Geothermal Heat Pump Loop
What is the grounding loop?
The grounding loop is a series of pipes buried underground, and its depth of the year remains consistent. It is a key link that allows the geothermal heat pump to use the earth as a heat source or radiator, depending on whether it needs to be heated or cooling.
How to work in the grounding loop?
Just a few feet below the surface, regardless of the temperature of the external air, the earth maintains a stable 50-55 degrees. This temperature difference makes the earth act as a heat source in winter and as a radiator in summer. The geothermal heat pump (located inside the house) capture this energy by loop in the buried loop by the heat conductor.
In winter, the liquid absorbs heat from the warm soil and brings it into the heat pump, where it enters the heat exchanger and is used to heat your home.
In the summer, when the calories of the house are captured and released to the cool ground, this process will be reversed, so that your home is comfortable with air conditioning.
Type of grounding loop system
A variety of types of grounding are available, but they belong to two basic categories: closed loop and opening.
Closed -loop geothermal system
There are three types of closed -loop geothermal systems: vertical, horizontal and pond/lake. Because the pond/lake loop needs to have water sources on real estate, they are relatively uncommon and we do not discuss them in detail.
Horizontal ground loop
The horizontal ground loop is installed on the vast ground, which requires enough space to dig a trench of hundreds of feet long and 6-10 feet deep. The horizontal loop can only be used when there is enough yard space and easy to excavate.
Horizontal ground loop installation
In order to install the horizontal system, workers use trenches or excavators to dig trenches 5-10 feet underground, and then install a series of plastic pipes to form geothermal heat exchangers. Then they will return to the groove, be careful not to let the sharp rocks or debris damaged the pipeline. A common approach is to wrap the pipeline into a slender shape to adapt to the loop farm in the small area. Although this reduces the required land area, more pipelines need to be installed.
This configuration is usually the most cost -effective because it needs to dig ditch instead of drilling.
Vertical loop
The vertical loop is directly installed in one or more drilling of about 200 to 500 feet deep underground. The diameter of each hole is 5 to 6 inches. If there are multiple holes, the distance between them is about 20 feet. This configuration is very suitable for families with limited courtyard space. When the rock formation is very close to the surface, it is necessary to minimize the transformation application of the destruction of the landscape.
Directly loop installation
To install the vertical loop, the contractor will use a drilling equipment to drill a vertical hole with a diameter of 6-8 inches on the ground with a deeper deeper of 200-500 feet. Next, insert a single tube ring with a U -shaped elbow into the hole. After the pipeline is inserted, the grouting hole is filled from bottom to top.
There are two main functions of grouting:
1. Ensure the contact between the pipeline and the earth to promote heat transfer.
2. Walked with any water -containing layer or groundwater supply that might penetrate during drilling. The use of proper grouting materials to protect the deep earth environment is as important as providing heat transfer between the pipeline system and the surrounding earth.
The installation cost of the vertical loop is usually higher, but compared with the horizontal loop, the pipelines and land areas needed are less. Leomon geothermal is currently installed with vertical directly ground loop systems. This type of geothermal system is very suitable for cities or suburbs in the Hudson Valley and the capital of New York. The space there is very valuable.
Leomon has developed an innovative proprietary sound wave diamond kit, which is lighter and cleaner, and the installation speed is 14 times faster than that of traditional drill vessels.
Open Ring geothermal system
The opening geothermal system is pulled directly from the well or pond, and runs through the water-refrigerant thermal exchangeer in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger in the geothermal heat pump unit. After the extraction of the withdrawal of the water and the heat pump, the water will be discharged back to the well, pond or drainage ditch according to local regulations.
This type of grounding method is less, but if the groundwater is sufficient, it can be used economically and efficiently.
Open loop installation
The opening system is the easiest to install and has been successfully used in areas allowed by local regulations for decades. In this type of system, the groundwater in the water -containing layer is directly transported from the well to the building through a pipeline, where it passes the heat to the geothermal heat pump. After the water leaves the building, the second water well is discharged back to the same water storage layer by the second water well that is appropriately distanced by the first water well. Whenever the ring -opening system is considered, local environmental officials should be considers.
