GEOEXCHANGE

(Geothermal Heating and

Cooling Systems)

By:
Rutvan Jariwala
Trisha Patel,
Nirma University.
Geothermal Heating &
Cooling
Geothermal systems use the
earth as a natural contributor to
both cooling and heating for just
about any kind of structure and
anywhere on the face of the
earth.
Burying extremely durable high
density plastic pipe in vertical
bore holes or horizontal trenches
connects the buildings to
Geothermal units with the earth
for a long-lasting, low
maintenance, high comfort, low
noise level system.
System components are installed
either indoors or underground, so
they are not exposed to theft,
vandalism or environmental
conditions which can shorten
system life.
With only periodic filter changes,
Geothermal Heat Pumps are
mostly very low maintenance
systems. In fact, many
Geothermal units installed 30 to
40 years ago are still in operation
today.
The Geothermal System is
sensitive to the needs of the
environment. It uses no
combustion which can release
carbon dioxide or other gasses
into the work space or the
environment. No ammonia or
ozone damaging CFC refrigerants
are used. The refrigerant charge
is small and factory sealed.
Since earth temperature remains
relatively constant throughout the
year, geoexchange systems
operate more efficiently than air-
source heat pumps and generally
without the use of resistance
heat. And because they are
working from those constant
earth temperatures, there are no
blasts of hot air or "cold blow" as
with other systems.
Since there is no outdoor unit
(as with air-source heat pumps
or the central air conditioners
used with combustion-based
systems), no weather-related
maintenance is required.
A gas geothermal heat pump is
a device that extracts heat from
the earth's underground layers.
The principle of operation relies
on the fact that heat always
flows from higher temperature
matter to lower temperature
matter by conduction or by
convection (air currents).
Geothermal pumps take energy
from the ground or water to
provide heating and hot water
for all building types. Using the
method of heat exchangers,
heat can be extracted from one
source and delivered to another.
Gas geothermal heat pumps
basically pump the heat from
one location to another. 
Rather than using refrigerant,
a geothermal heat pump uses
a series of piping, installed
below the earth's surface or
 submersed in a pond or lake,
to form a loop through which
water or another
environmentally safe fluid is
pumped. During the winter
months, the fluid carries heat
into the house, where a
compressor and heat
exchanger concentrate the
earth's energy before
releasing it into the home at a
higher temperature. The heat
is then distributed throughout
the house through a series of
ductwork, just like a forced-air
furnace. During the summer
months, the fluid carries heat
from the home, releasing it
back into the earth or the
water body in which it is
submerged. The length of the
piping loop depends on
several factors: the heating
and cooling requirements of
the home, climate and soil
conditions, landscaping, and
type of loop used.
of 50°F to 70°F at a particular
depth depending on geographic
location.
A Ground source heat pump is
used to move heat that already
exists in the earth to provide
your home with central heating.
Working with an underground
loop system, geothermal
heating and cooling systems
utilize this constant temperature
to exchange energy between
your building and the earth as
needed for heating and cooling.
In Winter, water circulating
inside a sealed underground
loop system absorbs heat from
the earth and carries it to the
geothermal unit. Here it is
compressed to a higher
temperature and sent as warm
air to the indoor system for
circulation throughout the
building.

Principle of Working
The system takes advantage of
the fact that the temperature
below ground remains the same
throughout the entire year,
regardless of climate or season.

The ground is able to keep a

higher rate of temperature
consistency because it absorbs
almost half of the suns heat as
it hits the surface of the earth.
The earth absorbs almost 50%
of all solar energy and remains
a nearly constant temperature
 In Summer, the system
reverses and expels heat from
the building into the cooler
earth via the loop system. This
heat exchange process is not
only natural, but it is highly
efficient way to create a
comfortable climate in the
building.

Comparison of air
temperatures to ground and
soil temperatures.
80

70

60

50

Well water
12 ft. earth
40 5 ft. earth
2 ft. earth
Air temp.

