Subfloor Ground-Loop Heating and Cooling for Low-Energy Buildings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing building heating and cooling systems are energy-intensive and environmentally impactful, with rising costs and significant environmental effects from energy sources like coal and hydro turbines, necessitating more efficient and sustainable temperature control solutions.
Innovation Solution
The system employs subfloor and exterior conduits to distribute and reclaim fluid for temperature regulation, using a control system to manage fluid flow between interior and exterior conduits, reducing energy consumption by leveraging ground temperature for heating and cooling, and incorporating features like high-mass construction and air-to-air heat exchangers to minimize energy use and environmental impact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If traditional heating and cooling systems are used, then buildings can be maintained at comfortable temperatures, but energy consumption increases and environmental impact worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines heating and cooling functions into a single ground-source thermal system. The same ground conduits and fluid circulation infrastructure serve both heating and cooling needs, eliminating the need for separate systems and reducing overall energy consumption while maintaining comfortable building temperatures year-round.
Solution Approach 2:
The ground itself serves as the thermal reservoir, providing heat during winter and absorbing heat during summer without requiring external energy input. The system leverages the natural temperature stability of the ground to provide sustainable heating and cooling, significantly reducing fossil fuel consumption and associated environmental impacts.
2Temperature
If fossil fuels are burned for heating, then buildings can be heated during cold months, but atmospheric pollution increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces combustion-based heating systems with a ground-source thermal system that uses fluid circulation through ground conduits. This substitution eliminates the need to burn fossil fuels, thereby eliminating the generation of harmful atmospheric pollutants while still providing effective building heating during cold months.
Solution Approach 2:
The system converts the typically wasted thermal energy in the ground into a useful resource. During winter, the ground serves as a heat source; during summer, it serves as a heat sink. This approach eliminates the need for polluting fossil fuel combustion while efficiently meeting heating and cooling demands.
3Use of energy by moving object
If hydro turbines are used for electricity generation, then renewable energy is produced, but fish populations are adversely impacted
Solution Approach 1:
The system utilizes the ground's natural thermal properties as a self-sustaining heat source and sink. No external energy generation infrastructure is required, and certainly no hydro turbines that would impact fish populations. The ground itself provides the thermal energy needed for building heating and cooling through fluid circulation in embedded conduits.
4Temperature
If conventional heating and cooling systems are installed, then temperature control is achieved, but system lifespan is limited and maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the temperature control function from complex mechanical equipment and relocates it to the ground itself through simple fluid circulation conduits. By removing the need for boilers, furnaces, and complex HVAC equipment, the system achieves extended lifespan with minimal maintenance, as the ground conduits are durable and require little intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the fundamental operating parameters from active mechanical temperature control to passive ground-based thermal exchange. The ground conduits operate at stable temperatures and pressures, eliminating the wear and tear associated with high-stress mechanical components, thereby extending system lifespan to over 200 years with low maintenance requirements.
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 energy consumption by up to 60% compared to traditional systems, minimizes environmental impact, and extends system lifespan to over 200 years with low maintenance, while meeting health and energy efficiency standards, and allows for zero carbon dioxide emissions during cooling and reduced emissions during heating.
Implementation Method 1
distributing fluid from within a building to grounds surrounding and/or supporting the building and returning the fluid to the building
Implementation Method 2
exposing the fluid to a subfloor of the building to regulate a temperature of the subfloor
Data Source
AI summary
Building constructions, building heating and/or cooling methods, and/or heating and/or cooling systems are provided that can include interior conduits configured to convey a fluid coupled with exterior conduits extending through the grounds surrounding the building.