SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR USING RECYCLABLES FOR THERMAL STORAGE

SYSTEME ET PROCEDE D'UTILISATION DE PRODUITS RECYCLABLES POUR UN STOCKAGE THERMIQUE

English Abstract

A thermal storage system (100) and related method, comprising: a thermal
collector (101); a thermal storage sink
(102); at least one thermal storage transport conduit (8) for transporting
thermal energy from the thermal collector to the thermal
storage sink for storage therein; at least one thermal delivery conduit (11)
for transporting the thermal energy from the thermal
storage sink to an indoor-air space for use therein; a thermal storage liquid
(21) within the thermal storage sink; and baled waste
tires (14) for enhancing thermal storage. Also, a thermal storage sink and
related method comprising: a sink (102); liquid (21)
within the sink; and at least one recyclable material comprising baled tires
(14) for at least one of the following functions: providing
insulation, providing a free flow of liquid therethrough, providing thermal
mass, providing structural support to a said sink, resisting
settling of a surface above said sink, buffering shock to said sink,
protecting pipes or conduits located within or serving
said sink, averting deflection, eliminating or reducing costly drilling,
reducing a need for plastic tubing, eliminating casing,
reducing thermal sink construction costs.

French Abstract

L'invention concerne un système de stockage thermique et un procédé correspondant, le système comprenant : un collecteur thermique; un puits de stockage thermique, à savoir un conduit de transport de stockage thermique pour transporter de l'énergie thermique du collecteur thermique vers le puits thermique dans lequel l'énergie doit être stockée; au moins un conduit de distribution thermique pour transporter l'énergie thermique du puits de stockage thermique vers un espace d'air intérieur dans lequel l'énergie doit être utilisée; un liquide de stockage thermique dans le puits de stockage thermique; et des rouleaux de pneus usés pour améliorer le stockage thermique. De même, l'invention concerne un puits de stockage thermique et un procédé correspondant comprenant : un puits; un liquide dans le puits; et au moins un matériau recyclable comprenant des rouleaux de pneus. Ces éléments sont utilisés pour au moins une des fonctions suivantes : fournir une isolation, fournir un écoulement libre de liquide à travers, fournir une masse thermique, fournir un support structurel audit puits, résister au dépôt d'une surface au dessus dudit puits, amortir le choc sur ledit puits, protéger les conduits ou tuyaux situés dans ledit puits ou le desservant, indiquer la déflexion, éliminer ou réduire le forage coûteux, réduire les besoins en tubage plastiques, éliminer les boîtiers, réduire les coûts de construction des puits thermiques.

Claims

CLAIMS

1. A thermal storage system (100), comprising:
a thermal storage sink (6,102,1000);
at least one thermal delivery conduit (8,11,12,22,1108,1302,1503,1505)for
transporting thermal energy
from said thermal storage sink (6,102,1000) to an indoor-air space (901) for
use therein;
a thermal storage liquid (20,21,26) within said thermal storage sink
(6,102,1000); and
compacted baled waste tires (14, 301) for enhancing thermal storage; wherein:
said compacted baled waste tires (14, 301), because of increased density due
their compaction, provide
increased structural support and increased thermal mass for said thermal
storage system relative to waste tires which
are not compacted.

2. The system (100) of claim 1, further comprising a liner (18) for
substantially containing said thermal
storage liquid (20,21,26) from within said thermal storage sink (6,102,1000).

3. The system (100) of claim 1, wherein said compacted baled waste tires (14,
301) are within said thermal
storage sink (6,102, 1000).

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said compacted baled waste tires (14, 301)
are substantially around a
perimeter of said thermal storage sink (6,102,1000).

5. The system (100) of claim 1, wherein said compacted baled waste tires (14,
301) are both within said
thermal storage sink (6,102,1000) and around a perimeter of said thermal
storage sink (6,102,1000).

6. The system (100) of claim 1, further comprising:
at least some of said compacted baled waste tires (14, 301) outside of said
liner (18) relative to said thermal storage
sink (6,102,1000).

7. The system (100) of claim 1, further comprising some of said compacted
baled waste tires (14, 301)
positioned about an outer perimeter of said a thermal storage sink
(6,102,1000) for insulating said thermal storage
sink (6,102,1000) from its outside environs (504).

8. The system (100) of claim 1, further comprising some of said compacted
baled waste tires (14, 301)
positioned to provide structural support to said thermal storage sink
(6,102,1000).

9. The system (100) of claim 1, further comprising some of said compacted
baled waste tires (14, 301)
positioned within said thermal storage sink (6,102,1000) for adding thermal
mass to said thermal storage sink
(6,102,1000).

10. The system (100) of claim 1, wherein said thermal storage sink
(6,102,1000) is underground (504).

11. The system (100) of claim 1, said at least one thermal storage transport
conduit
(8,11,12,22,1108,1302,1503,1505) utilizing said thermal storage liquid
(20,21,26) for transporting said thermal
energy from said thermal collector (101) to said thermal storage sink
(6,102,1000).

12. The system (100) of claim 1, said at least one thermal delivery conduit
(8,11,12,22,1108,1302,1503,1505)
utilizing said thermal storage liquid (20,21,26) for transporting said thermal
energy from said thermal storage sink
(6,102,1000) to the indoor air space (901).