Because the opening system uses water on the basis of "one pass", they are usually called "pumping and dumping" systems. If there is a problem with water quality (high ore substance or dissolved solid content, etc.) or water supply decreases due to any reasons, the performance of the geothermal heat pump system may be reduced over time.
How to determine the size of the geothermal loop?
The size of the grounding loop depends on the size of the geothermal heat pump, the soil conditions and the overall climate of the property. The greater the heating and refrigeration load of the family, the larger the required geothermal heat pump, so the larger the need for grounding.
What is the service life of the grounding loop?
The geothermal carriers sustainable for more than 50 years -or even 100 years!
After installation, as long as there is a building heating and refrigeration, the buried loop will become a permanent fixed device for the property.
What materials are used to make grounding loops?
High -density polyethylene (HDPE) and cross -linked polyethylene (PEXA) are the only materials for the International geothermal heat pump association (IGSHPA) to formally approve the closed -loop geothermal system. Polyethylene is the most common plastic in the world, with extensive use, such as food packaging, plastic bottles and plastic bags, swimming pool lining, and of course geothermal pipes.
According to the Plastic Pipeline Association, polyethylene pipelines are durable, corrosion -resistant, and can even withstand damage caused by earthquakes.
Leomon geothermal uses HDPE, which is a food -grade plastic commonly used in milk cans.
What liquid is circulating in the ground loop?
The closed -loop geothermal system is usually a mixture of circulating water and a small amount of antifreeze to reduce the freezing point of the solution. The Leomon mixture is only 22% of the propylene glycol.
Leomon geothermal mixture is used in water and propylene glycol. Pig -glycol is a food -grade non -toxic antifreeze. It is usually used as additives for beverage mixture, condiments, cake mixtures, soft beverages, popcorn, bread and dairy products.
Where does the Leomon get water used to fill the ground loop system?
We use the homeowner's water to fill the loop. This only once, requires an appropriate amount of water. The same water is used again and again in the closed loop.
Will the geothermal rectification be damaged or leaked underground?
HDPE grounding loop has strong resistance to corrosion and chemical erosion, which means that groundwater and normal (or abnormal) exercise of groundwater and liquids will hardly cause damage to it.
After the construction is completed, the entire pipeline component will perform pressure and leakage testing before investing. This ensures that the system does not leak before starting.
However, in some rare cases they may be damaged:
Mechanical damage. Any mechanical work performed in the ring will damage the grounding loop, especially when drilling deep column holes.
Bad fusion joint leakage. This is an error installation, where the grounding loop is "cold", but the iron does not maintain a long time on the accessories.
Leomon geothermal requires all pipeline joints/connections through hot melt, and is not allowed to use buried mechanical accessories.
Can you drive over the grounding loop?
Yes, once they are buried underground, they can drive safely. In other words, if the ground is still soft after installation, it will not be highly compacted.
Before the ground hardening, we recommend placing a plywood (or similar thing) on the tire path to allocate any vehicle load allocated on it.
Can you plant trees in the area where the grounding loop is installed?
We do not recommend planting trees in the place where the grounding loop is installed. There are two main reasons:
The root system can grow into a loop. It may be difficult to repair or add to the pipe system without damaging the trees.
Frozen pipeline. In view of the fluid temperature reached by the system, the soil around the pipeline may freeze. This may have a negative impact on the tree.
Ask your geothermal installation staff to install the safest distance of trees near the ground loop.
Will the installation of the ground loops causing the hoe to enter the home?
The geothermal device itself should not have a significant impact on the level of indoor tadpoles. If any homeowner is worried about the hoe at home, we recommend that they contact the experts.
What level of maintenance is needed?
The grounding loop is exempt and does not need to be cleaned or recharged.
