Energetic system for at least a portion of an internal side of a wall of an underground infrastructure

Abstract

The present invention relates to an energy system (1) for at least a portion of an internal side (11A) of a wall (11) of an underground infrastructure (10) in contact with the ground. The peculiar feature of the present invention lies in the fact that the system (1) comprises: - at least one heat exchanger circuit (20) associated with said internal side (11A) of the wall (11), wherein said at least one circuit (20) comprises at least one network of pipes (21) configured to transport a heat transfer fluid; - at least one panel (30) configured to coat and / or protect said at least one circuit (20).

Description

[0001] ENERGY SYSTEM FOR AT LEAST A PORTION OF AN INTERNAL SIDE OF A

[0002] WALL OF AN UNDERGROUND INFRASTRUCTURE

[0003] DESCRIPTION

[0004] The present invention relates to an energy system for at least a portion of an internal side of a wall of an underground infrastructure, according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0005] The present invention concerns the field of energy geostructures and their application to underground infrastructures and, more generally, to civil works.

[0006] More specifically, the present invention relates to an energy system configured for application to walls of underground infrastructures (such as, for example, tunnels, both new or existing); in particular, the energy device according to the present disclosure may have many configurations differing in the number of systems employed, their position, and the orientation of their heat exchanger circuits.

[0007] The energy system according to the present invention can be advantageously used, for example, for winter heating and / or summer cooling of buildings or other spaces, production of domestic hot water, or de-icing / anti-icing of exposed surfaces, making it possible to exploit a portion of underground infrastructures (whether new or existing ones) created for different purposes (e.g. as load-bearing structural elements) also for exchanging heat with the ground through a sustainable and renewable energy system.

[0008] It is known in the art that, in principle, any structure in contact with the ground (foundation piles and slabs, diaphragm walls, tunnel linings, anchors) can be so equipped as to become a heat exchanger, as described in (i) Brandl, H., 2006. Energy foundations and other thermoactive ground structures. Geotechnique, 56(2), pp.81-122; (ii) Markiewicz, R. and Adam, D., 2009. Energy from earth-coupled structures, foundations, tunnels and sewers. Geotechnique, 59(3), pp.229-236; (iii) Laloui, L. and Di Donna, A., 2013. Energy geostructures: innovation in underground engineering, ISTE Ltd and John Wiley & Sons Inc.; e (vi) Baria M., Di Donna A., Perino A., 2016. Application of energy tunnels to an urban environment, GEOTHERMICS, vol. 61, pp. 104-113.

[0009] In the current state of technology, geothermal installations in tunnels include a solution using prefabricated elements, also known as “Enertun”; such a solution, which is the subject of patent EP3423678, consists of a prefabricated modular energy segment comprising:

[0010] - a structural element having a main development direction and comprising an outer extrados and an inner intrados,

[0011] - at least one pipe network comprising a plurality of linear portions, a plurality of curvilinear junctions for connecting two consecutive linear portions, a first and a second end, wherein said linear portions of said pipe network are directed in the main development direction of said structural element, said curvilinear junctions being arranged perpendicularly to the main development direction of said structural element.

[0012] Although “Enertun” prefabricated elements and, more generally, energy geostructures permit lowering the initial investment costs, they can only be integrated into new structures of reinforced concrete prior to casting such structures, and are therefore applicable to new construction works only.

[0013] Some solutions are also known in the art which utilize waters drained in the tunnel during the excavation and construction operations, while other solutions envisage the insertion of exchanger pipes between the primary and secondary linings.

[0014] However, none of the technical solutions currently known in the art, including those considered and listed above, solves the problem of providing an energy system which can be applied, like a sort of “skin”, to an inner side of at least a portion of at least one wall, whether flat or curved, of an underground infrastructure in contact with the ground, whether a new or an existing one, so as to transform such wall into a heat exchanger for heating and cooling adjacent buildings and / or infrastructures, thus performing an energy function.

[0015] The need is still felt, therefore, for an energy system that will allow transforming a wall of an underground infrastructure in contact with the ground, whether a new or an existing one, to provide winter heating and / or summer cooling of buildings or other spaces, production of domestic hot water, or de-icing / anti-icing of exposed surfaces.

[0016] In this frame, it is the main object of the present invention to provide an energy system which is adapted to overcome the drawbacks of prior-art energy systems.

[0017] In particular, it is one object of the present invention to provide an energy system for at least a portion of an internal side of a wall of an underground infrastructure, wherein said energy system is so conceived as to overcome the drawbacks of the solutions currently known in the art in the field of energy geostructures when applied to walls of underground infrastructures (such as, for example, tunnels, both new or existing) and, more generally, to civil works.

