The technology of heating the house with underground heat. Underground geothermal heating of the house with the heat of the earth. Installation and installation of geothermal heating

Geothermal heating is applied to the heating system.

As the main or additional source of heat is earth energy.

Heating a house with heat from underground: what is it

On Russian territory high-temperature (thermal) springs are located extremely unevenly, mainly far from settlements, which makes it difficult to use them for heating purposes.

With the development of technologies and the introduction of new types of equipment, for the production of thermal energy, it became possible to use and low temperature sources .

Among other things, underground layers located at a distance 50-100 meters below the surface of the earth, have a positive temperature equal to 10-12°C. These values are stored regardless of time, which makes it possible to use heating throughout the year.

Advantages geothermal heating systems:

economy. Sources are renewable resources, which avoids financial investments in the purchase of fuel, as in the case of using traditional systems. There will be no additional costs associated with transportation, storage of fuel.
Safety. It is unlikely that any emergencies, explosions and fires.
Environmental friendliness. Since the combustion process is not used in a geothermal system, its inherent emissions to the atmosphere are excluded.
autonomy. With automatic control, it does not require frequent intervention or constant external control.

Flaws:

Considerable initial money spendings.
labor intensive installation.
Necessity source of electrical energy.

How does a geothermal heating system work?

Heat for heating housing or supplying hot water is obtained by transformations him out of energy environment with the help of a special unit.

The main element of a geothermal installation is Heat pump, which is connected to the internal and external heating circuit.

The structure of the internal circuit is similar to the traditional heating option (gas, water). This: pipes and radiators.

Outer loop, the size of which is much larger than the internal one, being placed underground, is invisible during its operation. A coolant circulates inside it. This: or bull water, or antifreeze usually based on ethylene glycol. And, the second option is much more preferable.

The temperature of the heat carrier is equalized with the temperature of the environment when it is in the external circuit, and then it is sent to the heat pump. After passing through it, the heated masses are directed along inner contour.

Availability heat pump and is the main factor for obtaining thermal energy, which is intended for its subsequent use by the consumer (housing heating, hot water supply).

efficiency this device may surprise some. Consuming electrical energy in volume 1 kW as a result of their work "Gives out" a little more - 4-5 kW, which looks very strange.

This is due to how design features device, and the fact that, in addition to electric, it uses the thermal energy of the earth as an additional one (even at low soil temperatures).

The heat pump is able to work all year round and operate throughout 15-25 years old.

Note! Some experts claim that, taking into account friction or wear, real time period systems without stopping to conduct repair work is about 10 years.

DIY installation

Before taking such a step, compare the possibilities with the volume and complexity of all the necessary work to install a geothermal system.

Cost calculation

The calculation of the cost of a geothermal system device is calculated relative to:

acquisitions heat pump certain power;
total prices pipeline, according to the pump power;
production of related land works(drilling wells, digging trenches), as well as the cost of laying networks;
installation and connection heat pump.

Photo 1. Geothermal heat pump model Vitocal 300-W Pro with electric drive for heating, manufactured by Viessmann.

The calculation also includes the purchase of a heat pump, the price of which varies depending on the power and manufacturer.

Power models in the area 4-5 kW will be evaluated in 3-7 thousand. e. Appliance power 5-10 kW costs 4-8 thousand. e. Behind 10-15 kW— 5-10 thousand. e.

Collector placement

There is a division by installation method outer contour (collector). IN ground it can be placed vertically or horizontally. in the ground reservoir— horizontally. Each of these cases has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Vertical type

When building a vertical installation, there is a need for drilling wells with a depth of 50-200 meters. That is, to a layer having an elevated temperature. One of the mines, which is called debit, serves to take heat.

The coolant in it rises, thanks to the pump, then there is a supply to the pipes and radiators of the internal circuit.

Returning, after passing through the entire cycle, the coolant dumped through another mine back to the underground layers.

It is believed that the lifetime of such a plant is about hundreds of years.

When arranging a vertical type collector with two shafts the efficiency of its use for heating a private house is reduced, since it will take significant amount of electricity. This is suitable option for the installation of the "warm floor" system.

