Geothermal probe base and method for placing same
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing geothermal probe foot technologies face challenges in minimizing surface impact, providing adequate protection during burial, and effectively settling particles and impurities, often requiring complex operations and specific tools.
Innovation Solution
A geothermal probe foot element with a flat section and recesses for assembly, reinforced by a protective shield and a nut-bolt assembly for ballasting, allowing for easy installation without specialized tools, and featuring an 'H' shape configuration to increase settling volume and protect against particle circulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional probe foot design is used, then the structure is simple, but the protection during burial is insufficient and settling volume is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The probe foot is divided into multiple tubular portions (first tubular portion for supply, second tubular portion for return) that are connected at the bottom. This segmentation allows each portion to be optimized independently for protection and settling functions while maintaining overall structural integrity during burial installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The probe foot design nests the supply and return pipes within a common protective structure at the bottom of the borehole. The tubular portions are positioned concentrically or adjacently within the same protective envelope, maximizing space utilization and settling volume while providing unified protection during the burial process.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If vertical burial technique is used, then surface impact is reduced, but installation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The probe foot is pre-assembled with the supply and return pipes connected at the bottom before insertion into the borehole. The flat face configuration allows for preliminary positioning and alignment, enabling the entire probe assembly to be installed as a single unit through vertical burial, thereby reducing surface impact while maintaining installation simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The flat face of the probe foot provides a uniform reference surface that facilitates straightforward alignment and positioning during vertical installation. This equipotential configuration eliminates the need for complex orientation adjustments, reducing installation complexity while maintaining the vertical burial technique's surface protection benefits.
3Reliability
If settling volume is increased, then particle deposition is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The probe foot design utilizes the vertical dimension at the bottom of the borehole to create extended settling chambers within the tubular portions. By extending the vertical height of the probe foot structure, the settling volume is increased without requiring additional horizontal space or complex lateral extensions, thereby improving particle deposition while maintaining structural simplicity.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1e
Figure 2a~2c
Figure 3a~3c
AI summary
The invention relates to a geothermal probe base including two tubular portions (10, 20) that have axes that are parallel to a longitudinal axis and that are intended for the connection of two ducts for respectively feeding and discharging a heat-carrier fluid, wherein said tubular portions communicate with each other via an opening arranged in the side wall of each of said tubular portions so as to define two lower chambers for depositing impurities in suspension in the heat-carrier fluid. In one embodiment, the two members assembled so as to face each other are protected by a protection shield.