[0018] In particular, the present invention intends to provide an energy system to be applied to the internal side of an existing underground structural element, whether flat or curved, which, due to its “skin-like” configuration, can transform said underground structural element into a heat exchanger for winter heating and / or summer cooling of buildings or other spaces, production of domestic hot water, or de-icing / anti-icing of exposed surfaces.

[0019] It is a further object of the present invention to provide an energy system which can be used for:

[0020] - reaching the minimum percent thresholds of energy supply from renewable sources, as legally required for new and refurbished civil / building works;

[0021] - reducing the internal overheating of the underground structural element, in particular a tunnel, caused by traffic.

[0022] - extending the applicability of the system shown in patent EP3423678 to existing tunnels.

[0023] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an energy system which can be easily fabricated and maintained, while being economical, reliable and adaptable to specific needs.

[0024] In brief, the system according to the present invention aims at solving the following problems:

[0025] - winter heating and summer cooling of buildings or other spaces, and de-icing. The present invention gives the opportunity to exploit an existing civil structure, created for various purposes (typically for transport purposes) also for exchanging heat with the ground in order to heat or cool housing units on the surface or other spaces that may potentially require such heating or cooling, e.g. railway stations, as well as for de-icing roads and motorways, by means of a sustainable and renewable energy system;

[0026] - contributing to reaching the minimum percent thresholds of energy supply from renewable sources for the production of domestic hot water and for winter and summer air conditioning as legally required for new and refurbished civil / building works;

[0027] - internal overheating of the tunnel caused by traffic;

[0028] - the limited applicability of the above-mentioned prior-art solutions, which are solely applicable to new tunnels. Although the number of newly built tunnels is constantly growing, there are a large number of existing tunnels for which no energy “retrofitting” solution is currently available. The energy system according to the present disclosure makes it possible to exploit the geothermal resource also for this latter subset of tunnels, thus broadening the number of target infrastructures that can be transformed into heat exchangers.

[0029] Therefore, the Applicant of the present patent application intends to, by means of the energy system for exchanging heat in new or existing infrastructures according to the present disclosure, remedy the above-mentioned drawbacks and shortcomings, solve unresolved technical problems, and fulfil unfulfilled needs.

[0030] Further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in light of the following detailed description and the annexed drawings, which are supplied merely by way of non-limiting explanatory example, wherein: - Fig. 1 shows a three-dimensional view of an energy system according to the present invention;

[0031] - Fig. 2 shows a three-dimensional view of a first possible embodiment of the energy system according to the present invention;

[0032] - Fig. 3 shows a three-dimensional view of a second possible embodiment of the energy system according to the present invention.

[0033] While the present invention is susceptible of several modifications and alternative constructions, the drawings show some preferred embodiments thereof, which will be described in detail below.

[0034] It is nevertheless understood that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific embodiments shown herein. On the contrary, the invention is meant to cover any modifications or equivalent alternative constructions falling within the scope of the invention as set out in the claims.

[0035] In the following description, therefore, the use of “for example”, “etc ”, “or” will indicate, unless otherwise stated, non-exclusive and non-limiting alternatives. Unless otherwise specified, “also” will mean “including, but not limited to”. Unless otherwise specified, “includes / comprises” will mean “includes / comprises, without being limited to”.

[0036] Describing now the annexed drawings, reference numeral 1 designates as a whole an energy system according to the present invention for at least a portion of an internal side 11A of a wall 11 of an underground infrastructure 10 in contact with the ground (not shown in the annexed drawings).

[0037] In particular, said internal side 11 A of the wall 11 may consist of an intrados of an arch or a vault, in particular of a tunnel, and may have flat or curved surfaces (as shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings). It is therefore clear that, in the following description, the term “internal” will refer to that portion of the wall 11 which faces towards the inside of the underground infrastructure 10, in particular a tunnel.

[0038] The energy system 1 according to the present invention comprises at least one heat exchanger circuit (designated as a whole by reference numeral 20 in Fig. 1) associated with said internal side 11 A of the wall 11, wherein said at least one circuit 20 comprises at least one pipe network 21 configured to transport a heat transfer fluid.

[0039] In substance, in the present description the term “circuit” will refer to a development of a piping which may consist of one or more modular elements and which permits the circulation of a fluid through which heat is exchanged, having an inlet and an outlet that may be connected to a thermal machine, whether directly or via a piping acting as a manifold. The term “modular element” refers herein to an indivisible basic unit of development of the heat exchanger, which may form either an individual circuit or multiple circuits 20 mutually connected in series or in parallel (as will be further described hereinafter).

[0040] Preferably, the system 1 may comprise hooking means for hooking said at least one circuit 20 to the internal side 11 A of the wall 11; also, the system 1 may comprise supporting means for supporting said at least one circuit 20 and / or said hooking means.

