A heat pump, heat pump exchanger component, and method of using a heat exchanger, the heat pump exchanger has long pipes arranged in at least one layer in fluid communication with one another, and spaced a minimum of about two (2) feet apart. Shorter pipes may be disposed between long pipes, and connectors between adjacent pipes. The long pipes are composed of high thermal conductive materials, such as aluminum, while the short pipes and/or connectors may be composed of flexible lower thermal conductive materials. Heat exchanger is placed a minimum of twenty-four (24) inches beneath the ground surface.

Thermal Moisture Enhanced Gradient Strata (TMEGS) for Heat Exchangers optimizes the performance of energy flows for building heating, cooling, hot water, and industrial processes. TMEGS are temperature and moisture control layers which reduce the cost of closed loop ground heat exchangers and increase heat exchanger performance by improving energy transfer between solar, geothermal, process heat and renewable energy exchangers. Circuit optimized thermally active building structures (COTABS) configure heat exchangers and thermal energy strata for application specific requirements. TMEGS integrated with COTABS is a scalable and interoperable carbon-free, planet friendly architecture for net zero energy buildings. Embodiments include the use of recycled materials, waste tire derived aggregate, nanofluids, phase change materials, cathodic protection, and integrated microprocessor and client-server controls.

An installation including at least one source of geothermal energy for geothermal storage, at least one other energy source, and equipment for converting and distributing energy. The geothermal source includes probes installed in the medium that permit heat exchange between the geothermal medium and a heat-transport fluid passing through the probes. The method involves defining a forecast trajectory (TP) for the temperature of the geothermal medium over time, evaluating the temperature of the geothermal medium, making an adjustment to the thermal power exchanged between the geothermal medium and the heat-transport fluid which on leaving the probe has a temperature (TW), in the direction of making the temperature of the geothermal medium consistent with the forecast trajectory. The mean (TM) of the forecast trajectory (TP) is stable and preferably exhibits, with respect to the ground temperature (TN) a differential causing an annual thermal flux between the natural ground and the medium.

A helical pile including a heat exchanger is described. The pile is formed from a lead section and one or more extension sections. The interior of the lead and extension sections are hollow and form a heat exchanger cavity. At the lower end of the lead section is a helical blade. Rotation of the lead section causes the helical blade to screw into the ground, thus pulling the lead section downward. Extension sections are added to the lead section and the pile is rotated until it is installed to a desired depth. The pile includes an inflow tube extending a predetermined distance into the heat exchanger cavity and an outflow port connected with the heat exchanger cavity. In operation, a heat carrying fluid is pumped into the inflow tube from a heat source or sink, for example, a heat pump for a building heating and cooling system. The fluid exits the tube at a point near the bottom of the heat exchanger cavity. The fluid flows upward through the heat exchange cavity and exchanges heat with the surrounding soil. The fluid flows out through the outflow port and back to the heat source or sink.

A new system for and a method of deploying a heat exchanger pipe. A bore hole is drilled from an access ditch location to a terminal ditch location using a piloted drill head powered via an umbilical attached to the piloted drill head. A casing is attached to the piloted drill head and disposed about the umbilical into the bore hole from the access ditch location to the terminal ditch location. At the terminal ditch location, the piloted drill head is removed from the casing and the umbilical and a heat exchanger pipe is attached to the umbilical. The umbilical is withdrawn from within the casing deployed in the bore hole to pull the heat exchanger pipe into the casing. The casing is then withdrawn from the bore hole leaving the heat exchanger pipe in the bore hole.

An system and method for cooling of electronic equipment, for example a computer system, in a subsurface environment including a containment vessel in at least partial contact with subsurface liquid or solid material. The containment vessel may be disposed in a variety of subsurface environments, including boreholes, man-made excavations, subterranean caves, as well as ponds, lakes, reservoirs, oceans, or other bodies of water. The containment vessel may be installed with a subsurface configuration allowing for human access for maintenance and modification. Cooling is achieved by one or more fluids circulating inside and/or outside the containment vessel, with a variety of configurations of electronic devices disposed within the containment vessel. The circulating fluid(s) may be cooled in place by thermal conduction or by active transfer of the fluid(s) out of the containment vessel to an external heat exchange mechanism, then back into the containment vessel.

The invention relates to a thermal energy storage having a fluid source comprising one or more primary boreholes (110; 210; 311, 312, 313; 411, 412, 413; 511; 611; 711; 811; 911) extending from ground level to a predetermined depth in a rock body; and one or more secondary boreholes (120; 220; 751; 851; 951) located remote from the fluid source. At least an upper and a lower fracture plane (P.sub.1, P.sub.2, P.sub.3) intersects the one or more primary boreholes (110; 210; 311, 312, 313; 411, 412, 413; 511; 611; 711; 811; 911) and said secondary boreholes (120; 220; 751; 851; 951), which fracture planes (P.sub.1, P.sub.2, P.sub.3) permit a hydraulic flow of fluid between the primary borehole and at least one of the secondary boreholes (120; 220; 751; 851; 951). The fluid source comprises a well system comprising at least two wells (311, 312, 313; 431, 432, 433; 531, 532, 533; 631, 632, 633; 731; 831, 832, 833; 931) where each well is in fluid communication with one or more fracture planes; and where at least one sealing element positioned to prevent hydraulic flow between wells. The hydraulic flow in each well is controllable to permit a hydraulic flow of fluid between one or more primary boreholes (110; 210; 311, 312, 313; 411, 412, 413; 511; 611; 711; 811; 911) and at least one of the secondary boreholes (120; 220; 751; 851; 951) in at least one fracture plane (P.sub.1, P.sub.2, P.sub.3).

An air handling system that includes at least one earth-coupled heat exchanger assembly that further includes a first pipe section having an inner diameter and an outer diameter; a second pipe section concentrically surrounding a portion of the first pipe section, wherein the second pipe section includes an inner diameter and an outer diameter, wherein the outer diameter of the first pipe section and the inner diameter of the second pipe section define a space therebetween, and wherein the space between the first pipe section and the second pipe section is evacuated to form an insulating vacuum therein; and a third pipe section concentrically surrounding a portion of the second pipe section, wherein the third pipe section includes an inner diameter and an outer diameter, and wherein the outer diameter of the second pipe and the inner diameter of the third pipe section define a passageway therebetween.

The thermal containment system generally includes an enclosure, a vertical enclosure, a cable management system, integrated cooling unit, a plurality of quick connect couples for the cooling unit, a plurality of VFD fans, a plurality of recessed wheels, a plurality of wireless sensors and a quick lock system for securing the thermal containment system. The thermal containment system may be employed to control air flow in the data center, isolating hot air expelled by a plurality of computer systems therein and conditioning the hot air with integrated cooling units that may be connected to a closed loop geothermal cooling system. The wireless sensors may be employed to collect data for a data center infrastructure management (DCIM) system that may monitor and manage elements of the thermal containment system.

Disclosed is a process and apparatus for cooling a coolant used in a heat exchange equipment in a plant. The process is performed in a plant having the apparatus disclosed herein. The process and apparatus utilize a geothermal cooling loop for cooling at least a portion of the total amount of coolant circulating in the coolant loop that is used to cool a surface of a heat exchange equipment in the plant.