With more economical cluster method, the number of wells increases, but their depth decreases.

For vertical installation, there is also an option that provides for strengthening the container (tank) containing antifreeze, at a depth of 100 m. The continuous movement of this liquid, heated from the ground, provides a heat pump.

If you do not consider the option of drilling wells for a vertical structure, which requires skills and equipment, then the work can be done independently.

Horizontal heat exchanger

To install a horizontal heat exchanger (type), it will take a little effort, but the heat output in this case will be less. Excavation required to construct excavation below the freezing mark. The pipeline of the external contour is laid in the dug trenches, and subsequently the entire structure is again covered with earth.

The temperature of the soil layer will be much lower and the length longer than when using a vertical type heat exchanger. Square approximately double the room to be heated.

The limited reserves of natural energy resources make mankind search for alternative energy sources. Geothermal home heating is a great alternative to traditional heating methods. This can be confirmed by factual data on the widespread use of geothermal heating systems in Europe and America as the main sources of heat.

A bit of history! Geothermal heating systems "expanded" significantly in the late eighties of the last century, mainly in America. In the beginning, a solid investment in the installation of such an installation allowed only wealthy people to use it, and after a few years this fat system became affordable for less wealthy Americans, raising the importance of geothermal heating systems in the heating market.

In Europe, two decades ago, the number of geothermal installations exceeded 12 million, and today one can only guess about the size of the "settlement" of geothermal installations in private homes.

Why is this happening?

Everything is very simple! The most affordable and convenient gas heating system reduces fossil fuel stocks for money out of your pocket. And burning solid fuel(firewood, coal, peat) is not only inconvenient, but also accompanied by the release of harmful carbon dioxide, soot and tar. It also needs additional space for fuel storage.

How the system works

Geothermal heating systems have a similar principle of operation to a refrigerator (air conditioner). Just a refrigerator refrigerator cools the air, and a geothermal heat pump heats the heating system coolant.

The heat (energy) of the Earth is used to heat the premises. The heat pump located in the house takes energy from ground water or the soil itself, converting it into heat. Then this "heat" is used to heat the coolant of the house heating system itself.

The principle of operation of a heat pump is based on the reverse Carnot cycle, developed back in the 19th century.

The “heart” of such a system is the compressor, which “compresses” and “transfers” heat. To do this, he needs an external source of energy - an electrical network.

In the company, the compressors in the internal circuit of the heat pump are: condenser, evaporator and throttle valve.

The heat pump works like this:

The intake manifold is filled with an anti-freeze liquid (glycol, water-alcohol, or salt water) that will transport the "underground" or "underwater" heat to the pump.
This thermal energy in the evaporator is transferred to the refrigerant with a very low boiling point, which leads to its rapid boiling and evaporation (turning into vapor).
A running compressor increases the pressure of this vapor, which accordingly leads to an increase in its temperature.
In the condenser, the refrigerant is cooled, transferring heat to the heating circuit of the house, and condenses.
Through the throttle valve, the refrigerant enters the compressor, and the cycle repeats again ...

A heat pump can also be called in other words a “turned inside out” refrigerator. Indeed, in the refrigerator, the refrigerant is heated by the heat of the products placed in it (the refrigerator), and through the tube system it is discharged to the back wall, heating the air outside the refrigerator.

And in the case of a heat pump, this released heat heats the coolant in the heating system of the house itself. As heating devices in such heating systems, “warm floors” are most often and more efficiently used.

Notice! In the presence of a high-quality and correctly calculated "heat-intake" circuit, when consuming 1 kW of electricity, the heat pump is able to supply up to 5 kW of thermal energy to the system!

Types of heat exchangers for geothermal heating systems

Horizontal heat exchanger

Pipes of a horizontal contour are laid to a depth exceeding the thickness of the soil freezing layer.

This version of the thermal circuit is optimal when there is a large area personal plot without garden plantings (trees). The laying of the loop pipe is not allowed at a distance of less than 1.5 m from the tree crown.

When heating a house of 250 m 2, an area of 600 m 2 will be needed to accommodate the heat exchange circuit. And this area is not always available. Especially in densely populated cottage towns.

This factor can be called a disadvantage of this type of heat exchanger.