13. The system (100) of claim 1, said at least one thermal storage transport
conduit
(8,11,12,22,1108,1302,1503,1505) utilizing a liquid (20,21,26) other than said
thermal storage liquid (21,26) for
transporting said thermal energy from said thermal collector (101) to said
thermal storage sink 6,102,1000).


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14. The system (100) of claim 1, said at least one thermal delivery conduit
(8,11,12,22,1108,1302,1503,1505)
utilizing a liquid (20,21,26) other than said thermal storage liquid (21,26)
for transporting said thermal energy from
said thermal storage sink (6,102,1000) to the indoor- air space (901).

15. The system (100) of claim 1, wherein at least part of said thermal
collector (101) is above said thermal
storage sink (6,102,1000).

16. The system (100) of claim 1, further comprising at least some of said
compacted baled waste tires (14,
301) baled into substantially rectangular parallelepipeds.

17. The system (100) of claim 1, further comprising at least some of said
compacted baled waste tires (14,
301) baled such that open centers of said tires align to form a substantially
pipelike configuration, thereby forming
pipelike passages within these pipelike bales (14).

18. The system (100) of claim 1, further comprising:
waste tires placed around at least part of said conduits
(8,11,12,22,1108,1302,1503,1505), outside of said
thermal storage sink (6,102,1000), with at least some air spaces (503) between
said waste tires and said conduits
(8,11,12,22,1108,1302,1503,1505), whereby:
said waste tires (14,301) and air spaces (503) insulate said conduits
(8,11,12,22,1108,1302,1503,1505)
from exchanging heat with ground proximate thereto; and
simultaneously, said waste tires (14,301) and air spaces (503) protect said
conduits
(8,11,12,22,1108,1302,1503,1505) from damage due to ground shifting or
heaving.

19. The system (100) of claim 1, further comprising at least a portion of said
conduits
(8,11,12,22,1108,1302,1503,1505) running through spaces within said compacted
baled waste tires (14, 301).

20. The system (100) of claim 1, further comprising at least a portion of said
conduits
(8,11,12,22,1108,1302,1503,1505) running through spaces between said compacted
baled waste tires (14, 301).

21. The system (100) of claim 1, further comprising at least some recyclable
fill material (14,301,402,403)
placed above a top liquid (20,21,26) line (16) of said thermal storage liquid
(20,21,26).

22. The system (100) of claim 21, said recyclable fill material
(14,301,402,403) insulating said thermal storage
sink (6,102,1000).

23. The system (100) of claim 21, wherein:
said recyclable fill material (14,301,402,403) is substantially non-organic;
said recyclable fill material (14,301,402,403) is substantially non-
biodegradable; and
said recyclable fill material (14,301,402,403) also provides structural
support to said thermal storage sink
(6,102,1000).

24. The system (100) of claim 1, further comprising a vapor barrier (13) above
a top liquid (20,21,26) line (16)
of said thermal storage sink (6,102,1000) for preventing liquid 20,21,26) or
vapor from entering said thermal
storage sink (6,102,1000) from above.

25. The system (100) of claim 1, further comprising:
a protective barrier placed above a top liquid (20,21,26) line (16) of said
thermal storage liquid (20,21,26)
for preventing materials (5) above said thermal storage liquid (20,21,26) from
falling into said thermal storage
liquid (20,21,26);
said protective barrier (7) comprising protective barrier materials (7)
selected from at least one of the
protective barrier material group consisting of. a geogrid (7), tar paper (7),
and a filter fabric (7).


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26. The system (100) of claim 1, further comprising concrete blocks (404)
substantially containing at least
some of said compacted baled waste tires (14, 301).

27. The system (100) of claim 1, further comprising baled waste plastic
(402,403) substantially filling portions
of said thermal storage sink (6,102,1000).

28. The system (100) of claim 1, further comprising at least one air pump
(202) for purging liquid (20,21,26)
from portions of said conduits (8,11,12,22,1108,1302,1503,1505) which are
subjected to freezing temperatures
during cold weather, in response to expecting said cold weather.

29. The system (100) of claim 1, said thermal storage liquid (20,21,26)
comprising water (21).

30. The system (100) of claim 1, wherein a thermal transport liquid (20,21,26)
used to transport said thermal
energy through at least some of said conduits (8,11,12,22,1108,1302,1503,1505)
is selected from the thermal
transport liquid (20,21,26) group consisting of at least one of: glycol,
antifreeze, brine (26), and water (21).

31. The system (100) of claim 1, at least part of said thermal collector (101)
comprising a surface (2) selected
from at least one of the surface group consisting of: a driveway (2), a
roadway (2), a parking lot(2), and a
walkway (2).

32. The system (100) of claim 31, further comprising said at least one thermal
storage transport conduit
(8,11,12,22,1108,1302,1503,1505) for further transporting thermal heat energy
from said thermal storage sink
(6,102,1000) to said thermal collector (101) to melt frozen precipitate upon
said surface (2), in response to weather
conditions requiring said frozen precipitate to be melted.

33. The system (100) of claim 1, said thermal collector (101) comprising solar
collectors (101).

34. The system (100) of claim 1, further comprising a firefighting conduit
(24) for using said thermal storage
liquid (21,26) within said thermal storage sink (6,102,1000) to fight a fire.

