Methods and systems for controlling temperature and humidity within a space in a building. Outdoor air and return air from the space are passed through particular equipment in a particular order. Equipment includes a secondary direct-expansion refrigeration circuit, a recovery wheel, a primary cooling coil or direct-expansion refrigeration circuit, secondary circuit coils, and a dehumidification wheel. Various embodiments include modulating the secondary circuit compressor to adjust reheat capacity at the secondary circuit condenser coil, a geothermal direct-expansion refrigeration circuit, a variable refrigerant flow subsystem, fan coil units, multiple zones, a dedicated outdoor air supply subsystem, an evaporative cooler, supplemental outdoor air, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, supply air passes first through the recovery wheel, then through the primary cooling coil, then through the dehumidification wheel, and then to the space. Further, in some embodiments, exhaust air passes through the dehumidification wheel, and then through the recovery wheel.

An MVHR system for a building having a roof with at least two pitched slopes facing in different directions. The MVHR system comprises a Heat Recovery Unit (HRU) for exchanging heat between a flow of ambient air and a flow of air from inside the building. The HRU is connected to two ports located on different pitched slopes, and a flow diverter is provided between the HRU and the ports. The flow diverter is switchable so as to reverse the flows of air into and out of the building via the two ports and through the HRU. The system can be combined with photovoltaic solar cells and/or an air source heat pump and/or a ground source heat pump system.

A climate-control system may include a working-fluid circuit and a cooling-fluid circuit. The working-fluid circuit may include a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion device, and an indoor heat exchanger. The compressor compresses a working fluid. The outdoor heat exchanger may receive compressed working fluid from the compressor. The expansion device may be disposed downstream of the outdoor heat exchanger. The indoor heat exchanger may be disposed downstream of the expansion device and upstream of the compressor. The cooling-fluid circuit may contain a cooling fluid in a heat transfer relationship with working fluid in the working-fluid circuit. The cooling-fluid circuit may include an underground heat exchanger conduit embedded in earth below an earth ground surface. The underground heat exchanger may selectively receive the cooling fluid such that heat from the cooling fluid is transferred to the earth.

Trench-confirmable geothermal reservoirs with flexible reservoir bodies that can snugly abut trench walls (that may be of virgin, compacted earth) for facilitating heat exchange and flow liquid from one lower end to an opposing top end, and vice versa, depending on desired heat exchange. The direction can be reversed for summer and winter heat/cooling configurations. A series of the reservoirs may be used for appropriate heat transfer. The water volume of the reservoirs is relatively large and slow moving for good earth heat conduction. The reservoirs include first and second ports, one of which has an elongate internal tube that has a bottom that resides adjacent a bottom of the reservoir body and a series of apertures on only a lower portion of the internal tube to intake or output liquid depending on flow direction.

A cooling apparatus and method comprising a heat exchanger in thermal communication with a plurality of computing devices, a single or plurality of filtered coolant intake pipes and corresponding coolant exhaust pipes in thermal communication with the heat exchanger via a configurable filtration unit. The apparatus and method includes a geothermal heat sink comprised in a geothermal field, structured to transport heat away from the heat exchanger via the filtered coolant intake and exhaust pipes, and a coolant pump operatively coupled to the coolant intake and coolant exhaust pipes in a coolant circuit and configured to transport heat absorbed by the heat exchanger to the geological heat sink comprised in the geothermal field.

A concentric pipe geothermal heat exchanger well head is described. The well head may include a riser pipe having an outer pipe and an inner core pipe, wherein an inner heat exchanger pipe is coupled to the inner core pipe, a reducer coupled to an outer heat exchanger pipe on one side and coupled to the outer pipe on a second opposite side to conduct fluid between the outer heat exchanger pipe and the outer pipe, a flow pipe parallel to and biaxial with the riser pipe configured to be coupled to a geothermal heat pump, and an elbow coupled to the outer pipe to couple fluid between the outer pipe and the well head pipe.

Disclosed are a prefabricated energy pile, a construction method and a heat pump heat exchange system. The energy pile includes a pile body and a heat exchange pipeline. The pile body includes a stainless steel pipe, a metal lining pipe extending within the stainless steel pipe and a concrete pipe between the metal lining pipe and the stainless steel pipe. A heat conductor between the stainless steel pipe and the metal lining pipe is in contact connection with the stainless steel pipe and the metal lining pipe. The heat exchange pipeline includes a first pipe section and a second pipe section in communication with each other, through which a heat exchange medium flows in turn. Tops of the first pipe section and the second pipe section protrude upward out of the energy pile. The second pipe section is in contact connection with the metal lining pipe.

Disclosed are a prefabricated energy pile, a construction method and a heat pump heat exchange system. The energy pile includes a pile body and a heat exchange pipeline. The pile body includes a stainless steel pipe, a metal lining pipe extending within the stainless steel pipe and a concrete pipe between the metal lining pipe and the stainless steel pipe. A heat conductor between the stainless steel pipe and the metal lining pipe is in contact connection with the stainless steel pipe and the metal lining pipe. The heat exchange pipeline includes a first pipe section and a second pipe section in communication with each other, through which a heat exchange medium flows in turn. Tops of the first pipe section and the second pipe section protrude upward out of the energy pile. The second pipe section is in contact connection with the metal lining pipe.

A geothermal heat exchanger, a geothermal heat arrangement and to a method in connection with a geothermal heat arrangement. The geothermal heat exchanger includes a piping arrangement having a rise pipe and a drain pipe, and a first pump arranged to the piping arrangement. The rise pipe and drain pipe are arranged in fluid communication with each other for circulating the primary working fluid. The rise pipe is provided with a first thermal insulation surrounding the rise pipe along at least part of the length of the rise pipe and the first pump is arranged to circulate the primary working fluid in a direction towards a lower end of the rise pump.

A multi-mode, bi-directional cascade heat pump system, according to some examples, includes at least two chillers each being part of a unidirectional refrigerant circuit. The system includes heat exchangers each of which are dedicated to operate as just a condenser or as just an evaporator, regardless of the system's operating mode. In some modes, a secondary fluid transfers heat between the condenser of one chiller and the evaporator of another chiller before the fluid returns to a secondary fluid source such as, for example, a geothermal borefield or a conventional water source. In some embodiments, fluid is withdrawn from a borefield by way of a pump having a speed that varies to maintain a desired fluid temperature and/or a desired heat transfer rate at the borefield. The heat pump system includes means for minimizing flow through the borefield and for minimizing unnecessary mixing of relatively high and low temperature fluid.