Vertical heat exchanger

A vertical heat exchanger is a luxury that not every developer can afford. To "arrange" such a heat exchanger, you will need special drilling equipment.

The heat exchanger circuit is lowered into a well with a depth of 50-200 m. To increase the thermal power, several such wells are used, the pipelines of which are connected through special collector units.

The advantage of organizing such a heat exchanger circuit system is the possibility of working on a developed territory - this method will not damage the existing landscape.

Heat exchanger placed in water

This option is the most economical in installation - there is no need to carry out excavation work, but it requires a reservoir with an area of at least 200 m 2 at a distance of no more than 100 m from the house. The pipes of the circuit are laid to a depth greater than the freezing depth (at least 2-3 m) to the bottom.

Advantages and disadvantages of geothermal heating systems

One of the most significant advantages of geothermal heating systems is its environmental safety for your home. After all, the process of normal operation of the heat pump is not accompanied by any harmful emissions into the atmosphere. And the absence of combustible substances in the fuel pump in the presence of serviceable electrical wiring actually negates the risk of fire.

The absence of fuel means the absence of expenses for its delivery and storage.

Low electricity consumption with a relatively high heat transfer (from 1 kW of electricity to 5 kW of thermal energy) is another important (or most important) factor that determines the choice of a geothermal heating system country house.

The autonomy of a geothermal heating system frees you from the need to monitor and maintain it.

An important functional advantage of a geothermal heating system is its ability to work as an air conditioner in hot weather. In this mode, the opposite happens: the heat from the room warms up the refrigerant, which transfers it to an external heat collector.

The disadvantage of such a system is the complexity of its installation and, accordingly, the high cost, as installation work as well as the equipment itself.

A geothermal heating system is the most expensive to install and purchase equipment.

In this case, you can save money on self installation this system, but it is necessary to pay considerable attention to calculations and consultations with the "pros".

Using a bivalent heating scheme

A bivalent system implies the parallel use of two heat sources during peak loads (at low temperatures environment).

In such a system, an additional boiler, such as an electric boiler, is connected in parallel to the heat pump. It is used when it is necessary to use an intensive heating mode at low ambient temperatures.

If there are few “frosty” days a year in the region of your residence, then the presence of such an “assistant” allows you to save on the power of the heat pump, which significantly affects its cost.

Most of us understand that the use of coal, gas and wood as fuel does not do without a trace for the environment. However, the introduction of alternative energy sources is hampered by their high cost and efficiency, which are still inferior to traditional ones. But lately, manufacturers have been paying more and more attention to such products, so we hope that soon they will be easier to install and not so expensive.

Today we will consider geothermal heating, which can be installed for a private house with your own hands. You will learn about the principle of its operation, types, features and self-assembly.

It is worth saying that in European countries and the United States, heating from the ground is gradually becoming the main source of heating at home, but so far such systems in our country are only an alternative to more traditional ones.

Appearance and distribution

The energy of the earth for heating began to spread in the United States towards the end of the 80s of the last century in cities that were going through a difficult crisis. Wealthy people immediately became interested in the system, to whom it gave them the opportunity to save on heating their homes. Then it began to become cheaper, and the poorer class of the population also began to use it.

After some time, the heat of the earth for heating has become the prerogative of most owners of private houses. In Europe, every year the number of households using earth heating at home is only increasing.

This trend in the spread of geothermal heating is quite understandable. The use of ground heat for heating allows significant savings family budget, it is safe and economical.

Operation of geothermal heating

Its principle of operation can be compared with a conventional refrigerator, but vice versa. The earth retains heat constantly, so it can heat objects located on its surface.

The meaning of the method is that from the inside the planet is heated by hot magma, and from above the soil does not allow it to freeze. The resulting thermal energy is used by a geothermal heating system based on a special heat pump.

The following process takes place:

Surface mounted heat pump.
A hole is drilled in the ground into which a heat exchanger is lowered..
The ground water passing through the pump is heated and then used for domestic and industrial purposes..

The main advantage of the system is the ratio of electrical energy and received power - 1 to 4-6 kW. For example, when using a conventional air conditioner, it turns out 1 to 1. Therefore, the installation will be able to pay for itself in a short time.