35. A thermal storage method, comprising:
transporting said thermal energy from a thermal storage sink (6,102,1000) to
an indoor- air space (901) for
use therein, using at least one thermal delivery conduit
((8,11,12,22,1108,1302,1503,1505) therefor;
providing a thermal storage liquid (20,21,26) within said thermal storage sink
(6,102,1000); and
enhancing thermal storage using compacted baled waste tires (14, 301), said
compacted baled waste tires
(14, 301), because of increased density due their compaction, providing
increased structural support and increased
thermal mass for said thermal storage system relative to waste tires which are
not compacted.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising substantially containing said
thermal storage liquid (20,21,26)
from within said thermal storage sink (6,102,1000), using a liner (18)
therefor.

37. The method of claim 35, further comprising providing said compacted baled
waste tires (14, 301) within
said thermal storage sink (6,102,1000).

38. The method of claim 35, further comprising providing said compacted baled
waste tires (14, 301)
substantially around a perimeter of said thermal storage sink (6,102,1000).

39. The method of claim 35, further comprising providing said compacted baled
waste tires (14, 301) both
within said thermal storage sink (6,102,1000) and around a perimeter of said
thermal storage sink (6,102,1000).

40. The method of claim 35, further comprising:
providing at least some of said compacted baled waste tires (14, 301) outside
of said liner (18) relative to
said thermal storage sink (6,102,1000).





41. The method of claim 35, further comprising insulating said thermal storage
sink (6,102,1000) from its
outside environs (504) by positioning some of said compacted baled waste tires
(14, 301) about an outer perimeter
of said thermal storage sink (6,102,1000).

42. The method of claim 35, further comprising positioning some of said
compacted baled waste tires (14,
301) to provide structural support to said thermal storage sink (6,102,1000).

43. The method of claim 35, further comprising adding thermal mass to said
thermal storage sink by
positioning some of said compacted baled waste tires (14, 301) within said
thermal storage sink (6,102,1000).

44. The method of claim 35, wherein said thermal storage sink (6,102,1000) is
underground (504).

45. The method of claim 35, further comprising utilizing said thermal storage
liquid (20,21,26) for transporting
said thermal energy from said thermal collector (101) to said thermal storage
sink (6,102,1000) via said at least one
thermal storage transport conduit (8,11,12,22,1108,1302,1503,1505).

46. The method of claim 35, further comprising utilizing said thermal storage
liquid (20,21,26) for transporting
said thermal energy from said thermal storage sink (6,102,1000) to the indoor-
air space (901) via said at least one
thermal delivery conduit (8,11,12,22,1108,1302,1503,1505).

47. The method of claim 35, further comprising utilizing a liquid (20,21,26)
other than said thermal storage
liquid (20,21,26) for transporting said thermal energy from said thermal
collector (101) to said thermal storage sink
(6,102,1000) via said at least one thermal storage transport conduit
(8,11,12,22,1108,1302,1503,1505).

48. The method of claim 35, further comprising utilizing a liquid (20,21,26)
other than said thermal storage
liquid (20,21,26) for transporting said thermal energy from said thermal
storage sink (6,102,1000) to the indoor air
space (901) via said at least one thermal delivery conduit
(8,11,12,22,1108,1302,1503,1505).

49. The method of claim 35, wherein at least part of said thermal collector
(101) is above said thermal storage
sink (6,102,1000).

50. The method of claim 35, further comprising providing at least some of said
compacted baled waste tires
(14, 301) baled into substantially rectangular parallelepipeds (301).

51. The method of claim 35, further comprising baling at least some of said
compacted baled waste tires (14,
301) such that open centers of said tires align to form a substantially
pipelike configuration (14, 1001), thereby
forming pipelike passages within these pipelike bales (14,1001).

52. The method of claim 35, further comprising:
placing waste tires (402,403) around at least part of said conduits
(8,11,12,22,1108,1302,1503,1505),
outside of said thermal storage sink (6,102,1000), with at least some air
spaces (503) between said waste tires
(14,301) and said conduits (8,11,12,22,1108,1302,1503,1505):
said waste tires (14,301) and air spaces (503) thereby insulating said
conduits
(8,11,12,22,1108,1302,1503,1505) from exchanging heat with ground (504)
proximate thereto; and
simultaneously, said waste tires (14,301) and air spaces (503)thereby
protecting said conduits
(8,11,12,22,1108,1302,1503,1505)from damage due to ground shifting or heaving.

53. The method of claim 35, further comprising running at least a portion of
said conduits
(8,11,12,22,1108,1302,1503,1505) running through spaces within said compacted
baled waste tires (14, 301).

54. The method of claim 35, further comprising running at least a portion of
said conduits
(8,11,12,22,1108,1302,1503,1505) through spaces between said compacted baled
waste tires (14, 301).
55. The method of claim 35, further comprising placing at least some
recyclable fill material (14,301,402,403)
above a top liquid (20,21,26) line (16) of said thermal storage liquid
(20,21,26).


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56. The method of claim 55, insulating said thermal storage sink (6,102,1000)
using said recyclable fill
material (14,301,402,403).

