Method for utilising near-surface geothermal heat for heating and / or cooling and / or warming hot drinking water from one or more buildings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing geothermal heating systems require large arrays of collectors and are dependent on additional energy sources for regeneration, increasing structural complexity and energy reliance.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing ground collectors arranged in multiple heat storage layers, where the first layer is regenerated via surface heat sources and the second layer via heat emission from ground collectors, reducing the need for additional energy systems and optimizing heat distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If large arrays of geothermal collectors are arranged outside settlements in open spaces, then heat transfer efficiency is improved, but device complexity and land use requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from horizontal arrangement of collectors in open spaces to vertical stacking of heat storage layers beneath buildings. Multiple heat storage layers are arranged vertically at different depths, allowing efficient heat transfer without requiring large land areas. The vertical dimension replaces the horizontal expansion, reducing device complexity and land use while maintaining thermal efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The ground space beneath buildings serves multiple functions: it provides structural support for the building while simultaneously hosting the geothermal heat storage system. The same spatial volume is utilized for both architectural and energy storage purposes, eliminating the need for separate collector fields and reducing overall device complexity.
2Reliability
If geothermal heating systems are made independent of additional energy sources, then energy reliability is improved, but heat regeneration capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system recovers waste heat from building cooling operations and stores it in the geothermal heat storage layers during summer months. This recovered heat is then utilized during winter heating periods, creating a self-sustaining system that does not require external energy sources while maintaining continuous heat regeneration capability through the natural seasonal cycle.
Solution Approach 2:
The system operates in periodic cycles, alternating between charging (storing heat during summer cooling) and discharging (retrieving heat during winter heating) phases. This periodic operation allows the system to be completely self-sufficient, using the building's own cooling waste heat to fuel its heating requirements without external energy input, while maintaining full heat regeneration capability through natural seasonal variations.
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
This approach reduces structural complexity, enhances heat regeneration, and allows for efficient use of near-surface geothermal energy for heating, cooling, and domestic hot water supply, minimizing energy dependence on external sources.
Implementation Method 1
heat is extracted from the ground using the geothermal collectors... The heat brought into the ground from the environment, especially from rain and sun, is transferred to the heat transfer medium in the ground collectors
Implementation Method 2
heat is extracted from the ground using the geothermal collectors, which is raised to a higher temperature level by a heat pump
Implementation Method 3
enable use of the phase transformation enthalpy of the moisture available in the ground
Data Source
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AI summary
Method for utilizing near-surface geothermal energy for heating and/or cooling and/or heating domestic hot water of one or more buildings with ground collectors arranged one above the other in several heat storage layers, in which, for heating one or more buildings, heat is extracted from the ground by the ground collectors in at least one heat storage layer, and the regeneration of the ground takes place at least temporarily in a first heat storage layer containing at least one ground collector by means of heat supplied to the ground distributed over at least one area of the ground surface, and simultaneously in a second heat storage layer located below the first heat storage layer and containing second ground collectors by means of heat transfer from the second ground collectors to the second heat storage layer.The first ground collectors deliver no or less heat to the first heat storage layer than the second ground collectors deliver to the second heat storage layer.