Peculiarities

Self-heating a house from the ground has certain difficulties, which we will discuss below:

They begin with the manufacture of a mine shaft.
Its calculation is carried out separately for each specific case, taking into account:

the climate in the area;
soil type;
characterization of the structure of the earth's crust in a given region;
heating area.

Usually the depth varies between 25-100 m.

At the next stage, pipes are lowered into the shaft, which must absorb heat from the bowels and supply it to a pump that raises the temperature of the coolant in the heating system.

Tip: work is best done with an assistant, as pipes are often quite large in mass.

In summer, heating with earth energy can be run as an air conditioner. Why is the reverse mechanism activated? During operation, the heat exchanger will begin to take cooling energy.

Kinds

For environmentally friendly and effective work The system has three main options:

ground water	In this case, the thermal energy of groundwater located at great depths is used to heat the building. She has a fairly high temperature, so she raises it and heats it. After that, the water through the heat exchanger gives the main part of the available energy.
Antifreeze	The method requires additional costs. A tank with antifreeze is lowered to a depth of 75 m and below, the price of which is quite high. When it heats up, it is lifted by a heat pump to the heat exchanger. After the heat is released, the antifreeze enters the container again.
Water	This method does not require the equipment of a soil mine. Such heating of the house from the ground is suitable if there is access to a reservoir. Horizontal probes are placed from the heat exchanger along the bottom of the reservoir, which help to convert the heat of the water.

Benefits of geothermal heating

Now let's find out what advantages such systems have, and whether they can satisfy our requests:

Thermal energy is released several times more than the electricity consumption for the operation of the pump.
There are no harmful emissions, so heating a country house from the ground is an environmentally friendly way.
The system only needs electricity to function. No chemicals or fuels required.
There is no risk of explosion or fire during operation.
Proper installation of the heating system guarantees operation without technical support for about 30 years.

Self-installation of geothermal heating

It must be said right away that heating a house with the energy of the earth will require a large one-time investment. The lion's share of which will go to the development of the mine shaft.

Tip: The most expensive part of a heat pump is the compressor. If you don't want problems, don't buy it from the Chinese factory.
It is better to use Danfoss or Copeland (preferably not from China).

We also recommend using a warm floor system instead of heating radiators. So you can reduce the payback of equipment at times. The annual increase in tariffs for traditional energy carriers should also be taken into account, at the same time it will help to avoid price jumps.

Inside the house, nothing will remind you that you are using earthen heating. The main part of the scheme - the well and the heat exchanger - will be hidden underground. It is only necessary to allocate a small place for the device, for example, in the basement that generates heat.

The device allows you to adjust the temperature and supply heat. The installation instructions for the heating system in the house do not differ from the traditional method, so there are no features in it.

Conclusion

The use of heat pumps makes it possible to get rid of traditional types of fuel that are becoming more expensive every year, although the initial costs will be quite large. It is quite possible to carry out the installation of geothermal heating on your own, only when installing pipes in a mine shaft, it is advisable to turn off the assistant.

The payback of the project depends on the insulation of housing, as well as the method of heating - radiator or underfloor heating. The video in the article will provide an opportunity to find Additional information on the above topic.

A cozy and comfortable home, which is cool in summer and warm in winter, is, without exaggeration, the dream of any person. There are many types of home heating - wood, peat, electricity, coal, gas, geothermal heating. But equipment that runs on coal, gas, peat, and the like cannot be classified as environmentally friendly and safe. And the cost of such fuel varies greatly.

Many people think that gas heating private house is best option. However, there are also some very significant downsides. In some cases, it is impossible to install such heating if a gas main is not connected to your cottage. Installation gas installation requires constant maintenance, strict adherence to all safety standards, as well as special permits.

However, there is one enough a good option heating without gas is geothermal heating of the house. The number of users of such systems is increasing daily, since such heating boasts many positive qualities. Among the most important is the fact that such a heating system is the most economical, as well as environmentally friendly and safe.

Principle of operation

The heating system from the heat of the earth consists of 3 main components:

Inner contour;
Outer contour;
Heat pump.