57. The method of claim 55, wherein:
said recyclable fill material (14,301,402,403) is substantially non-organic;
said recyclable fill material (14,301,402,403) is substantially non-
biodegradable; and
said recyclable fill material (14,301,402,403) also provides structural
support to said thermal storage sink
(6,102,1000).

58. The method of claim 35, further comprising preventing liquid (20,21,26) or
vapor (13) from entering said
thermal storage sink (6,102,1000) from above, using a vapor barrier (13)
situated above a top liquid (20,21,26) line
(16) of said thermal storage sink (6,102,1000).

59. The method of claim 35, further comprising:
placing a protective barrier (7) above a top liquid (20,21,26) line (16) of
said thermal storage liquid
(20,21,26) for preventing materials (5) above said thermal storage liquid
(20,21,26) from failing into said thermal
storage liquid (20,21,26); wherein:
said protective barrier (7) comprises protective barrier materials selected
from at least one of the protective
barrier material group consisting of: a geogrid (7), tar paper(7), and a
filter fabric (7).

60. The method of claim 35, further comprising providing concrete blocks (404)
substantially containing at
least some of said compacted baled waste tires (14, 301).

61. The method of claim 35, further comprising substantially filling portions
of said thermal storage sink
(6,102,1000) with baled waste plastic (402,403)

62. The method of claim 35, further comprising purging liquid (20,21,26) from
portions of said conduits
(8,11,12,22,1108,1302,1503,1505)which are subjected to freezing temperatures
during cold weather, using at least
one air pump (202) therefor, responsive to expecting said cold weather.

63. The method of claim 35, said thermal storage liquid (20,21,26) comprising
water (21).

64. The method of claim 35, further comprising selecting a thermal transport
liquid (20,21,26) used to
transport said thermal energy through at least some of said conduits
(8,11,12,22,1108,1302,1503,1505) from the
thermal transport liquid (20,21,26) group consisting of at least one of:
glycol (20), antifreeze (20),brine (26), and
water (21).

65. The method of claim 35, at least part of said thermal collector (101)
comprising a surface (2) selected from
at least one of the surface group consisting of: a driveway (2), a roadway
(2), a parking lot (2), and a walkway (2).

66. The method of claim 65, further comprising further transporting thermal
heat energy from said thermal
storage sink (6,102,1000) to said thermal collector (101) to melt frozen
precipitate upon said surface via said at least
one thermal storage transport conduit (8,11,12,22,1108,1302,1503,1505), in
response to weather conditions
requiring said frozen precipitate to be melted.

67. The method of claim 35, said thermal collector (101) comprising solar
collectors (101).

68. The method of claim 35, further comprising using said thermal storage
liquid (20,21,26) within said
thermal storage sink (6,102,1000) to fight a fire, using a firefighting
conduit (24) therefor.

69. A thermal storage sink (6,102,1000), comprising:
a sink (6,102,1000);
liquid (20,21,26) within said sink (6,102,1000); and

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at least one recyclable material comprising compacted baled waste tires
(14,301) for at least one of the
following functions: providing insulation, providing a free flow of liquid
therethrough, providing increased thermal
mass and increased structural support to said sink relative to waste tires
which are not compacted, resisting settling
of a surface above said sink, buffering shock to said sink, protecting pipes
or conduits located within or serving said
sink, averting deflection, eliminating or reducing costly drilling, reducing a
need for plastic tubing, eliminating
casing, reducing thermal sink construction costs.

70. The thermal storage sink (6,102,1000) of claim 69, further comprising a
refill chamber (1301) for refilling
said sink (6,102,1000) when said liquid (20,21,26) is removed therefrom for
transporting said thermal energy.

71. The thermal storage sink (6,102,1000) of claim 69, further comprising at
least some of said compacted
baled waste tires (14, 301) baled into at least one of: pipe like bales(14),
rectangular bales (301), square bales (301).

72. The thermal storage sink (6,102,1000) of claim 69, further comprising
rectangular tire bales (301) situated
on at least one side of its perimeter.

73. The thermal storage sink (6,102,1000) of claim 69, wherein:
said thermal storage sink (6,102,1000) is connected with an acclimation sink
(1202); and
said liquid (20,21,26) after utilization for transporting thermal energy to
said indoor-air space (901) is
returned to said acclimation sink (1202) and prevented from reentering said
sink (6,102,1000) until a temperature of
water in said acclimation tank is detected to be substantially equal to that
of liquid in said sink (6,102,1000).

74. The thermal storage sink (6,102,1000) of claim 69, further comprising a
fluidic attachment of said sink
(6,102,1000) to at least one of a well (1501) or underground stream (1504) for
replenishing any fluid taken from
said sink (6,102,1000).

75. The thermal storage sink (6,102,1000) of claim 69, further comprising a
firefighting conduit (24) for using
said thermal storage liquid (20,21,26) within said sink (6,102,1000) to fight
a fire.

76. The thermal storage sink (6,102,1000) of claim 69, said sink (6,102,1000)
further comprising at least
10,000 gallons of liquid (20,21,26) therein during at least 90 days of the
year.

77. The thermal storage sink (6,102,1000) of claim 69, further comprising at
least one additional recyclable
material selected from the group consisting of: construction debris (501),
baled waste plastic (402,403), and waste
glass (502).

