Vertizontal Geothermal Loop Installation Within Property Boundaries
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional geothermal closed loop installations cause significant damage to landscapes and are costly due to the need for extensive land use and equipment, as they require horizontal drilling that often exceeds property boundaries and results in substantial disruption.
Innovation Solution
A method and device for installing a U-shaped tube in a single hole, using a rotatable drill rod with a drill bit to create a blind hole and a pit for material containment, minimizing land disruption and allowing angled drilling to optimize hole length within property boundaries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional horizontal drilling is used to install geothermal loops, then the heat exchange tube can be installed, but considerable damage to the landscape occurs and a great horizontal distance is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from conventional horizontal drilling to vertical drilling, changing the dimensional orientation of the borehole. The drill bit drills vertically downward to a target depth, then the drill rod is rotated approximately 90 degrees to drill horizontally for the required length, and finally rotated another 90 degrees to exit the ground vertically. This multi-dimensional drilling approach allows the heat exchange tube to be installed with minimal landscape disruption while achieving the necessary horizontal heat exchange path length within a compact surface footprint.
2Productivity
If well digging machines and boring devices are brought onto the land for boring holes, then the holes can be created, but considerable damage to the turf and landscape results
Solution Approach 1:
The drilling process is segmented into distinct phases: initial vertical drilling to create a starter hole, then rotating the drill rod to drill the horizontal section, and finally rotating again to exit vertically. This segmentation allows the use of a single drilling location rather than requiring extensive horizontal access across the landscape, thereby maintaining turf and landscape integrity while achieving the required borehole configuration.
3Length of moving object
If the holes extend horizontally a great distance, then the geothermal loop can be installed, but the holes may extend beyond the boundary of the lot
Solution Approach 1:
By drilling vertically downward first to a sufficient depth, then rotating the drill rod to drill horizontally, and finally rotating to exit vertically, the patent achieves a long horizontal heat exchange path length within a compact surface footprint. This multi-dimensional approach allows the borehole to extend horizontally for the required length without exceeding property boundaries, as the vertical entry and exit points are closely spaced rather than requiring the entire horizontal length to be visible on the surface.
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 landscape damage and installation costs by allowing quicker installation of geothermal closed loops with improved heat transfer efficiency, as the pit confines drilling materials and enables angled drilling to maximize hole length within property limits.
Implementation Method 1
drilling a blind hole in the ground
Implementation Method 2
exchanging heat between the constant temperature ground and a heat exchange medium circulated in a tube extending through the ground
Implementation Method 3
heat from the ground flows into the coolant medium which is then circulated via the tube in the building with the heat flowing from the coolant tube into the building
Implementation Method 4
creating a small pit roughly five feet in width, length, and depth is created with the hole being bored at the bottom of the pit allowing the water, dirt, etc. to move upwardly from the bored hole into the pit
Data Source
AI summary
A method and device for installing a tube of a geothermal closed loop system in the ground. A drill rod includes a hook for removably mounting the heat exchange tube for positioning the tube in the hole bored in the ground by the drill bit. The tube may be inserted into the bored hole once the drill is removed therefrom, mounted to the tube and then reinserted into the hole. Alternatively, the tube is mounted to the drill rod as the hole is being bored.