Many are interested in the question: what is heating with the energy of the earth? The design of such a system is quite difficult to understand, so for clarification we will give a small example.

It can be said that the geothermal system is in some way a refrigerator, only “in reverse”.

The evaporator, which plays the role of a freezer here, is located deep in the bowels of the earth. The condenser, which is made in the form of a copper coil, is used to bring air or water to the required temperature. The temperature of the evaporator located underground is significantly lower than above the surface.

According to the manufacturers of such heating systems, the temperature is in the range of 5 to 8 degrees Celsius.

Principle of operation.

The use of robust and reliable compressors, as well as innovative refrigeration system technologies, make it possible to create unique and unusual ways"low-quality" heat, which is located above the ground, into "high-quality" heat, which is further used in geothermal heating of a private house.

As a result, this allows you to start industrial production The main element with this method of space heating is heat pumps.

Geothermal heating systems work on the principle of physical transfer of heat to the refrigerant due to the energy of the earth. Approximately the same principle of operation is implemented in a conventional refrigerator. More than 75% of the total amount of heat that is released during the operation of the heating system at home is the energy of the environment, which is then accumulated and enters the living rooms and other premises of the cottage.

For this reason, this energy has a remarkable ability to self-heal, as a result of which the geothermal heating system does not cause any damage to the ecological and energy balance of our planet.

History of appearance

The main reason for the appearance of such cottage heating systems is the energy crises that took place in the 70s of the last century. Initially, only the most elite and wealthy families allowed themselves to install an innovative heating system from the ground.

In the future, thanks to the gradual development of science and technology, as well as the emergence of new technologies, such systems became more widespread, because their acquisition cost was constantly decreasing.

Now for a family with an average income, a geothermal heating system is available without serious damage to the budget. Improvement and modernization of geothermal equipment is still carried out, since the installation of new units leads to a decrease in energy consumption and great savings.

pros

The operation of such heating systems is carried out on a qualitatively new and unusual fuel - the energy of the bowels of the earth is used for air conditioning, as well as heating a private house. This energy creates optimal and comfortable conditions for life, and also does not pollute the environment. harmful substances and waste. The heating of the house is carried out using free energy, for 1 kW of electricity the system returns 4-5 kW of heat

Geothermal works efficiently and safely without any combustion processes, so there is no prerequisite for the system to catch fire or explode.

An equally important advantage is that there is no need to purchase additional hoods and chimneys, which may be required to ensure the smooth functioning of other types of heating systems. During heating operation, harmful fumes and odors are not emitted from the ground, such a system does not make unnecessary noise, and besides, it does not take up much space.

Geothermal units, unlike solid fuel and liquid fuel systems, are practically invisible to people, they do not destroy the integrity of the facade and interior of the house. There is no need to waste time thinking about issues such as storage, delivery and purchase of fuel, since the energy of the planet is inexhaustible.

Another very remarkable fact is that with the help you can heat the premises in winter or cool the cottage during the heat.

If you need to heat your home with the warmth of the earth, then you should also consider its financial side. Immediately, we note that the installation process of such a system will require high costs compared to diesel and gas equipment.

In contrast to this, it can be noted that the level of electricity consumption is much less, so that in the long term, the economic feasibility of acquiring geothermal equipment is visible to the naked eye. According to the developers, up to five kilowatts of thermal energy will be returned from each kilowatt of electrical energy spent.

Installation

There are several ways to spend a minimum of space for installing heat pumps:

operation of underground probes. To do this, you will need to run a special circuit into a deep well, which is filled with antifreeze;
exploitation of warm groundwater. To do this, you need to drill a fairly deep well. Groundwater is driven through the heat exchanger, previously pumped out by a pump;
laying special umbrellas in a horizontal position below the level of winter glaciation at the bottom of the reservoir.

Conclusion

Finally, we note that geothermal environmentally friendly heating for the most effective proved to be in a joint mode of operation with " warm floors". This allows the owner of the house to enjoy the unique coziness and comfort, as well as save a good amount of money.

The main advantage of such an unusual combination is that the principle of uniform heating of the entire room is ensured, preventing the creation of overheating zones. For a year of operation, the savings from using such a system of underfloor heating and geothermal heating reaches about 20% compared to traditional radiator batteries.