[0041] Note that said hooking means and said supporting means are not shown in the annexed drawings.

[0042] In this context, the terms “hooking means” refer to one or more elements adapted to ensure the proper positioning and holding of a modular element with respect to said at least one portion of the wall 11 of an underground infrastructure 10 in contact with the ground during the installation of said modular element.

[0043] The terms “supporting means” refer to one or more elements adapted to ensure the stability of the geometric configuration of the modular element during the phases of installation of said modular element; by way of example, said supporting means may comprise an electro-welded mesh or a technically equivalent element.

[0044] Preferably, the circuit 20 of the energy system 1 comprises a pipe network 21 having an inside diameter ranging between 20 and 30 mm and a thickness ranging between 2 and 4 mm.

[0045] Preferably, said pipe network 21 of said at least one circuit 20 is made of polymeric material, more preferably cross-linked polyethylene, Pe-Xa, or high-density polyethylene, Pe-D, which can be used for circulating a heat transfer fluid.

[0046] In this frame, the pipes 21 of said at least one circuit 20 are specifically adapted to provide radiant heat exchange and are highly resistant to high pressure, high temperature, and corrosion.

[0047] Preferably, the heat transfer fluid is a mixture of water and glycol that can reach working temperatures even lower than approximately -20°C, with a freezing point at approximately - 30°C.

[0048] The energy system 1 according to the present invention further comprises at least one panel 30 configured to coat and / or protect said at least one circuit 20. Said at least one panel 30 can be made of suitable materials, in particular depending on the intended use of the system 1 according to the present invention.

[0049] Preferably, as clearly shown in Figures 2 and 3, said pipe network 21 comprises a serpentine piping comprising a plurality of linear portions 21A, a plurality of curvilinear junctions 21B for connecting two consecutive linear portions 21 A, an inlet end for the heat transfer fluid, and an outlet end for the heat transfer fluid.

[0050] In accordance with a first - and preferred - embodiment (shown in Fig. 2) of the present invention, said linear portions 21A are arranged perpendicular to an axis A of the infrastructure 10, and the curvilinear junctions 21B are arranged parallel to said axis A; in this regard, it should be noted that said axis A may be considered to be a main development direction of the infrastructure 10.

[0051] Said first embodiment is particularly advantageous because it minimizes the number of curvilinear junctions 2 IB required for each modular element, resulting in reduced hydraulic load losses.

[0052] In accordance with a second embodiment (shown in Fig. 3), said linear portions 21 A are arranged parallel to an axis A of the infrastructure 10, and the curvilinear junctions 2 IB are arranged perpendicular to said axis A.

[0053] The second embodiment of the present invention allows an easier installation.

[0054] According to a variant of the present invention, the system 1 may be so constructed as to comprise a plurality of circuits 20 mutually connected in series, wherein an outlet end of a circuit 20 coincides with the inlet end of a next circuit 20. In such a context, the series connection of the circuits 20 can be obtained by means of at least one junction, in particular a curvilinear one, for connecting the outlet end of a circuit 20 to the inlet end of another circuit 20.

[0055] Alternatively, the system 1 may be so constructed as to comprise a plurality of circuits 20 mutually connected in parallel, wherein the inlet ends of each circuit 20 are connected to a (single) distributor pipe (not shown in the annexed drawings) and the outlet ends of each circuit 20 are connected to a (single) collector pipe (also not shown in the annexed drawings). The arrangement of such pipes allows for easy maintenance and inspection, especially at the j uncti ons / connect! ons .

[0056] In this way, the system 1 can still be used even should some circuits 20 need to be isolated because of faults of any kind (e.g. leaks, obstructions, etc.).

[0057] The features of the energy system 1 according to the present invention, as well as the advantages thereof, are apparent from the above description.

[0058] The energy system 1 of the present invention is based on the concept of exploiting the intrados wall 11 of an underground infrastructure 10 in order to exchange heat with the surrounding ground and / or the internal air.

[0059] As a consequence, one advantage of the energy system 1 according to the present invention over the solutions currently known in the art lies in the fact that the system 1 can also be installed in an existing infrastructure 10, secured to the intrados wall 11 thereof, and can also be applied after the structure has been subjected to maintenance, forming a sort of external “skin” on an existing wall 11, by means of supporting means comprising (for example) an electro-welded mesh or an equivalent supporting element constrained to the existing structure, without altering the intended function of the structure.

[0060] Another advantage of the energy system 1 lies in the possibility of reaching the minimum percent thresholds of energy supply from renewable sources as legally required for both new and refurbished structures.

[0061] A further advantage of the energy system 1 according to the present invention lies in the lower costs incurred for fabricating the heating and cooling systems.

[0062] Yet another advantage of the energy system 1 lies in its modularity and scalability, which meet the need for a product which can be adapted to many applications and functions, and which make it possible to fulfil the specific energy requirements of the infrastructure 10 served by the system 1.