30

20

10

0
J an Feb Mar Apr May J un J ul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Components and their
Working
1. Ground Loop
The tubing can be installed
horizontally as a loop field or
vertically as a series of long U-
shapes in wells. The purpose of
the tubing is to transfer heat to
and from the ground. The size of
the loop field depends on the soil
type and moisture content, the
average ground temperature and
the heat loss and or gain
characteristics of the building
being conditioned.
2. Liquid Pump Pack
The second component in some
cases is a liquid pump pack,
which sends the water through
the tubing and the water-source
heat pump. Some manufacturers
have this pumping capacity
within the heat pump appliance.
3. Geothermal Heat Pump
or Water source Heat
Pump
Lastly, the water-source heat
pump is the unit that becomes
the heating and cooling plant for
the building. It can cover space
heating, space cooling, domestic
or pool water preheat.
Heat pumps have the ability to
capture heat at one temperature
reservoir and transfer it to
another temperature reservoir.
Common Installation
Systems (for pipes)
Closed Loop Systems
A closed loop system, the most
common, circulates the fluid
through the loop fields’ pipes and
does not pull in water from a
water source. In a closed loop
system there is no direct
interaction between the fluid and
the earth; only heat
transfer across the pipe.
The length of vertical or
horizontal loop required is a
function of the ground
formation thermal conductivity,
ground temperature, and heating
and cooling power needed, and
also depends on the balance
between the amount of heat
rejected to and absorbed from
the ground during the course of
the year.
A rough approximation of the
initial soil temperature is the
average daily temperature for
the region.
Although copper and other
metals can be used,
polyethylene seems to be the
most common tubing material
used currently by installers. 3/4
inch (19mm) or 1.25 inch inside
diameter are common sizes of
tubing.
The four common types of
systems are:
 1. Vertical Closed Loop Field
This type of loop is used where
there is little yard space, when
surface rocks make digging
impractical, or when you want to
disrupt the landscape as little as
possible. Vertical holes 150 to
450 feet deep - much like wells -
are bored in the ground, and a
single loop of pipe with a U-bend
at the bottom is inserted before
the hole is backfilled. Each
vertical pipe is then connected to
a horizontal underground pipe
that carries fluid in a closed
system to and from the indoor
exchange unit. Vertical loops are
generally more expensive to
install, but require less piping
than horizontal loops because
the Earth's temperature is more
stable farther below the surface.
2. Horizontal Closed Loop
Field and also Slinky
Closed Loop Field
Slinky Closed Loop System
Horizontal ground closed loop
systems are typically the
most cost effective, assuming
the lot size is sufficient. In a
horizontal ground closed loop
system, a series of parallel
plastic pipe is buried three to
six feet below the earth's
surface, with a typical length
of 400 to 600 feet per ton of
heating and cooling. Piping
can also be coiled in a slinky
shape to increase the amount
of piping that can be located
in a given space. Fluid is then
used to carry heat to and
from the indoor exchange
unit.

Horizontal Closed Looped

System

3. Pond Closed Loop System

This type of loop design may
be the most economical when
a home is near a body of
water such as a shallow pond
or lake. Fluid circulates
underwater through
polyethylene piping in a
closed system, just as it does
through ground loops. The
pipes may be coiled in a
slinky shape to fit more of it
into a given amount of space.
Since it is a closed system, it
 results in no adverse impacts
on the aquatic system.

Pond Closed Loop Systems

Open Loop Systems Advantages

The open loop geothermal
heating system has been used  Easy to install units
with great success for several inside the building
decades now. Open loop
systems work by drowning an
Horizontal GHP unit
aquifer through one well,
installation above a dropped
which is then discharged to the
ceiling
same aquifer but through a
second well that is distanced
from the first one. Such Geo-
Thermal Heating systems are
very popular in areas where
they are allowed because they
the temperature of ground
water is almost constant
throughout the year.
Vertical GHP unit installation in a
mechanical utility close
• Individual zoning
• No outdoor mechanical
equipment
• Reduced outdoor
mechanical noise
• Lower service and
maintenance costs
• Very efficient cooling and
heating even in desertic
conditions
• Longer Service Life
• Lower expansion costs
The current use of geothermal
heat pump technology has
resulted in the following
emissions reductions:
 Elimination of more than
5.8 million metric tons of
CO2 annually
 Elimination of more than
1.6 million metric tons of
carbon equivalent
annually
These 1,000,000 installations
have also resulted in the
following energy consumption
reductions:
 Annual savings of nearly
8,000 GWh
 Annual savings of nearly
40 trillion Btus of fossil
fuels
 Reduced electricity
demand by more than
2.6 GW
The impact of the current use
of geothermal heat pumps is
equivalent to:
 Taking close to
1,295,000 cars off the
road
 Planting more than 385
million trees
 Reducing U.S. reliance
on imported fuels by
21.5 million barrels
(3,420,000 m³) of crude
oil per year.
Applications
Comparison between
Conventional HVAC
While not a fit for all systems and Geoexchange
situations, geothermal pump
System
systems are applicable in both
existing and new buildings. In
general, their benefits are Conventional Geothermal
greatest in buildings with Required
similarly sized annual heating 96,000(80T) 96,000(80T)
BTUH
and cooling loads, and those
EER 10.3 14.7
desiring independent climate
Power
control of many rooms. The 93204 Watt 65306 Watt
Consumption
systems can provide efficient
Water
heating and cooling of
Circulation 3750 Watt
different zones simultaneously.
Pump
Office buildings and schools Energy
are particularly good Consumption 93204 Watt 69056 Watt
applications for geothermal kwh
heat pumps. These facilities % Saving 26%
have relatively high  Initial Cost
24 to 30 lakh 38 to 40 lakh
occupancy, fluctuating usage (Rs.)
schedules, and widely varying
heating and cooling
requirements within individual
zones (offices and classrooms)
that are difficult to meet
efficiently with conventional
systems. Further, efforts to
improve the efficiency of
conventional systems employ
control strategies that can add
considerable cost and
complexity to the systems,
increase maintenance
requirements, and often
compromise occupant comfort.