Do-it-yourself geothermal heating is a very real project that promises many benefits for owners of private houses. Of course, some of the equipment will have to be bought ready-made, since its manufacture at home is simply impossible. But a fairly large amount of work can be done independently, without involving specialists.

Significant cost savings are just one of the benefits of this solution. Another "plus" is confidence in the quality of materials and work performed.

Content

To provide a private house with heat, units operating on electricity, solid, gas or liquid fuels are traditionally used. In recent decades, solar collectors and heat have been used as an alternative source of thermal energy. earth's interior. Heating a house using the heat of the earth is called geothermal home heating.

Geothermal heating of the house due to the energy of the earth

Heating from the ground is in growing demand as the cost of conventional energy carriers is steadily rising, while fossil fuel supplies are declining. Investing in earth heating country cottage quite profitable, taking into account economic prospects and significant savings on autonomous heat supply during the heating period.

Methods for obtaining natural thermal energy

Geothermal heat pumps differ in the way they extract heat:

Installations using the heat of deep groundwater, hot geysers, etc.
Systems that include an antifreeze tank installed in the ground at a depth of 75 meters. Heating from the bowels of the earth is provided by the natural heating of the container with antifreeze; as a result, the refrigerant, passing through the heat exchanger, gives off the received heat and returns to the tank.
The geothermal circuit is laid along the bottom of the reservoir, which is a natural heat accumulator. In this case, it must be taken into account that the reservoir can completely freeze in winter.

Types of geothermal heat pumps

Heating a house with earth energy requires large-scale installation work, but it is an environmentally friendly way to get practically free thermal energy. To heat the house, you will need insignificant expenses for the electricity necessary for the functioning of the system.

Principles of operation of geothermal heating

Heating from the energy of the earth is successfully used in various climatic zones: the systems are able to work in both southern and northern regions.

The geothermal installation in the course of its operation uses such physical property some liquids like the ability to evaporate, which leads to cooling of the surface. It is this phenomenon that underlies the operation of refrigeration equipment.

The principle of operation of geothermal heating is launched in reverse side cooling process. This is how air conditioners work, capable of not only cooling, but also heating the air in the room.

How a heat pump works

However, air conditioning units have a limited capacity - they cannot function at temperatures below -5°C. And the geothermal system is able to provide heating for the house, regardless of the air temperature on the surface. This is due to the fact that in the environment from which it takes thermal energy, stable temperature conditions are naturally maintained.

Geothermal heating system device

Geothermy (the science of the thermal state of the Earth) made possible the practical application of the thermal energy that the earth's crust receives from the hot magma in the center of the planet.

A specially designed heat pump for home heating is installed on the surface, and a heat exchanger is mounted in the ground or at the bottom of the reservoir. Thermal energy is “pumped out” to the surface and allows heating the coolant in the heating circuit of a house or non-residential facility.

How is the heating process

Geothermal heating of a private house is a cost-effective option. If you use the energy of the earth to heat a house, then for every kilowatt of electricity needed to operate the equipment, there are from 4 to 6 kW of useful thermal energy obtained from the bowels of the planet.

In comparison with the operation of the air conditioner, we will see that during its operation, more than 1 kW of electricity is required to obtain 1 kW of thermal energy. This is due to the inevitable losses in the conversion of one energy into another, and so on.

It is very profitable to heat a residential building using the thermal energy of the earth's interior, but the payback period for equipment and installation costs will take some time.

Using the heat of the earth to heat the house does not require the installation of a traditional boiler to heat the coolant.

In this case, the system consists of three components:

heating circuit - geothermal source of thermal energy;
heating circuit inside the house - low-temperature radiator or floor;
pumping station - a heat pump for pumping heat energy into the heating circuit from the heating circuit in the ground or under water.

The geothermal heating system can also be used to heat greenhouses, ancillary buildings, pool water, garden paths etc.

Geothermal heating equipment

Geothermal equipment for a deep heating system allows you to accumulate thermal energy extracted from the environment and transfer it to the coolant in the heating circuit.

