Support member with dual use rebar for geothermal underground loop and methods

Abstract

A support member for a man-made structure includes support member being at least partially underground and including a poured filler and at least two hollow rebars embedded within said poured filler thereby displacing a volume of said poured filler equal to the volume of said embedded at least two hollow rebars, a first hollow rebar of said at least two hollow rebars being a downward flow geothermal underground loop segment and having an inlet at its top, and a second hollow rebar of said at least two hollow rebars being an upward flow geothermal underground loop segment and having an outlet at its top.

Claims

1. A support member for a man-made structure, the support member with a dual use rebars to function as both structural rebars and as geothermal underground loop segments, which comprises: said support member being at least partially underground and including a poured filler and at least two hollow rebars embedded within said poured filler thereby displacing a volume of said poured filler equal to the volume of said embedded at least two hollow rebars, a first hollow rebar of said at least two hollow rebars being a downward flow geothermal underground loop segment and having an inlet at its top, and a second hollow rebar of said at least two hollow rebars being an upward flow geothermal underground loop segment and having an outlet at its top, said at least two hollow rebars being connected to each other at their bottoms by a hollow connector to establish a geothermal underground loop, and said at least two hollow rebars having structural design support sufficient to support load in excess of poured filler which they displace; wherein said support member is a caisson.

2. The support member with dual use rebars of claim 1 wherein said support member has top view alignment means for positioning said at least two hollow rebars within said poured filler.

3. The support member with dual use rebars of claim 2 wherein said top view alignment means for positioning said at least two hollow rebars within said poured filler is at least one positioning cage.

4. The structure and support members with dual use rebars of claim 3 wherein there are more than two hollow rebars and they are functionally connected to one another in series to allow continuous flow of a geothermal fluid.

5. A structure and support members with a dual use rebars to function as both structural rebars and as a geothermal underground loop segments, which comprises: a) a man-made structure with a plurality of support members; b) said plurality of support members being at least partially underground and including a casing, a poured filler in said casing and at least two hollow rebars embedded within said poured filler thereby displacing a volume of said poured filler equal to the volume of said embedded at least two hollow rebars, a first hollow rebar of said two hollow rebars being a downward flow geothermal underground loop segment and having an inlet at its top, and a second hollow rebar of said at least two hollow rebars being an upward flow geothermal underground loop segment and having an outlet at its top, said at least two hollow rebars being connected to each other at their bottoms by a hollow connector to establish a geothermal underground loop, and said at least two hollow rebars having structural design support sufficient to support load in excess of poured filler which they displace; and, c) a geothermal above ground conditioning system for creating at least one condition selected from heating and cooling, and connected to said inlet and said outlet of said first hollow rebar and said second hollow rebar, respectively; wherein there are more than two hollow rebars and they are functionally connected to one another in series to allow continuous flow of a geothermal fluid.

6. The structure and support members with dual use rebars of claim 5 wherein said poured filler is selected from the group consisting of cement, concrete, synthetic cement, polymer aggregate and combinations thereof.

7. The structure and support members with dual use rebars of claim 5 wherein said casings are metal casings.

8. The structure and support members with dual use rebars of claim 5 wherein said at least two hollow rebars are heat treated metal hollow rebars.

9. The structure and support members with dual use rebars of claim 5 wherein said at least two hollow rebars have support strength greater than the support strength of the cross sectional area of said poured filler which they have displaced.

10. The support member with dual use rebars of claim 5 wherein said top view alignment means for positioning said at least two hollow rebars within said poured filler is at least one positioning cage.

11. A method for creating a support member for a man-made structure, which comprises: a) inserting a vertical casing into the ground; inserting at least two hollow rebars thereby displacing a volume of said poured filler equal to the volume of said embedded at least two hollow rebars, including a first hollow rebar of said at least two hollow rebars, being a downward flow geothermal underground loop segment and having an inlet at its top, and a second hollow rebar of said at least two hollow rebars, being an upward flow geothermal underground loop segment and having an outlet at its top, said at least two hollow rebars being connected to each other at their bottoms by a hollow connector to establish a geothermal underground loop, and said at least two hollow rebars having structural design support sufficient to support load in excess of poured filler which they displace; b) pouring a filler into said casing and around said at least two hollow rebars so as to embed said hollow rebars within said filler with tops of said first hollow rebar and said second hollow rebar extending beyond said filler.

12. The method of creating a support member for a man-made structure of claim 11 wherein said filler is selected from the group consisting of cement, concrete, synthetic cement, polymer aggregate and combinations thereof.

13. The method of creating a support member for a man-made structure of claim 11 wherein said at least two hollow rebars are heat treated metal hollow rebars.