78. The thermal storage sink (6,102,1000) of claim 69, said bailed tires (301)
substantially covering a roof of
said sink (6,102,1000) for insulating said sink (6,102,1000) from temperatures
above ground.

79. The thermal storage sink (6,102,1000) of claim 69, comprising a thermal
added (102) sink.

80. The thermal storage sink (6,102,1000) of claim 69, comprising a geothermal
(1000) sink.

81. A method of using a thermal storage sink (6,102,1000), comprising:
providing a sink (6,102,1000);
providing liquid (20,21,26) within said sink (6,102,1000); and
using least one recyclable material comprising compacted baled waste tires
(14,301) for at least one of the
following functions: providing insulation, providing a free flow of liquid
therethrough, providing increased thermal
mass and increased structural support to said sink relative to waste tires
which are not compacted, resisting settling
of a surface above said sink, buffering shock to said sink, protecting pipes
or conduits located within or serving said
sink, averting deflection, eliminating or reducing costly drilling, reducing a
need for plastic tubing, eliminating
casing, reducing thermal sink construction costs.


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82. The method of claim 81, further comprising refilling said sink
(6,102,1000) when said liquid (20,21,26) is
removed therefrom for transporting said thermal energy, using a refill chamber
(1301) therefor.

83. The method of claim 81, further comprising at least some of said compacted
baled waste tires (14, 301)
baled into at least one of pipe like bales(14), rectangular bales (301),
square bales (301).

84. The method of claim 81, further comprising situating rectangular tire
bales (301) on at least one side of a
perimeter of said sink (6,102,1000).

85. The method of claim 81, further comprising:
connecting said sink (6,102,1000) with an acclimation sink (1202); and
after utilizing said liquid (20,21,26) for transporting thermal energy to said
indoor-air space (901),
returning said liquid (20,21,26) to said acclimation sink (1202) and
preventing said liquid (20,21,26) from
reentering said sink (6,102,1000) until a temperature of water in said
acclimation tank is detected to be substantially
equal to that of liquid in said sink (6,102,1000).

86. The method of claim 81, further comprising replenishing any fluid taken
from said sink (6,102,1000) using
a fluidic attachment of said sink (6,102,1000) to at least one of a well
(1501) or underground stream (1504)
therefor.

87. The method of claim 81, further comprising fight a fire using said thermal
storage liquid (20,21,26) within
said sink (6,102,1000), via using a firefighting conduit (24) therefor.

88. The method of claim 81, said sink (6,102,1000) further comprising at least
10,000 gallons of liquid
(20,21,26) therein during at least 90 days of the year.

89. The method of claim 81, further comprising using at least one additional
recyclable material selected from
the group consisting of. construction debris (501), baled waste plastic
(402,403), and waste glass (502).

90. The method of claim 81, further comprising substantially covering a roof
of said sink (6,102,1000) for
insulating said sink (6,102,1000) from temperatures above ground, using said
bailed tires (301) therefor.

91. The method of claim 81, said thermal storage sink (6,102,1000) comprising
a thermal added (102) sink.

92. The method of claim 81, said thermal storage sink (6,102,1000) comprising
a geothermal (1000) sink.

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Description

CA 02753259 2011-08-22
WO 2010/099509 PCT/US2010/025696
System and Method for Using Recyclables for Thermal Storage

Cross-Reference to Related Applications
This application claims benefit of pending provisional application 61/156,488
filed February 28, 2009,
hereby incorporated by reference.

Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the use of baled used tires, baled
recycled plastic, glass waste and/or
construction debris in the construction of a thermal storage sink or aquifer,
often placed under a road, highway,
driveway or parking lot.

Background of the Invention
In the past large thermal storage sinks, herein defined as containing at least
10,000 gallons of liquid, have
been mostly natural, because of cost constraints. However, this invention
which does away with drilling and uses
recyclable material with thermal liquid filling void spaces, which can be
placed anywhere. This"green technology'
has the potential to simultaneously provide new manmade sources of thermal
energy, and overcome certain waste
and recycling problems.
Heat or cold (the absence of heat) can be stored in a liquid, solid, or gas.
The body that stores this thermal
energy is known as a thermal storage sink. These sinks are part of a thermal
storage system, natural or manmade.
Thermal storage systems include a thermal source such as the sun or under the
earth's surface for heat, and outer
space for cold. Such systems may include a collector, often a transport
mechanism, a sink and a utilization point.
Many of these components can be one and the same as in the case of the ground
itself which can serve as both the
collector of heat or cold and the storage facility or sink in which the
thermal energy is contained, as in the case of a
geothermal system. Often thermal sinks have within them a transport medium
such as water or some other liquid
which can transport the thermal energy from or to the sink.
This disclosure is concerned with large thermal sinks holding at least 10,000
gallons of liquid within one
or more cell, which has a liner, natural or otherwise, at least one
compartment, and makes use of a recyclable
material which structurally supports the sink, or adds thermal mass or
insulation to it. For the sake of this
disclosure the term sink can include a series of sinks or compartments which
need not be immediately contiguous to
one another but which in aggregate include at least 10,000 gallons or more of
liquid, and usually find themselves in
the same thermal storage system. Thus, for example, if we were to have a hot
sink which housed 5,000 gallons and
a cold sink which housed 5,000 gallons and the two were within a system that
provided for the heating and cooling
needs of a structure, then the combined total of 10,000 gallons would so
classify as elements of a thermal sink of
10,000 gallons even though the sink or sink system itself had separate
compartments such that the liquid within
each amounted to less than 10,000 gallons.
A thermal storage sink can be natural or manmade. It can be above ground. It
can be a depression in the
earth with an open or covered top. Or, it can be below ground. For the sake of
this disclosure there are two
different types of thermal sinks: one type is where the natural heat or cold
of a body is simply utilized and the other
where additional heat or cold is added to the sink, stored there, and then
extracted therefrom, with a minimum of
thermal loss due to insulation. We shall differentiate the two types of sinks
by calling the former a"geo thermal'sink
and the latter a"thermal added'sink.

