Geothermal heating of the house and its principle of operation. How to make geothermal heating in a private house Underground geothermal heating of a house with the heat of the earth

The topic of this article is the use of earth's heat for heating. Is it possible to take thermal energy from the depths?

And if so, are we talking exclusively about complex and expensive high-tech designs, or can something be done with your own hands?

Prerequisites

Why, in fact, do you need heating from the ground? After all, the modern market offers a lot ready-made solutions on electricity, gas, solar and solid fuel...

It's simple. Energy prices are rising, significantly outpacing the growth in incomes of Russians. At the same time, it is not difficult to predict further exponential growth: since gas and oil reserves will come to an end within the lifetime of our generation, their remains will be sold at exorbitant prices.

It is logical to switch to renewable sources of thermal energy. But which ones?

Let's evaluate the possibilities.

The sun is an excellent source of heat. But it is too fickle: several weeks of clear weather can give way to snow and a gray veil overhead.
In addition, the night will force you to either accumulate heat or use it only as an auxiliary source of energy.

Helpful: In warm, sunny climates, heating on solar collectors in principle, it is operational, but with a huge area and in the presence of a capacious heat accumulator.
However, a backup heat source in case of prolonged bad weather is still needed.

The wind is also too fickle. In addition, it cannot be used everywhere: valleys and folds of terrain create many areas with constant calm.

But heating a house with the heat of the earth using geothermal energy does not have such a problem. At a depth of one to five or six meters, the soil everywhere and always has a constant temperature, which increases with increasing depth.

Geothermal pump

How can you use the heat of the earth for heating?

Ready-made solutions have been around for a couple of decades. These are geothermal. How are they built?

Imagine how a refrigerator works.

The refrigerant gas is compressed by the compressor, becoming very hot.
It is then passed through a heat exchanger, dissipating excess heat and cooling to room temperature.
The cooled refrigerant enters the cooling circuit freezer, where it expands and, like any substance when its state of aggregation changes from liquid to gaseous, it cools sharply and... cools the space around it.
The refrigerant then flows back to the compressor for compression - and further in a circle.

We are curious about two facts:

A refrigerator is able to take heat from a cold object and give it to a warm one. In this case, heat is transferred from the freezer from its -18C to the air in the room.
The amount of pumped thermal energy is several times greater than the energy consumption for operating the compressor.

Now substitute soil at a shallow depth with its constant temperature in place of the freezer - and you will get a working model of geothermal heat pump. Please note - for the most part It uses the earth's energy to heat your home. Electricity costs cover no more than 30 percent of its thermal capacity.

It is clear that earth heating requires not only a radiator to release heat, but also a heat exchanger on the second side of the circuit, which will remove heat from the ground. What could he be like?

Vertical collector

Most often, heat transfer is carried out by vertical probes submerged to a depth of several tens of meters. At a short distance from the house, several wells are drilled into which pipes (usually made of cross-linked polyethylene) are immersed. Great depth means absolutely stable and high temperature; In addition, heat exchangers do not require a large area to be placed.

A significant drawback of heating a house with earth's energy in this implementation is the high cost of installation work. More precisely, the price of drilling: it starts from 2000 rubles per linear meter of a well. The total cost of 2-4 wells with a depth of 50-60 meters is easy to calculate.

Horizontal collector

However, in those regions of the country where the winter is not too severe and the depth of soil freezing does not exceed a meter to one and a half meters, horizontal collectors are often used. The same heat exchanger pipes are laid in a trench, which is easy to dig yourself. It is clear that the cost of installation will be reduced many times over.

Please note: do not underestimate the scale of the work. For example, the total length of the collector pipes for a house with an area of 275 m2 will be approximately 1200 meters.

In addition to shovel calluses, heating the earth with heat in this implementation promises you another problem. The collector will occupy a large area, many times larger than the total area of the house. Moreover, you will not be able to use it for a vegetable garden or garden: the roots of the plants will be frozen by the collector.

The photo shows the installation of a horizontal heat exchanger.

