surrounded by source material. So, the collection pipe system may be placed substantially horizontally in water, where water flows continuously therethrough, or in substantially vertical position in non-flowing water, whereby natural vertical flow resulting from the cooling of water will be provided in the flow space 11 of the collection pipe system. The collection pipe system may also be installed upright in a so-called heat well, where it is surrounded by source material. The collection pipe system may be further installed horizontally in a trenchlike dugout, where it is advantageously surrounded by fine-grained source material. It is particularly advantageous to use the collection pipe system in a groundwater basin, where water enhances heat exchange from the surrounding material into the heat transfer fluid circulating in the hollow profile 6.
By installing the collection pipe system 2 of the ground circuit in flowing water, the water flushes both sides of the hollow profiles containing the heat transfer fluid thus enhancing significantly the transfer of thermal energy into the transfer fluid and thus further to a heat exchanger 5 or a cooling apparatus.
Particularly high efficiency of energy transfer is achieved, when the collection pipe system 2 forms a collector arrangement shown in
As described above, in these coiled, hollow profiles there flows a transfer fluid that recovers thermal energy from a water body by conveying the water into the flow spaces 11 between the pipe tiers preferably by means of a propeller pump 15.
The manufacturing material of the collector arrangement is preferably plastic, for instance HD-PE plastic, whereby all joints are produced by a welding method required by each particular application. The advantages of plastic material include very long service life and a structure that is durable, strong and impermeable in use.
For conveying water into the collector system it is to be equipped with an inlet pipe 16 and a discharge pipe 17. These are to be equipped with protective strainers so that no foreign objects have access to the collector arrangement or the flow-providing propeller pump to damage them or to hamper the flow. For safety reasons and for reliable operation, manholes arranged in service wells 18 appearing in
By attaching the collection pipe system of this collector arrangement to a particular, purpose-built anchoring slab 19 appearing in
This collector arrangement is simple and fast to install anywhere in flowing water or in the vicinity thereof. The connection and return pipelines 3 and 4 belonging to the collector arrangement are connectable by simple measures to a separate heat exchanger.
By selecting the total length of collector arrangement to be about 15 m in the embodiment as shown in
Computationally, the efficiency of the collector arrangement of this type is found to be in the order of 700 kW, when water at the temperature of +4° C. is circulated therein. This means that the output heating capacity in accordance with the embodiment of this collector arrangement would be 1 MW, when utilized with a coefficient of performance 3 (COP-3). By way of comparison, this heating capacity would be sufficient for about 100 standard-sized detached houses. The collector arrangement itself would require about 10 kW of power, which is needed by the propeller pump for the flow motion of water.
When comparing this collector arrangement with conventional rock or sediment heat solutions considerable advantages are achieved. For instance, it may be stated that one collector arrangement in accordance with
When the collector arrangement is made of plastic, a structure is provided that tolerates as well salinity as variations in temperature of ambient material better than before. Thus, the collector arrangement also has a longer service life than before.
The collector arrangement consisting of one or more coiled, multi-tier collection pipe system elements may also comprise at its first end a substantially vertical head pipe 22 as shown in
The water flow pressure prevailing in the collection pipe system 2 may be further equalized by arranging at the second end of the coiled pipes, opposite to the head pipe 22, a substantially vertical end well 23 as illustrated in
When the above-described collection pipe system elements are manufactures, the connection and return pipes 3 and 4 may be mounted safely on the anchoring slab 19 and be protected by the head pipe 22 and the end well 23 as shown schematically in
The solution provided by the present collection pipe system is particularly advantageous to install in condensing water flow of power plants or the like, in discharge flows of waste water treatment plants and in rivers or in other natural water flows, such as tidal areas.
If considered that the use of the head pipe 22 is not necessary, it is possible to protect the multi-tier collection pipe element by a protective frame to be mounted at both ends. For instance, a protective metal frame prevents foreign objects, such as logs, ice blocks and the like, from damaging the collection pipe system element.
The described collection pipe system element may also be utilized by installing it on dry land, close to a water body, such as described in
The ground circuit in a low-energy system as described here is utilized in the following manner. The collection pipe system 2 comprised by the ground circuit is arranged in the above-described manner to form at least one coil, each coil having a substantially uniform cross section. The transfer fluid in the ground circuit is passed along this coil, as shown in
The outer surface 8 of the collection pipe system 2 is arranged to come into contact with surrounding source material containing thermal energy such that the thermal energy is transferred to the transfer fluid circulating in the coil substantially throughout the outer surface of the collection pipe system. By arranging the collection pipe system to comprise several coils so that the coils are nested substantially concentrically, for instance, in the manner shown in
When the collection pipe system 2 is formed by at least one coiled pipe consisting of a hollow profile 6 and a cavity surrounded thereby, i.e. a flow space 11, both the outer surface of the pipe provided by the hollow profile and the inner side thereof may be arranged to be simultaneously in contact with the surrounding source material containing thermal energy. When a double-walled pipe is used, the thermal energy is transferred to the transfer fluid circulating in the hollow profile both throughout the outer surface of the pipe and throughout the inner surface of the pipe. When the collection pipe system comprises a plurality of coils, the nested pipes form between them separate flow spaces, and the innermost pipe cavity forms a flow space, which flow spaces extend throughout the length of the collection pipe system. In this manner both the outer surface and the inner surface formed in each pipe by the hollow profile are arranged to be in contact with the surrounding source material containing thermal energy by conveying a fluid flow through the flow spaces of the collection pipe system.
Recovery of thermal energy may also be enhanced by arranging the ground circuit to comprise at least two collection pipe systems 2 in juxtaposeition, as shown in
It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that as technology advances the basic idea of the above-described solution may be implemented in a variety of ways. The described solution and the embodiments thereof are not restricted to the above examples, but they may vary within the scope of the claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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20096291 | Dec 2009 | FI | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/FI2010/050736 | 9/23/2010 | WO | 00 | 8/20/2012 |