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While all sinks have some sort of insulation, usually the earth itself,
"thermal added'sinks seek to enhance
natural insulation with some form of manmade material. Thermal sinks in this
disclosure concern themselves with
a body or reservoir made by man, or improved on by man, where there is thermal
storage capacity and where a great
body of liquid (of at least 10,000 gallons in total) is contained therein.
Thermal mass, insulation and structural
support are all important qualities which relate to manmade thermal sinks.
Such sinks often utilize a liner,
manmade or natural. They are often partially or completely below ground, where
cave in can be a problem. If at
least a part of the material is located within the sink, it can help to
support the sink itself.
Manmade thermal storage sinks are costly and the larger they are the more
costly they become. Recyclable
material can be had at little or no cost. Some recyclable materials have good
insulation properties, some can
provide structural support, some can provide thermal mass, and some can
provide all three such benefits. Waste
tires or plastic (often in baled form), ground waste glass and construction
debris, if used in a thermal storage sink,
can serve a useful purpose and need not be placed in a landfill, thus
providing the above-noted benefits while
simultaneously freeing up valuable space for other materials man disposes of.
In addition, using these waste
materials in manmade thermal storage sinks, eliminates the danger of some of
these wastes catching fire or serving
as a breeding ground for mosquitoes and rats, which can give rise to disease.
Many different types of waste products have been used in thermal storage
systems comprising thermal
sinks. As often as not they are placed within such systems as much to get rid
of the waste as to enhance the thermal
sink or system due to tipping fees involved. One such waste product is tires
which have excellent insulating
properties and can, when utilized properly, also provide excellent structural
support.
Unbaled waste tires have been used as part of a thermal storage sink and
collector in US patents 4,223,666,
and 4,248,209. There, they are housed within a manmade structure above ground
where minimal thermal loss
occurs.
In US 5,941,238 Unbaled waste tires were also used as part of a thermal
storage vessel which could be
placed above or below ground. Here, the heat storage vessel is actually formed
by attaching two metal plates, one
to each end of a stack of waste tires, and the bead of each tire is firmly
anchored to the next in the stack while a
sealant is used to make a watertight container in which liquid is placed,
while foam or vermiculite is placed about
the heat storage container itself for insulation of the liquid within.
Plastic jugs, glass jars, metal cans, paper clips, garbage bags, and newspaper
are all used in the
construction of a solar thermal storage system in application US 2007/0012313,
which even uses a plastic garbage
can as a thermal storage sink. US patent 5,201,606 uses fly ash in concrete.
US patent 4,411,255 uses masonry
blocks with a hollow space therein loosely filled with cylindrical metal,
plastic or glass containers that contain
water.
Up until now the prior art dealing with insulation of a thermal sink is very
sparse in its specifics, more
often than not referring to the general category of a layer of insulation. US
patent 3,418,812 refers to polyurethane
foam or foam panels for insulation. US patent 3,556,917 discloses a rigid
polyurethane foam block for insulation
purposes. US patent 6,994,156 refers to fiberglass, and U.S. patent 4,129,177
uses rigid insulation blocks. US
patent 6,000,438 uses phase change material insulation. US patent 6,192,703
uses an insulated vacuum panel. US
patents 3,491,910 and 3,481,504 suggest using expanded perlite. But in most
cases, for example, as in US patent
4,577,679, the earth alone acts as the thermal buffer for the thermal storage
sink.
When it comes to structural support of a manmade thermal sink, concrete is
used, as is metal, earth, or fill
of a porous material such as sand and / or gravel. But no teaching or
suggestion has been made of using recyclable
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material such as bales of plastic or tires, ground glass, construction debris,
or concrete blocks filled with tires, baled
or otherwise, as structural support for a thermal storage sink. Baled tires
have been used for support for retaining
wall systems, see U.S. Patent 5,795,106, but do not appear to have ever been
employed in connection with a thermal
storage system, for enhancing thermal storage via structural support,
insulation and thermal mass.
Manmade thermal storage sinks usually are made in one of three ways. First,
they may be made by
scooping out a depression in the earth, placing a liner on the surface of the
depression, placing sand or gravel in the
depression and then filling the cavity (thermal storage sink) with water.
Second, they are made by leaving out the
fill within the thermal storage sink and so contain water alone. By placing in
the fill, however, the sink receives
additional structural support and now can easily have an insulated roof
overhead and so make use of the ground
above-for a pond, a parking lot, a roadway, a structure, an ice rink, a tennis
court or just grass and shrubs. A third
alternative is to build a thermal storage unit above the ground such as a
swimming pool, or to use an above-ground
tank.
Manmade aquifers can serve as thermal storage sinks and are constructed in two
ways: In the first method,
the manmade aquifer is constructed by making an excavation, lining the
excavation with a plastic pond liner and
filling on top of the liner with a round, uniformly-sized gravel. A geotextile
(fabric designed for use in earthwork)
is placed over the gravel, and then a lawn, parking lot, roadway or tennis
court can be constructed on top. Water is
stored in the openings between the stones. This method has been used for many
years and was reported of in 1997
in the San Antonio Business Journal in an article entitled`New methods provide
less costly ways to conserve water"
It has also been utilized in US patent 6,994,156.
In the second method, known as the drumstick, a manmade aquifer is constructed
by auguring a deep hole
and under-reaming (flaring) it at the lower end. A corrugated metal pipe with
a welded end cap is placed into the
hole and grouted in place, and a lid system is added for safety.