Air manifold

Fortunately, in addition to the cost of tens of thousands of evergreen units, you can find other ways to implement heating country house from the earth. One of the simplest is the air-earth collector.

Remember: to heat the air to an acceptable level in a living room, you need a certain amount of thermal energy. Moreover, the lower the initial air temperature, the higher the costs.

But you can increase the air temperature at the inlet of the ventilation system absolutely free of charge. Constant ground temperature, remember?

The instructions for using earth-energy heating are extremely simple:

We bring the ventilation air intake into the ground below the freezing point.
We lay with ordinary sewer pipes straight, curved or multi-pipe manifold. The shape is determined by your garden plot. The approximate total length of the collector is 1.5 meters per square meter area of the house.
We make an air intake at the end of the collector farthest from the house, bringing the pipe to a height of at least one and a half meters from the ground and equipping it with an umbrella-deflector. It is clear that air will have to be forced into the house.

Make no mistake: the described heating from the heat of the earth will not solve your problems with thermal energy completely and free of charge.

But it will allow you to implement one of the simple and inexpensive schemes:

Incoming air with a temperature of about 10C can be heated by any heater (electric, gas, solar, etc.) and distributed throughout the rooms by ventilation ducts. Costs compared to the need to heat cold street air will be reduced many times over.
An alternative solution is to use air forced from underground to blow over the outdoor unit of an air-to-water heat pump or conventional air conditioner. At +10C ANY external unit of any device of this class can operate effectively. The main technical problem is to provide the required air flow.

Conclusion

And finally - a little personal experience. The author of the article lives in a private house in a region with a fairly warm climate. Under the house there is a basement with a concrete floor of 75 m2, with all year round the temperature is the same 10-12 degrees. It is clear that with such a heat exchanger area, the air temperature in the basement is quite stable.

One of the heating devices in the house is a regular household air conditioner with external unit in the basement and internal on the first floor. As a result of this arrangement, even when the outside temperature is noticeably below zero, the air conditioner operates with maximum efficiency, taking away heat from the air in the basement and further from the ground.

The external unit of the split system is traditionally located on the street. However, if your basement is at a stable temperature, why not move it there?

As usual, you can find some additional information in the video attached to the article. Warm winters!

Geothermal heating it is applied for heating system.

It serves as the main or additional source of heat. earth energy.

Heating a house with heat from underground: what is it?

On Russian territory high temperature (thermal) springs They are located extremely unevenly, mostly far from populated areas, which makes them difficult to use for heating purposes.

With the development of technology and the introduction of new types of equipment, 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. Such values are maintained regardless of time, which makes it possible to use heating throughout the year.

Advantages geothermal heating systems:

Economical. Sources are renewable resources, which allows you to avoid financial investments in the purchase of fuel, as in the case of using traditional systems. There will be no additional costs associated with transportation and storage of fuel.
Safety. It is unlikely that any emergency situations, explosions and fires.
Environmental friendliness. Since the combustion process is not used in a geothermal system, its inherent emissions into the atmosphere are eliminated.
Autonomy. In the presence of automatic control, 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 a home or supplying hot water is obtained using the method transformation it's 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.

External contour, the size of which is much larger than the internal one, placing underground, is invisible during its operation. Coolant circulates inside it. This is: or about plain water, or antifreeze, as a rule, based on ethylene glycol. And, the second option is much preferable.

The temperature of the coolant is equalized with the temperature of the medium when it is in the external circuit, and then it is sent to the heat pump. Having passed through it, the heated masses are directed along inner contour.

The presence of a heat pump is the main factor for obtaining thermal energy, which is intended for 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 his work “gives out” a little more - 4-5 kW, which looks very strange.

This happens thanks to how design features device, and the fact that, in addition to electrical energy, it uses the thermal energy of the earth as an additional one (even at low ground temperatures).

The heat pump can operate all year round and be used for 15-25 years.

Note! Some experts claim that taking into account friction or wear, real validity period systems without stopping to carry out repair work amounts to about 10 years.