14. The method of creating a support member for a man-made structure of claim 11 wherein there are more than two hollow rebars inserted and they are functionally connected to one another in series to allow continuous flow of a geothermal fluid.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS(S)

[0032] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and together with the detailed description serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:

[0033] FIG. 1 shows a side view of a prior art piling without rebars and without a geothermal loop;

[0034] FIG. 2 shows a side view of a prior art piling with conventional rebars and no geothermal loop;

[0035] FIG. 3 shows a prior art piling without rebars and with a geothermal loop;

[0036] FIG. 4 shows a side view of a piling with conventional rebars and a conventional geothermal loop;

[0037] FIG. 5 shows a present invention piling with dual purpose rebars that serve to provide both structural design value as a rebar and to provide a below ground geothermal loop;

[0038] FIG. 6 shows a present invention caisson with dual use rebars in a horizontal orientation;

[0039] FIG. 7 shows a present invention caisson with dual use rebars in a vertical orientation;

[0040] FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of the present invention support member with dual use rebars;

[0041] FIG. 9a shows a present invention set of dual use rebars in a vertical orientation with a positioning plate and FIG. 9b shows details of that plate; and,

[0042] FIG. 10 shows a present invention set of dual use rebars in a vertical orientation with a positioning cage.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0043] The present invention relates to geothermal conditioning systems for air conditioning, heating and combinations thereof, and more specifically to significant decreases in costs of installment, using environmentally preferred methods and arrangements. Geothermal heating/cooling systems have below ground geothermal fluid loops and above ground geothermal loops. The below ground loops move fluids from ground (or above ground) levels to below ground levels and back to take advantage of steady temperature underground conditions (approximately, 55 degrees Fahrenheit). The geothermal cooling and heating processes often involve the below ground geothermal fluid loop(s) as well as geothermal heat exchangers where a second fluid or air is used for the above ground heating/cooling loop. By utilizing dual purpose rebars in the present invention below ground structure supports, such as pilings and caissons, for buildings, roadways, homes, runways, bridges and other man-made structures, the need for separate drillings, pipes and pourings for below ground geothermal loops is completely eliminated. In the present invention support members, the dual use rebars add structural design value to the support (that is, they have significant added value to the vertical and/or other strength of the support), while at the same time provide one or more below ground geothermal system loops. The term below ground as used herein is generally meant to be below ground level, but also includes at least partially below ground level and also includes below water level (which is usually inherently below ground level).

[0044] FIG. 1 shows a side view of a prior art below ground piling 10 without rebars and without a geothermal loop. This is a piling that is cylindrical, i.e., round top view, with casing 5 having an outer diameter of 24 inches. In this case, for example, with a properly positioned plurality of these pilings, such as piling 10, they may support a building foundation and structure on the foundation, such as a thirty floor building. The foundation 3 has a load A, as shown, directly above piling 10. The load is assumed to be 20 tons. An engineer has determined that a 24 inch diameter piling made of steel casing 5 of a specified gauge, with poured filler 7 of a specified content and strength, will support load A. Thus, piling 10 may have a structural design value of at least 26 tons and perhaps 30 tons, as these are typically overdesigned.

[0045] For decades, engineers have determined that loads such as Load A can be supported by smaller diameter pilings if rebars are inserted that have structural design values equal to the filler excluded by the smaller cross-section (diameter). Thus, if a 24 inch diameter piling has a structural design value of 26 tons, then a 10 inch diameter piling of the same structure might have a structural design value of 4.7 tons. By inserting two 3 inch vertical rebars, each having a structural design value of 12.7 tons, the 10 inch piling will have about the same structural design value as the 24 inch piling without rebars. Thus, the support capability of the 10 inch piling with the preceding stated two rebars will be as strong as the 24 inch piling mentioned (4.7+12.7+12.7=30.1 tons).

[0046] FIG. 2 shows a side view of a prior art 10 inch below ground piling 20 with casing 11, poured filler 13 and conventional rebars 15 and 17 and no geothermal loop. This would have the equivalent structural design value of piling 10 in FIG. 1, even though smaller in diameter, due to the added strength of the rebars.

[0047] FIG. 3 shows a prior art below ground piling 30 with the same casing 5 and poured filler 7 as in FIG. 1, and diameter of 24 inches, without rebars and now including a conventional geothermal loop with inlet pipe 31 and outlet pipe 33, extending above Load A for connection to a geothermal system. Piling 30 has the casing Here the piling 30 has about the same structural design values as piling 10 in FIG. 1, but weakened by the displaced poured filler that would otherwise be where the loop is now positioned. Typical geothermal loops are made of plastic, PVC, or metal pipes such as copper or aluminum and have little or no structural design value. Thus, the piling 30 of FIG. 3 might have a structural design value of 27 tons due to the losses resulting from the weaker conventional below ground geothermal loop displacing some of the filler.

[0048] FIG. 4 shows a side view of a prior art below ground piling 40, with 10 inch casing 11 and grout (poured filler 13) with conventional rebars 15 and 17 as in FIG. 2 above, and now including a conventional geothermal loop with inlet pipe 41 and outlet pipe 43. This is similar in structural design value to the 10 inch piling 20 of FIG. 2, except for the loss resulting from the geothermal loop as it lacks structural design value.

