Geothermal Conduit Loop Installation in Dense Soil and Rock
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for installing geothermal conduit loops in dense soils and rock are time-consuming and costly, requiring multiple assemblies and disassemblies, and often result in damage to the conduit loops during withdrawal in hard soil conditions.
Innovation Solution
A geothermal flexible conduit loop single pass installation system that uses a hollow force transmission shaft with a soil penetrating head capable of boring holes in hard soil or rock while releasing a pressurized medium to facilitate the installation of conduit loops, allowing for simultaneous boring and loop placement, and uses a pressurized bentonite cement solution to secure the loops in place without damaging them during withdrawal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional multi-pass installation method is used in dense soils and rock, then conduit loops can be installed, but installation time and cost increase significantly due to multiple assemblies and disassemblies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple operations (boring, conduit loop installation, and withdrawal) into a single continuous pass. The hollow force transmission shaft integrates the boring head at its end and the attachment means for conduit loops along its length, allowing all operations to occur simultaneously during one downward motion, eliminating the need for multiple separate operations and significantly improving installation productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The force transmission shaft is designed as a hollow structure with distinct functional segments: the boring head at the end for soil penetration, the attachment means along the length for conduit loop engagement, and the hollow interior for medium circulation. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function while integrated into a unified system that operates in a single pass.
2Ease of operation
If boring head and attachment means are withdrawn from dense soil, then equipment can be reused, but conduit loops may be damaged during withdrawal
Solution Approach 1:
A pressurized medium (such as water or drilling fluid) is introduced as an intermediary between the boring head/attachment means and the conduit loops during withdrawal. This medium lubricates and cushions the interaction, reducing friction and preventing damage to the conduit loops as the equipment is pulled out of the dense soil, thereby maintaining conduit loop integrity while enabling equipment reuse.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes hydraulic principles by circulating pressurized fluid through the hollow force transmission shaft during the withdrawal phase. This hydraulic medium reduces resistance and prevents adhesion between the equipment and the installed conduit loops, allowing clean withdrawal without damaging the loops while maintaining their proper positioning in the borehole.
3Temperature
If pressurized medium is released into bore hole during boring, then boring head is cooled and soil is evacuated, but conduit loop placement must be coordinated
Solution Approach 1:
The pressurized medium circulating through the hollow force transmission shaft serves multiple functions simultaneously: it cools the boring head during operation, evacuates soil cuttings from the bore hole, and provides a lubricating medium during withdrawal to protect the conduit loops. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate systems for each operation, reducing overall device complexity despite the coordinated nature of the operations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables a single-pass installation of geothermal conduit loops in dense soils or rock, reducing installation time and costs by allowing the boring head and attachment means to be withdrawn without interfering with the conduit loops, and ensuring the loops are securely embedded with a pressurized medium or cement solution.
Implementation Method 1
boring head capable of boring a hole in hard soil or rock while simultaneously releasing a pressurized medium from the boring head into the soil to facilitate displacement of the boring head and one or more flexible conduit loops drawn behind the boring head as it bores into the soil
Implementation Method 2
The pressurized medium also cools the boring head
Implementation Method 3
evacuates the drilled soil out of the bore hole
Implementation Method 4
a pressurized bentonite cement solution is injected into the bore hole from the soil penetrating head as the head is retracted to the top of the bored hole
Data Source
AI summary
A geothermal flexible conduit loop single pass installation system for dense soil or rock. A conduit loop attachment is secured behind the soil penetrating head and has an engageable element adapted to hook a loop end portion of a flexible conduit loop and draw the conduit loop in a bore hole as it is being formed by the soil penetrating head as it descends in a soil under the influence of a downward force applied to a hollow force transmission shaft. A pressurized medium is released in the bore hole as it is formed. At least the force transmission is withdrawn with the flexible conduit loop retained in the bore hole by surrounding soil or a cement released through the shaft as it is withdrawn.