DIY installation

Before deciding to take such a step, you need compare capabilities with the volume and complexity of all necessary work for installation of a geothermal system.

Cost calculation

Calculation of the cost of installing a geothermal system is calculated relative to:

acquisitions heat pump a certain power;
prices in total pipeline, in accordance with the pump power;
production of related earthworks(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, manufacturer - Viessmann.

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

Models with capacity in the area 4-5 kW will be assessed at 3-7 thousand. e. Device power 5-10 kW costs 4-8 thousand. e. Behind 10-15 kW— 5-10 thousand. e.

Manifold placement

There is a division according to the method of installing the 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 an installation vertical type there is a need for drilling wells 50-200 meters deep. That is, to a layer with an elevated temperature. One of the shafts, called the debit shaft, serves to collect heat.

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

Returning, after completing the entire cycle, the coolant dumped through another shaft back to the underground layers.

It is believed that the service life of such an installation is about hundreds of years.

When installing a vertical type collector with two shafts the efficiency of its use for heating a private house is reduced, since to ensure the operation of the circular pump it will be necessary significant amount of electricity. This is suitable option for installing a “warm floor” system.

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

For vertical installation, there is also an option that involves strengthening the container (tank) containing antifreeze, at a depth of 100 m. The continuous movement of this liquid, heated by the ground, is provided by 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 type heat exchanger, a little effort will be required, but the heat output in this case will be less. Excavation work will be required to build excavation below the soil freezing mark. The external circuit pipeline 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 will be longer than when using a vertical type heat exchanger. Square approximately double room to be heated.

Geothermal heating is one of the most promising of all alternative energy sources. Unlike solar systems, it practically does not depend on the time of year. But is it profitable to heat a house using the heat and energy of the earth?

Geothermal home heating

First you need to understand the principles of obtaining thermal energy. They are based on an increase in temperature when going deeper into the earth. At first glance, the increase in the degree of heating is insignificant. But thanks to the advent of new technologies, heating a house using the heat of the earth has become a reality.

The main condition for organizing geothermal heating is a temperature of at least 6°C. This is typical for medium and deep layers of soil and reservoirs. The latter are highly dependent on the external temperature, so they are extremely rarely used. How can you practically organize heating a house with earth's energy?

To do this, you need to make 3 circuits filled with liquids with different technical characteristics:

Outer. More often, antifreeze circulates in it. Its heating to a temperature of at least 6°C occurs due to the energy of the earth;
Heat pump. Without it, heating using earth's energy is impossible. The coolant from the external circuit transfers its energy to the refrigerant using a heat exchanger. Its evaporation temperature is less than 6°C. After this, it enters the compressor, where after compression the temperature rises to 70°C;
Inner circuit. A similar scheme is used to transfer heat from the compressed refrigerant to water in the cooling system. In this way, heating occurs from the depths of the earth at minimal cost.

Despite the obvious advantages, such systems are rare. This is due to the high costs of purchasing equipment and organizing an external heat intake circuit.

It is best to entrust the calculation of heating from the heat of the earth to professionals. The efficiency of the entire system will depend on the correctness of the calculations.

Working principle of a heat pump

The “heart” of geothermal heating is the heat pump. It consists of several components, the operation of which directly affects the efficiency of the entire system. Therefore, before planning to heat a private house from the ground, you need to find out the main characteristics of this unit.

Since this device belongs to the category of complex equipment, it is recommended to purchase only factory models. The heat pump design includes the following components:

Evaporator. In this block, energy is transferred from the external circuit;
Compressor. Required to create high pressure in a refrigerant environment;
Capillary. It serves to reduce the internal pressure in the refrigerant circuit;
Control system. With its help, the heating of a private house from the ground is regulated - temperature regime work, flow rate of coolants, etc.

The main problem with self-production The purpose of a heat pump is to reduce heat losses and normalize the operation of the internal circuit with refrigerant. Setting up factory models occurs at the manufacturing stage, and the design provides for the possibility of adjusting its parameters.

