Geothermal heat pumps are like to normal heat pumps, but use the ground instead of outside air to provide heating, air conditioning and, in most cases, hot water. Because they use the earth’s natural heat, they are among the most efficient and comfortable heating and cooling technologies currently available.
Ground sourced heat pumps simply move energy from one place to another.
Geothermal Basics: Ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) are electrically powered systems that tap the stored energy of the greatest solar collector in the earth. These systems use the earth’s relatively constant temperature to provide heating, cooling, and hot water for homes and commercial building.
How Geothermal Energy works
The heat pump system uses solar energy stored in the earths crust. Energy is transferred to and from the earths surface by solar radiation, wind and rainfall. As a consequence of this solar energy, the earths temperature at depths greater than 10 meters remains constant, and is comparable to the annual average air temperature. Between the surface and a depth of 2.5 meters (maximum depth for a horizontal loop) the ground temperature will swing above and below the annual average air temperature , depending on the geographic location, soil type an moisture levels.
Because of its own insulation, the earth’s soil temperature is more moderate year round than outside air.
Ground sourced heat pumps simply move energy from one place to another. The process of which is explained on the image below:
An Evaporator (ground loop heat exchanger) transfers the heat from the ground into the fluid circulating in the loop. At this point the energy in the ground loop transfers through the evaporator within the heat pump and into a CFC free refrigerant. A compressor increases the pressure of the working fluid, which causes the temperature to rise. This energy is transferred over the condenser and into the distribution circuits, where hot water is circulated through the under floor circuits and in turn heating the property. The refrigerant now passes through an expansion valve and the process starts again
Types of Ground Loop
Ground source heat pumps can be categorized as having closed or open loops, and those loops can be installed in three ways: horizontally, vertically, or in a pond/lake. The type chosen depends on the available land areas and the soil and rock type at the installation site. These factors will help determine the most economical choice for installation of the ground loop.
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