Heat Exchanger Pipe Deployment Using Protective Casing and Umbilical
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ground coupled heat exchanger systems are costly and disruptive to install, often damaging fragile heat exchanger pipes during horizontal borehole deployment.
Innovation Solution
A method using a piloted drill head with a protective outer casing and umbilical system to deploy heat exchanger pipes minimally, allowing reuse of drill components and reducing excavation needs, featuring steerable joints and a drive system for efficient pipe placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If heat exchanger pipes are laid horizontally in trenches, then the system can be installed, but installation cost increases and landscaping is disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the heat exchanger pipe deployment from traditional trenching or well-drilling methods. Instead of digging trenches or drilling wells, the system uses a horizontal borehole drilled by a drill rig, extracting the pipe through a small diameter hole rather than requiring large-scale excavation. This reduces both installation cost and landscaping disruption while achieving the same heat exchange function.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces an intermediary deployment mechanism - a flexible deployment conduit or tube - that facilitates pipe installation through the borehole. This intermediary tool allows the pipe to be pushed or pulled through the small diameter borehole without requiring the borehole to be large enough to accommodate the pipe directly, thus minimizing land disturbance while enabling complete pipe installation.
2Productivity
If heat exchanger pipes are deployed through boreholes by drilling, then installation is achieved, but the fragile pipes are damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs preliminary action by drilling the borehole and preparing the deployment conduit before inserting the heat exchanger pipe. The borehole is drilled to the required depth and location, and the deployment conduit is positioned in advance. This preliminary preparation ensures that when the pipe is inserted, it is guided smoothly through the conduit without encountering obstructions or excessive friction that could cause damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a flexible deployment conduit or tube with smooth inner walls to protect the heat exchanger pipe during insertion. The flexible nature of the conduit allows it to bend and conform to the borehole path, while its smooth surface minimizes friction and mechanical stress on the fragile pipe walls, preventing damage during the deployment process.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional trenching or well drilling is used, then heat exchanger pipes can be installed, but multiple access points and extensive excavation are required
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from vertical well drilling or horizontal trenching to horizontal borehole drilling at a shallow depth. By changing the dimensional approach - drilling horizontally at a shallow depth rather than vertically or creating deep trenches - the system can access distant heat exchange locations through a single small access point, dramatically reducing the area of ground that needs to be disturbed while maintaining installation effectiveness.
Data Source
AI summary
A new system for and a method of deploying a heat exchanger pipe. A bore hole is drilled from an access ditch location to a terminal ditch location using a piloted drill head powered via an umbilical attached to the piloted drill head. A casing is attached to the piloted drill head and disposed about the umbilical into the bore hole from the access ditch location to the terminal ditch location. At the terminal ditch location, the piloted drill head is removed from the casing and the umbilical and a heat exchanger pipe is attached to the umbilical. The umbilical is withdrawn from within the casing deployed in the bore hole to pull the heat exchanger pipe into the casing. The casing is then withdrawn from the bore hole leaving the heat exchanger pipe in the bore hole.