How to correctly calculate the parameters of the pump so that the heat of the earth for heating the house is provided normal temperature? To do this you need to find out thermal power pump For an approximate calculation, you can use the following formula:

Q=(t1-t2)*V

Where t1-t2– temperature difference between the inlet and return pipes, °C, V– calculated volume of coolant flow, m³/h, Q– rated power of the heat pump, W.

This technique is not applicable for complex systems, since they contain many additional factors. In particular - heat losses on the highway. This is especially true for those areas where it comes out as close to the ground surface as possible. To minimize heat losses, insulation of heating pipes in the ground should be done.

Since the operation of the heat pump depends on electricity, it is recommended to install an emergency power supply.

Geothermal heating options

In order for the earth's energy to be used for heating the house to the maximum, you need to choose the right external circuit diagram. In fact, the source of thermal energy can be any medium - underground, water or air. But it is important to take into account seasonal changes in weather conditions, as discussed above.

Currently, there are two common types of systems that are effectively used to heat a house using the heat of the earth - horizontal and vertical. The key selection factor is area land plot. The layout of the pipes for heating the house with earth's energy depends on this.

In addition, the following factors are taken into account:

Soil composition. In rocky and loamy areas it is difficult to make vertical trunks for laying highways;
Soil freezing level. It will determine the optimal depth for the pipes;
Location of groundwater. The higher they are, the better for geothermal heating. In this case, the temperature will increase with a change in depth, which is optimal condition for heating using earth energy.

You also need to know about the possibility of reverse energy transfer in the summer. Then heating a private house from the ground will not function, and excess heat will transfer from the house to the soil. All refrigeration systems operate on the same principle. But for this it is necessary to install additional equipment.

You cannot plan to install an external circuit away from the house. This will increase heat losses in heating from the bowels of the earth.

Horizontal geothermal heating diagram

The most common method of installing external highways. It is convenient due to its ease of installation and the ability to relatively quickly replace faulty sections of the pipeline.

For installation according to this scheme, use collector system. To do this, several contours are made, located at a minimum distance of 0.3 m from each other. They are connected using a manifold, which supplies coolant further to the heat pump. This will ensure maximum energy supply for heating from the heat of the earth.

But you need to take into account a number of important nuances:

Big square personal plot. For a house of about 150 m² it should be at least 300 m²;
Pipes must be installed to a depth below the soil freezing level;
With possible soil movement during spring floods, the likelihood of highways shifting increases.

The defining advantage of heating from the heat of the earth horizontal type is an opportunity independent arrangement. In most cases, this does not require the use of special equipment.

For maximum heat transfer, you need to use pipes with a high thermal conductivity - thin-walled polymer. But at the same time, you should consider ways to insulate heating pipes in the ground.

Vertical geothermal heating scheme

This is a more labor-intensive way to organize heating of a private house from the ground. The pipelines are located vertically in special wells. It is important to know that such a scheme is much more effective than a vertical one.

Its main advantage is to increase the degree of water heating in the external circuit. Those. The deeper the pipes are located, the greater the amount of heat from the earth for heating the house will enter the system. Another factor is small area land plot. In some cases, the installation of an external geothermal heating circuit is carried out even before the construction of a house in the immediate vicinity of the foundation.

What difficulties can you encounter when obtaining earth energy to heat a house using this scheme?

Quantitative to Qualitative. For a vertical arrangement, the length of the highways is much higher. It is compensated by higher soil temperatures. To do this, you need to make wells up to 50 m deep, which is labor-intensive work;
Soil composition. For rocky soil, it is necessary to use special drilling machines. To prevent the well from collapsing, a protective shell made of reinforced concrete or thick-walled plastic is installed in the loam;
In case of malfunction or loss of tightness the repair process becomes more complicated. In this case, long-term disruptions in the operation of the heating of the house due to the thermal energy of the earth are possible.