Summary of the Invention
Disclosed herein is a thermal storage system and related method, comprising: a
thermal collector; a
thermal storage sink; at least one thermal storage transport conduit for
transporting thermal energy from the thermal
collector to the thermal storage sink for storage therein; at least one
thermal delivery conduit for transporting the
thermal energy from the thermal storage sink to an indoor-air space for use
therein; a thermal storage liquid within
the thermal storage sink; and baled waste tires for enhancing thermal storage.
Also disclosed herein is a thermal storage sink and related method comprising:
a sink; liquid within the
sink; and at least one recyclable material comprising baled tires for at least
one of the following functions:
providing insulation, providing a free flow of liquid therethrough, providing
thermal mass, providing structural
support to a said sink, resisting settling of a surface above said sink,
buffering shock to said sink, protecting pipes or
conduits located within or serving said sink, averting deflection, eliminating
or reducing costly drilling, reducing a
need for plastic tubing, eliminating casing, reducing thermal sink
construction costs.
Brief Description of the Drawing
The features of the invention believed to be novel are set forth in the
appended claims. The invention,
however, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be
understood by reference to the
following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing(s)
summarized below:
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Figure 1 is a side plan view illustrating how a heat sink in a preferred
embodiment of the invention is
supplied with heat and how it stores the heat.
Figure 2 is a side plan view illustrating how a cold sink in a preferred
embodiment of the invention is
supplied with and stores the cold (absence of heat).
Figure 3 is a plan view illustrating two possible configurations of baled
waste tires within the thermal sink,
for example, not limitation.
Figure 4 is a plan view illustrating how the rectangular bales of various
recyclable materials can insulate
the thermal storage sink from the surrounding environs, e.g., earth.
Figure 5 is a plan view illustrating another embodiment for insulating the
thermal storage sink from the
surrounding environs, e.g., earth.
Figure 6 is a plan view illustrating an embodiment comprising a large thermal
mass of individual bales of
recyclables.
Figure 7 is a plan view illustrating yet another embodiment, comprising
recyclables only along the
perimeter of the heat / cool sink. Note that the features of Figures 7 and 8
may be combined, to provide baled tires
and / or recyclables within and / or around the perimeter.
Figure 8 is a plan view illustrating yet another embodiment, comprising bales
of plastic which float while
providing insulation.
Figure 9 is a plan view illustrating the use of recyclables to insulate the
conduits running to and from a
heat / cold collector, and / or to and from the building or other indoor air
space to be heated or cooled.
Figure IOA is a side view of a manmade geo thermal sink wherein baled tires
provide structural support.
Figure lOB is a side view of a man made geo thermal sink wherein construction
debris provides structural
support.
Figure 11 is a top down view of a geo thermal system wherein baled tires
provide structural support.
Figure 12 is a top down view of a geo thermal system wherein there are a
series of geo thermal sinks.
Figure 13 shows a side view of a manmade geo thermal sink wherein baled tires
and construction debris
provide structural support both to the sink itself and allows for a means of
replenishment of the sink with
groundwater from close by.
Figure 14 shows a side view of a manmade geo thermal sink wherein construction
debris provides
structural support both to the sink itself and allows for a means of
replenishment of the sink with groundwater close
by.
Figure 15 is a side view of a structure which is connected via a pipe to a
thermal sink which is connected
to an underground spring.
Figure 16 is a side view of a structure which is connected via pipes to both a
thermal sink and an
underground stream.
Detailed Description
The present invention uses baled tires, baled plastic, ground recycled glass
and construction debris in
varying combinations in either a thermal storage sink or a thermal storage
system within which a thermal storage
sink is contained. It uses these items to provide thermal storage mass,
structural support, and/or insulation.
A novel feature of the present invention, with reference to the usual ways of
making a thermal storage
sink, is to replace the fill material inside the thermal storage sink with
baled tires, baled plastic, ground recycled
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glass, construction debris or to place loose plastic or ground waste glass
within a block and to add one or all of
these forms of recycled fill inside a thermal storage sink if fill had not
been used. Fill can add thermal mass and can
simultaneously provide structural support. Also, by using recycled fill, it is
easy to bring the baled material close to
the surface on which people can walk. Therefore, a cover can be placed over
the sink for added insulation if a roof
to the sink has not already been used. In one embodiment of this invention,
recycled baled fill is placed around the
outer perimeter of a thermal sink in block form. Blocks, or bales made from
recyclables, or either containing
recyclables within them, can also be the foundation for an above-ground
thermal sink. As used herein, recyclable
fill material may include baled, or unbaled waste tires, which are of
particular interest for use in this invention, as
will be discussed at length below.
Throughout this disclosure and claims, reference will often be made to the
term"baled waste tires'.' It is to
be understood that"baled'refers to tires which have been compacted into a
bundle and then tied together in some
manner or form, such as through a wire fastening device, and / or a fastening
device of plastic, rope, cord, cable etc.
Further it refers to such bundles even if-after being installed into the
thermal storage sink-the fastening device has
been purposely removed or has deteriorated and broken as a result of wear,
tear, or time. As long as the bundle was
tied together at any time in the process whether it be during initial
compression, transport or installation within the
thermal storage system, it shall be regarded as `baled'.'
These baled waste tires are used for enhancing thermal storage, which as used
herein, include increasing
the thermal mass of the thermal storage sink. Tire bales have a predicted
Specific Heat (Heat Capacity) of 0.18
Btu/lb F., which compares favorably with other common thermal mass materials
like sand (0.20), stone (0.20), and
concrete (0.15). So, the heat or cold storage capacity of tire bales should be
excellent as well. For instance the tire
bales alone - at a 10 F temperature drop should have a storage capacity of:
130 bales * 1T/bale * 2000 lbs/T * 10
degF * 0.18 = 468,000 Btu, which is quite excellent.
Baled tires have excellent insulating characteristics as well. A Colorado
School of Mines study, predicts
that the thermal conductivity (U) of tire bales can range from 0.120 - 0.124
Btu / hr F It, which converts to an R-
value range of 0.694 - 0.672 per inch, or a total R-value of 40.0 - 41.6 for a
60" tire bale wall. This would equate
to approximately 11.75 inches of fiberglass batt insulation - about what one
could put into a 12" thick stud wall.
This is about 3 time as much insulation as goes into a standard 4" stud wall,
and is very good wall insulation by
conventional standards. This material should yield super-insulation-like
performance if the entire wall is assembled
and completed properly from interior to exterior. Thus a thermal storage sink
which is lined with baled tires should
provide excellent insulation against heat (or cold) loss.
The thermal insulation capabilities of baled tires increase further when they
are above the water table. In
fact baled tires with air within the voids have a thermal conductivity, k
(effective) of 0.15 to 0.21 W/m-degree C (or
of 0.085 to 0.120 Btulhr-ft-degree F) when the bales hold 50 to 10 percent air
therein. (This measurement was
taken from Report Number CDOT-DTD-R-2005-2 from the Colorado Department of
Transportation Research
Branch entitled` Tire Bales in Highway Applications: Feasibility and
Properties Evaluatiod') According to this
report"Such a level of thermal conductivity is approximately eight times lower
than typical granular soils" So this
tire` wastd'is more valuable when used in a thermal added storage sink than
the very soils it replaces. Air itself has a
thermal conductivity of 0.024 while water has a thermal conductivity of 0.58
at 25 degrees C. In other words air is
24 times better as an insulator than water. Thus tire bales placed above the
water line have a significantly better
insulation factor than if placed below the water line. Yet either way they
still offer very good insulation, and
remain far better than granular soils placed in a similar location or a
similar environment.

