Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Qeot ermal aqueduct network
~C,~C~Q~,1ND_QF 7HE_ INVENTIQN :
Field of the invention :
The invention relates generally to heating and air conditioning but more
particularly to
a geothermal system using the water from the aqueduct system.
Background of the invention :
The use of geothermal energy has been known for centuries and in recent
decades,
coupled with the heat pump technology, it has been found that it is possible,
by
running lengths of pipes underground, to capture the constant year-round heat
of the
ground, pass it through a heat pump and heat or cool a house, depending upon
the
seasonal requirements.
Patents 5,727,621 and 6,053,239, both by Hardin go to great length at
explaining that
since all the technology had been around and that the need to conserve energy
is
there, why is it that no one has thought about doing it sooner, therefore it
must not
have been so obvious to even those we1l versed in the art to do what Hardin
teaches.
Not being obvious means that there is an inventive step, Indeed, Hardin was
not only
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succesful in obtaining a patent but two patents. Patent 6,053,239 is mostly
concerned
with the use of filtering means to filter water before putting it back into
the system_
Since Hardin has created a precedent in this field of endeavor of combining
known
technology in order to make it do something it is designed to do but that no
one has
thought about using it to do what it can do and that, further, Hardin has
shown that in
this field, making a small change, such as the small difference between the
teachings
of patent 5,727,621 and the teachings of patent 6,053,239 can result in a
patent
even if the change concems a step that should normally have been well known in
the
art. This instant invention does provide an approach that uses different
steps, some of
which solve certain issues raised by the patents of Hardin.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore a main advantage of this invention to solve problems of the
prior art.
It is a second advantage of this invention to provide for a geothermal system
that
uses an existing aqueduct system as a source of water with a constant
temperature
year round for use in heat pumps so as to provide for a home heating and
cooling
system.
It is a third advantage of this invention to provide a means for keeping water
in
circulation constantly so as to maximize its eft=rciency as cooling or heating
means.
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it is a fourth advantage of this invention to provide for an efficient means
of keeping
the water source clean.
It is a fifth object of this invention to provide for a geothermal aqueduct
network that
does not require a secondary return line for water and in fact very little
modification to
an existing aqueduct system.
In order to do so, the invention comprises heat pumps inside each individual
dwellings
plus a circulation pump to provide circulation between the house and the
aqueduct by
way of an exit pipe (besides the existing water entry pipe) that returns the
water to the
aqueduct network. Having constant water circulation further insures against
potential
freezing up of the water in the aqueduct_ This constant circulation can be
achieved in
various ways such as use of water by residents using water, by internaf
leakage that,
in practice, is always present in aqueduct system or, by an overpressure
release
valve which empies water into the storm sewer system or back into the water
reserve
cistern of the aqueduct system. Also, and most importantly, in order to keep
the water
supply clean, the water is never used directly into the heat pump but is
rather used in
a much simpler heat excanger which does not contribute any pollutant to the
water, at
least far less than the aqueduct system contributes by itself.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of
the
invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be
better
understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be
better
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appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be
described
hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended
hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in
detail, it
is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to
the details of
construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the
following
description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other
embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it
is to be
understood that the phraseology and te-minology employed herein are for the
purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting_
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon
which this
disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of
other
structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the
present
invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as
including such
equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and
scope of the
present invention.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various
features of
novelty which characEerize the invention, are pointed out with particularity
in the
claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better
understanding of
the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by
its uses,
reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in
which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION QTPREFERRED EMBQDJMgNT
Fig. I Schematic view of the geothermal aqueduct network.
Fig. 2 Schematic view of a typical individual housing installation.
DETAIhAD DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EM,RODIMENT
A geothermal aqueduct network (10) uses an existing aqueduct network as its
basic
structure which generally include at least one underground main pipe (12)
starting
from a regional water source (14) such as a cistem or pumping house pumping
water
from a remote location. The water source can be from the underground water
table or
from a river or other naturally occuring water source. The main pipe leads to
secondary pipes (16) which eventually bring water to dwellings (18). Each
house (18)
has an inlet pipe (20) as is well known in the art but also has an outlet pipe
(22)
leading back to the secondary pipe (16). Once the water reaches a house (18)
by way
of the inlet pipe (20), the water goes through a heat exchanger (50), with the
help of
an optional circulating pump (51) if necessary, which transfers the water heat
energy
to a fluid (52) by means well known in the art of heat exchangers. For
example, a heat
exchanger (50) such as the fusion piate heat exchanger from Alfa Nova is
certified for
use in the food industry and as such, cannot contribute any pollutant to the
water
circufating through it.
Once water has passed through the heat exchanger (50) it is returned to the
aqueduct
system (10) by way of the outlet pipe (22)_ There is no need for a secondary
pipe
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system as is the case in the Hardin patents. There is thus no need to change
the
aqueduct system by doubling the amount of pipes, only the short length of
pipes
between a dwelling (18) and the secondary pipe (16) is required. In the heat
exchanger (50) the water has exchanged its heat with the fluid (52). This
fluid (52) is
what circulates through the heat pump (54) and is processed as is well known
in the
art. Generally, at this point in time, a solution of water and metahne is
considered an
efficient fluid (52) for use in a heat pump (54) but of course, various other
types of
fluids (52) can be used as new developments warrant_
Because only when water is removed from the aqueduct system (10) does it move
through it --water removal being generally defined as water being used such as
by
opening a tap, valve or spigot anywhere in the aqueduct system, (10) - there
must be
regular removal of water through a water removal means to provide circulation
of
water within the aqueduct system (10) if not, water could remain for long
periods of
time within the heat exchanger (50) and not be able to continue providing heat
exchange.
Water removal can be done by using an overpressure valve (56) which can empty
into a storm sewer (58) or back into the regional water source (14).
As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the present
invention, the same should be apparent from the above description.
Accordingly, no
further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be
provided.
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With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the
optimum
dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include
variations in size,
materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use,
are
deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all
equivalent
relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the
specification are
intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles
of the
invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes wiH readily occur
to
those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the
exact construction
and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modfflcations
and
equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