But despite the high initial costs and labor-intensive installation, the vertical arrangement of the highways is optimal. Experts advise using exactly this installation scheme.

For coolant circulation in the external circuit in vertical system powerful circulation pumps are needed.

Organization of geothermal heating

Consumers still have the main question - is it possible to use earth energy as the main source of heating for a country house? This is possible, but only with a professional approach at all stages - from calculation to installation and testing of the system.

First of all, you need to choose the right heat pump. Considering their high cost, you should first complete everything preliminary calculations its characteristics. Only in this case will heating using the thermal energy of the earth have maximum efficiency. Among the reliable manufacturers are Buderus, Vaillant and Veissman. The average cost of a heat pump for heating from the depths of the earth is about 360 thousand rubles with a rated power of 6 kW. More productive models can cost over 1 million rubles.

UPS - source uninterruptible power supply. This is a device that powers electrical appliances. during a power outage.

They are often used in conjunction with a computer or servers when it is necessary to keep things running 24 hours a day. UPS running geothermal based, do not give the house with electric boiler cool down.

Features of geothermal heating at home

Geothermal heating is a type of heating system in which energy comes from the earth.

Such a system can be built with one’s own hands, for this reason they popular in Europe, and middle lane Russia. But some believe that this is a fashion that will soon pass.

Such equipment difficult to heat large rooms, because the soil temperature in the areas where the heat exchangers are located is usually 6—8 °C.

But especially expensive equipment designed for production scales is capable of producing a large number of energy. Only devices of this type have huge cost.

Principle of operation

Thermal energy is taken from the ground by special heat pumps. Pipes are lowered into the ground through which liquid circulates, which heats up and delivers heat to the house. When compressed and expanded, the temperature of the gas changes; this temperature is enough to heat a house.

Reference! The process is called Carnot cycle. The discovery happened in 1824 French physicist Sadi Carnot. Refrigerators work according to the same scheme, as well as a heat engine invented by Carnot himself.

The device consists of three circuits and a pump, supporting exchange between processes within the system, the number of which is equal to three.

Inner circuit

This circuit is filled with water or a specialized liquid called coolant. Comprises pipes and radiator.

The purpose of the internal circuit is to heat the coolant, which circulates through the system and heats the whole house. It is worth adding that the internal circuit prevents the ground around the unit from freezing.

External

Inside the contour is antifreeze liquid, the circuit itself is deep underground, below freezing depth. Designed to collect thermal energy from the ground. Subsequently thermal energy transferred to the freon circuit.

Freon circuit

The main circuit within which occurs freon boiling. Consequently, a large amount of gas is released, on which the principle of operation of the system is based.

Important! The boiling point of freon is very low.

How different types of geothermal systems work

Exists three types heat exchangers, each of them its advantages. The choice depends on the type of terrain, the size of the area where the equipment will be located, the area of the heated room, the presence of a reservoir, and other factors.

Each of the systems is not cheap, but is economical in terms of consumption, and the power of the unit depends on consumption. The main difference is type of heat exchanger.

Vertical heat exchanger

The main plus is space saving. Ideal for small areas. For example, such equipment can be kept not under the house, but under a hill, without disturbing the landscape, but for this you will have to use powerful drilling equipment, for greater depth.

Photo 1. Burying a vertical type geothermal heating shaft. Spiral-wrapped pipes descend deep into the ground.

Average depth 150 meters, and the diameter 15 cm.

Horizontal heat exchanger

Over such a system you won't be able to plant a garden. It is ideal for heating large rooms from 300 m 2. There is not just a well underground, but a whole system of pipes in special tunnels.

Photo 2. Geothermal heating with pipes laid horizontally: the depth of the pit is small, but the area is large.

Area ratio equipment to the area of the heated area 1 to 3. This is very big sizes.

Placed in water

Such a system, of all those proposed, the most economical. But there is one criterion without which work is impossible: presence of a body of water nearby. The body of water must be located at a distance up to 100 meters from the heated area.