[0063] The above description has also made it clear that the energy system 1 according to the present invention can:

[0064] - provide winter heating and summer cooling of buildings and / or infrastructures or other spaces that may potentially require such heating or cooling, as well as de-icing, since the invention allows using for energy supply purposes flat or curved structural or non- structural elements (in particular tunnel walls) of existing civil works and / or underground infrastructures intended for various uses (typically for transport purposes); such elements, generally made of reinforced concrete, can thus be exploited also for exchanging heat with the ground and, consequently, for heating or cooling on-surface housing units or other spaces that may potentially need such heating and cooling, e.g. railway stations, with a reduction in the total costs incurred for fabricating the associated heating and cooling systems, as well as for de-icing roads and motorways, by means of a sustainable and renewable energy system;

[0065] - contribute to reaching the minimum percent thresholds of energy supply from renewable sources for the production of domestic hot water and for winter and summer air conditioning as legally required for new and refurbished civil / building works (such threshold is to 60% as from 15 December 2021);

[0066] - mitigate the environmental damage caused by the construction of new building / civil works and by the space occupation thereof. In this regard, by using structures originally created for another purpose, environmental compensation is attained which is due to the reduced pollution resulting from the heating and cooling of the buildings served by the system, along with a reduction in the costs incurred for fabricating the heating and cooling systems;

[0067] - limit the internal overheating of the infrastructure 10, in particular a tunnel, caused by traffic, because, thanks to the pipe network 21 positioned on the intrados, the system 1 allows to extract heat also from the inside of the tunnel and to control the temperature thereof, thus reducing the need for forced ventilation.

[0068] - overcome the limitation suffered by the segment described in patent EP3423678, which can only be applied to new tunnels, since the system 1 of the present invention makes it possible to exploit the geothermal resource also in existing tunnels, thus broadening the number of target infrastructures 10 that can be effectively transformed into heat exchangers;

[0069] - lower the construction costs due to the fact that no deep drilling is necessary;

[0070] - ensure easy and low-cost installation;

[0071] - provide flexibility of use, resulting from the fact that the modular energy systems 1 of the present invention can be easily composed into different configurations; and

[0072] - facilitate, and lower the costs of, the process of producing the energy system 1 of the present invention.

[0073] The system 1 described herein by way of example may be subject to many possible variations without departing from the novelty spirit of the inventive idea; it is also clear that in the practical implementation of the invention the illustrated details may have different shapes or be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.

[0074] It can therefore be easily understood that the present invention is not limited to the abovedescribed system 1, but may be subject to many modifications, improvements or replacements of equivalent parts and elements without departing from the inventive idea, as clearly specified in the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. An energy system (1) for at least a portion of an internal side (11 A) of a wall (11) of an underground infrastructure (10) in contact with the ground, said system (1) being characterized in that it comprises:- at least one heat exchanger circuit (20) associated with said internal side (11 A) of the wall (11), wherein said at least one circuit (20) comprises at least one pipe network (21) configured to transport a heat transfer fluid;- at least one panel (30) configured to coat and / or protect said at least one circuit (20).

2. System (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said pipe network (21) comprises a serpentine piping comprising a plurality of linear portions (21A), a plurality of curvilinear junctions (21B) for connecting two consecutive linear portions (21 A), an inlet end for the heat transfer fluid, and an outlet end for the heat transfer fluid.

3. System (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said linear portions (21 A) are arranged perpendicular to an axis (A) of the infrastructure (10), and the curvilinear junctions (2 IB) are arranged parallel to said axis (A).

4. System (1) according to one or more of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that said linear portions (21A) are arranged parallel to an axis (A) of the infrastructure (10), and the curvilinear junctions (21B) are arranged perpendicular to said axis (A).

5. System (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of circuits (20) mutually connected in series, wherein an outlet end of a circuit (20) coincides with the inlet end of a next circuit (20).

6. System (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the series connection of said plurality of circuits (20) is obtained by means of at least one junction, in particular a curvilinear one, for connecting an outlet end of a circuit (20) to an inlet end of another circuit (20).

7. System (1) according to one or more of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of circuits (20) mutually connected in parallel, wherein inlet ends of each circuit (20) are connected to a distributor pipe, and outlet ends of each circuit (20) are connected to a collector pipe.

8. System (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises hooking means for hooking said at least one circuit (20) to the internal side (11 A) of the wall (11).

9. System (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises supporting means for supporting said at least one circuit (20) and / or said hookingmeans.

10. System (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said pipe network (21) has an inside diameter ranging between 20 and 30 mm and a thickness ranging between 2 and 4 mm, in particular said pipe network (21) being made of polymeric material.

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