[0049] It is an objective of the present invention to crate dual purpose rebars having beneficial structural design value to achieve three four favorable results simultaneously: (a) reduce the cross sections or other dimensions of support structures by inclusion of rebars having structural design values; (b) use hollow rebars for the aforesaid rebars, that also function as below ground geothermal loops, i.e., flow paths for below ground geothermal loop fluids; (c) thereby eliminate any separate drillings, pipes or fillings for geothermal below ground loops; (4) by eliminating the standard separate below ground geothermal loops, reducing costs and environmental and aesthetic impacts that otherwise would have occurred.

[0050] FIG. 5 shows a present invention piling 50 with casing 55 and cement, grout or other filler 57, and with dual purpose rebars 51 and 53 connected at the base as shown, that are hollow and made of heat treated, one inch thick walls and that serve to provide both structural design value as a rebar and to provide a below ground geothermal loop.

[0051] FIG. 6 shows a present invention caisson 63, positioned under a man-made structure such as a bridge or other structure 61, such other structure being, for examples, a roadway, a runway a transformer station pad, etc., requiring under support or elevation support caissons. The caisson 63 includes an embedded geothermal below ground loop with dual use rebars in a horizontal orientation. Inlet 59 is above the cement or concrete of caisson 63 for attachment to a geothermal system, such as for heating a bridge structure to prevent icing or for heating a bridge house. Inlet 59 is the upper portion of downcomer pipe 65, connected in series to horizontal pipes 67, 69, 71, 73 and 75, which are connected to one another by U-connectors such as connector 77, and which is subsequently connected to riser pipe 79 for return to the geothermal system. All of the piping and preferably the connectors as well, are very thick hollow rebars that add significant structural design value to the caisson, thereby reducing one or more dimensions and poured filler volume.

[0052] FIG. 7 shows a present invention caisson 81 with dual use rebars in a vertical orientation instead of the horizontal orientation of FIG. 6, and likewise supports bridge or other structure 61. Here there are two independent sets of below ground geothermal loops that may be manifolded above ground to provide a single inlet to a geothermal system. Of course there may be one, two or many loops in parallel or series or combinations thereof, and any parallel arrangements may be manifolded inside or outside of the caisson itself. This will also apply to pilings as well. In FIG. 7, the left below ground loop includes hollow rebars 83 and 85 and connector 87, and the right loop includes hollow rebars 89 and 91 with connector 93, all with significant predetermined structural design values.

[0053] FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of an overview of the present invention support member with dual use rebars. Block 101 shows man-made structure e.g., house, building, bridge, roadway, runway within which or under which the present invention support structure will be built. In block 103, a plurality of dual use hollow rebars creating below ground loop segments for geothermal heating and/or air conditioning are placed in pilings or caissons 105 wherein the poured filler embedded dual use hollow rebars are positioned at least partially underground and connected to a geothermal system 107 for the man-made structure 101.

[0054] In some instances, especially in deep casings, it is important to top view align, typically come close to centering, the hollow dual purpose rebars in the casing prior to pouring the filler. Positioning mechanisms, such as plates, cages, spokes or other device may be used. FIG. 9a shows a top view of a present invention set of dual use hollow rebars 123 and 125 connected at their bottoms via connector pipe 127, in a vertical orientation in casing 121, with a positioning plate 129. The details are shown in FIG. 9b and both of these FIGS. 9a and 9b are now discussed. Plate 129 has a cut out area 135 that is the shape of the outside outer periphery of the aforementioned rebars 123 and 125. There are metal springs 131 and 133 that hold the plate 129 on the rebars. As shown in FIG. 9a, there is an opening 139 in the center and an annulus opening 137 through which the filler may be poured to create the present invention support member.

[0055] FIG. 10 shows a present invention set of dual use rebars 151 and 153 with connector 155 with a positioning cage 157 for desired vertical orientation and alignment in a casing. The cage 157 includes an upper strap 159, a lower strap 161 (each with fastening means, not shown), and ribs such as ribs 163, 165 and 167. The bowing of the rubs is adjustable depending upon the distance set between the two straps. The ribs will snugly or loosely fit inside a casing and position the rebars on center accordingly.

[0056] Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those particular embodiments, and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, when pilings are used as part of the present invention support structure, the casings may be partially or completely eliminated or substituted, and thus the term casing should mean any outer structure used to contain poured filler in a piling. Such casings may be corrugated tubing or other tubing or even box frames such as are used for pouring square pillars (pilings). Also, as in the situation wherein there is drilled bedrock at the bottom of the piling, a casing need not extend into the bedrock, whereas the poured filler will, and the dual purpose hollow rebars may or may not extend into the bedrock. Also, the term piling as used herein means any vertically elongated support member that is at least partially below ground and should be taken to be synonymous with pile.