Photo 3. Geothermal heating placed in water: pipes with coolant are immersed in the nearest body of water.

In this case, thermal energy is taken not from the ground, but of water.

Advice. The area of the reservoir should be more than 200 m2.

Useful video

The video explains how geothermal heat pumps work.

Advantages and disadvantages of heating from the heat of the earth

After conducting a detailed analysis, it was possible to identify the positive and negative aspects of such systems.

Not everyone knows that creating geothermal heating at home does not require specific knowledge or skills. But compared to alternative types Geothermal heating is not so popular, and the reason for this is extremely simple - large financial costs that will only pay off in about eight years. Under such conditions, few want to invest money, and in vain.

In a word, take a closer look at geothermal heating, especially since the cost of electricity and gas is constantly growing and it is unclear which energy source will be cheaper to use in a few years.

Note! This heating method was first used in America during the financial crisis of the eighties. Over time, the new product became popular in Europe. In Sweden, for example, today ¾ of all heat is synthesized through heat pumps.

Even from the name it is clear that the essence of this type of heating is to use the energy of the earth. According to the principle of operation, it vaguely resembles air conditioners or refrigerators.

The main element is a heat pump connected to two circuits.

Under internal contour This means the heating system that is familiar to us; it consists of radiators and piping.
External is a very large heat exchanger installed underground or in a reservoir. It contains a coolant (and it may be plain water or antifreeze), having accepted the ambient temperature, is supplied to the heat pump, from where the accumulated heat enters the internal circuit. This is how heating appliances in the house heat up.

The main element of the system is the heat pump - a device that takes up no more space than gas stove. The performance of the heat pump is quite high: for every kilowatt of energy used, it produces up to five kilowatts of heat.

Note! A conventional air conditioner, whose operating principle is very similar, produces exactly as much energy as it consumes, that is, one to one.

Of course, geothermal heating is the most labor-intensive and expensive today. Most of the money will have to be spent on excavation and related equipment, including a heat pump. And many people wonder whether it is possible to save money on this and build, say, a homemade heat pump. To find out, you need to understand the types and features of the equipment.

Pros and cons of the system

Here are the main advantages of this heating method:

use of the inexhaustible energy of the earth;
high productivity factor;
no risk of fire;
efficiency;
ease of maintenance and operation;
no need for fuel storage;
autonomy;
environmental friendliness and safety.

The only disadvantages include the high cost of installation, but, as already mentioned, these costs will certainly pay off.

Note! Geothermal heating is most beneficial in tandem with “warm floors”, as well as in houses whose area does not exceed 150 square meters.

One of the most important elements is the thermal circuit. When positioned vertically, it can lie at a depth of 20 m to 150 m, depending on the geological circulation of heat. Horizontal circuits are installed at a depth of up to 2.5 m and are heated due to temperature fluctuations due to solar heating or heat loss.

Thermal devices with direct heat exchange are in direct contact with the soil. The coolant leaves the device body, moves along an underground copper line, exchanging thermal energy, and returns back.

Such heat exchange is called direct because the liquid is in contact with the ground without any “intermediaries.” Of course, it does not interact with the soil directly, but only exchanges heat with it through the walls of the pipes. Today, such pumps are rarely used; they should not be confused with devices in which heat exchange takes place through intermediate circuits.

Be that as it may, the efficiency of direct heat exchange is quite high, and the financial costs of installation are lower than in most closed systems. The thermal conductivity of copper plays an important role in this, as well as the absence of an electric water pump and an exchanger between the coolant and water, which, as is known, is the main source of heat loss.

It is also worth noting that copper pipelines are expensive, and more coolant is required than for other types of systems.

2. Closed systems

Most of these systems consist of a primary circuit filled with refrigerant and a secondary circuit filled with water and installed underground. For the manufacture of the secondary circuit they are mainly used polypropylene pipes, and fill it with water with a small amount of antifreeze.

Water leaves the heat exchanger, moves along the outer circuit, exchanging thermal energy with the soil, and returns. It is characteristic that the outer contour is below the soil freezing level, where the temperature is stable; they also immerse him in the nearest body of water.