The list of ground heating equipment includes:

Evaporator. The device is located at a depth, and it serves to absorb thermal energy located in geothermal waters or soil.
Capacitor. Allows you to bring the temperature of antifreeze to the value necessary for the functioning of the system.
Heat pump. Provides circulation of antifreeze in the heating circuit, controls the operation of the geothermal installation.
Buffer tank - a container for collecting heated antifreeze. Allows you to transfer the thermal energy of the earth's interior to the coolant. The tank through which the coolant passes is equipped with a heat exchanger in the form of a coil. Heated antifreeze moves along it, giving off heat.

Diagram of a heat pump device

System installation

Geothermal heating of a country house at the stage of arrangement requires a solid financial investment. The high total cost of the system is largely due to the large amount of land work associated with the installation of the heating circuit.

Over time, financial costs pay off, since the thermal energy used during the heating season is extracted from the depths of the earth with minimal electricity consumption.

Installation of a horizontal heat exchanger for a geothermal heating system

To ensure the heating of the house with the heat of the earth, it is necessary to install a system:

the main part should be located underground or at the bottom of the reservoir;
in the house itself, only fairly compact equipment is installed and a radiator or underfloor heating circuit is laid. The equipment located inside the house allows you to adjust the level of heating of the coolant.

What does geothermal equipment look like in a house?

When designing heating due to the heat of the earth, it is necessary to determine the installation option for the working circuit and the type of collector.

There are two types of collectors:

Vertical - plunges into the ground for several tens of meters. To do this, at a short distance from the house, it is required to drill a number of wells. The contour is immersed in the wells (the most reliable option- pipes made of cross-linked polyethylene).

Disadvantages: High financial costs for drilling several wells in the ground with a depth of 50 meters or more.

Benefits : Underground location of pipes at a depth where the ground temperature is stable, provides high efficiency system operation. In addition, the vertical collector occupies a small area of land.

Horizontal. The use of such a collector is allowed in regions with a warm and temperate climate, since the depth of soil freezing should not exceed 1.5 meters.

Disadvantages: The need to use a large area of \u200b\u200bthe site (the main disadvantage). This piece of land after laying the contour cannot be used for a garden or vegetable garden, as the system works with the release of cold during the transportation of the refrigerant, which will cause the roots of the plants to freeze.

Benefits: Cheaper land work that you can even do on your own.

Horizontal and vertical collector type

Geothermal energy can be produced by laying a horizontal geothermal circuit at the bottom of a non-freezing reservoir. However, this is difficult to implement in practice: the reservoir may be located outside the private area, and then the installation of the heat exchanger will need to be coordinated. The distance from the heated object to the reservoir should be no more than 100 meters.

Important! The ambient temperature of the collector must not fall below +5°C. The upper part of the collector in contact with the freezing ground must be protected with thermal insulation to avoid heat loss.

Advantages and disadvantages

Heating with earth energy has a number of advantages:

Efficiency. Compared to the cost of electricity for the operation of a heat pump, the system allows you to get several times more heat energy.
Environmental friendliness. This type of heating is environmentally completely harmless, there are no emissions into the atmosphere.
Safety. No need to use any fuel, chemicals etc., there is no danger of explosion or fire of the equipment.
Minimum need for technical support. A properly installed system is able to work without any intervention for at least 30 years.
Profitability. During operation, there are no repair costs, which allows you to pay back the installation of heating within 5-8 years.
No need to control the operation of the system.
Low noise level during equipment operation.
Inexhaustible source of thermal energy, it is not required to purchase and store an energy carrier.

Environmental friendliness of the use of thermal energy of the subsoil

The disadvantages include:

initially high equipment costs;
the need to conduct complex drilling work in the area for the installation of a vertical circuit or spoil the landscape by preparing trenches for a horizontal heat exchanger.

In temperate climates, geothermal installations have proven their effectiveness. In the northern regions this species heating is suitable for small houses (up to 200 m 2).

Having figured out how the system works and what parts it is made of, you can determine the possibility of installing it on your own site. Mostly heating from the ground is equipped at the stage of building a house - in this case it is easier to conduct excavation, since the layout of the site and the creation landscape design still ahead.