Note! Systems submerged in water or located in moist soil are much more productive than dry circuits. Therefore, in dry soil next to the circuit, it is advisable to install a drainage hose that would moisten it.

Closed systems are less efficient than the previous option because they require labor-intensive drilling and a long pipe system. Also note that closed circuits are installed in two ways - vertically and horizontally.

The vertical circuit consists of two pipes going underground at right angles to a depth of 20-120 m. Their lower parts are connected to each other by a U-shaped connector. Shafts dug for pipes are usually filled with a special solution that improves heat transfer and protects underground aquifers from pollution.

If the system is placed horizontally, the pipes are buried below the freezing level of the soil. Naturally, they run horizontally. For obvious reasons, this method is cheaper than vertical placement (read: drilling), so it is used wherever there is enough space on the site.

An alternative to the two previous options may be to lay the contour through horizontal drilling. This makes it possible to install pipes under a garden, yard, road and other objects without destroying them.

In terms of cost, such a system is somewhere between horizontal and vertical installation. Its distinctive feature is that the loops can be connected to only one chamber, and this reduces the area required for installation.

Note! Contours using horizontal drilling are installed after the building is built.

Closed circuits that are immersed in reservoirs are a pipeline laid in loops. They can be placed in any lake or pond that is located in close proximity to the house.

5. Open systems

In such systems, the external circuit is filled with natural water. It then moves to a heat exchanger located in the body of the device, where the heat is extracted and transferred to the primary circuit. After this, the water returns back. The supply and return lines must be placed far from each other to efficiently feed the heat source.

Note! All elements of the system must be well protected from corrosion, because... chemical composition circulating water cannot be controlled. This is why it is advisable to use closed circuits if the level of minerals and salts in the water is high.

Although the effectiveness open systems an order of magnitude higher than closed ones, problems may arise during installation, mainly of a legal nature. Installation permits may be required because these systems contaminate wells and deplete aquifers.

6. Columns of liquid

Circuits with liquid columns are one of the types of systems closed type. In this case, water comes from the bottom of a deep well, passes through a pump and falls back, exchanging heat with the surrounding soil.

Often liquid columns are used where free space is limited. It is not advisable to use this system on clay or sandy soil.

We also note that the structure can consist of several pillars at once and is used mainly in small buildings.

Video - Geothermal heating

Stage one. Before you start making a pump, it is necessary to take a number of measures to improve the energy efficiency of your home. These measures include insulating floors and walls, replacing leaking doors and windows, and thermal insulation of the roof and ceiling.

Stage two. Then you need to conduct geological exploration to find out the depth of soil freezing. After this, you should draw up a project based on the selected technology.

Stage three. Purchasing everything you need - heating system parts, pipes and a compressor for the pump.

The compressor - the heart of any geothermal pump - should be discussed separately. It is impossible to make it yourself and the only option left is to buy a finished product.

It is better to buy a device with a power of more than 7 kW, used in high-performance air conditioners (such compressors are sold in service centers specializing in servicing household appliances).

Stage four. Then you can begin assembling the internal heat exchanger. Let us remind you that it is necessary to transfer the accumulated thermal energy to the heating network. The materials for a given element, as well as its volume, completely depend on specific climatic conditions. For coolant circulation, they are usually used copper tubes, while the container is made of non-corrosion material. Ideally, this capacity should be a 150-liter stainless steel tank.

Stage five. The pre-prepared copper coil must be placed in the tank. It will not be possible to do this without damaging the latter - it must be cut into two parts, and after fixing the coil, welded to its original state.

Stage six. Then you should drill shafts or trenches and install a pipeline there. Upon completion of work, it is necessary to conduct a test run of the system.

Note! Due to the high degree of complexity of the work, it is better to entrust the design and installation of such heating to experienced specialists. The same can be said about the manufacture of a heat pump.

To learn more about heat pumps, you can watch the video below.