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As an added benefit, these baled waste tires add structural support so the
system does not disintegrate, and
they have excellent load bearing capabilities. Studies have shown that when
used as a structural element, they will
deflect much like any other piece of rubber. However, tests have proven they
have been "deflected" considerably to
become "bales" in the first place, and the load required to deflect them
further than is acceptable (more than even a
house will ever weigh). Their deflection rate is roughly 1/20th of what has
been called a "failure" (150,000# on an
unsupported bale; usually when a wire breaks). In other words, one will never
exert that much load on a tire bale
wall used as a foundation wall. Further, all tests run in the single-bale or
single-stack of bales mode do not reflect
the true usage/deflection of the bale in practice (constrained by other bales
in the wall).
It should also be noted that when a stack of bales containing baled tires, ten
high, covered by local earth
distributed by a 70,000# front-end loader is ridden over by heavy equipment,
the bottom bales show no apparent
compression or effect of bearing that load. Tests have shown that there is
little ('/i' or so) if any measurable
difference between the bales at the top of the stack and the ones at the
bottom. This is while being under a load of
more than 9 tons each (bales contained by stacking immediately adjacent to
each other as a wall). The bale at the
bottom is bearing more than 720#psf with little measurable deflection.
In this disclosure, when reference is made, particularly in the claims, to`
unbaled'waste tires, or to` waste
tireg'simply by itself, this refers to waste tires which had not been baled
and had not been compacted, but still have
their original shape and volume. For instance if a pipe or thermal conduit is
placed through a bunch of tires which
have no fastening device connecting one to another and where the tires still
retain their original size and shape, then
these shall be considered`unbaled''
`Waste tireg'refer to tires which are not new but have been used on some sort
of vehicle previously, whether
it be a car, truck, farm implement, construction or mining vehicle, or
airplane.
It should also be pointed out that the terms tubing or piping may be used
interchangeably, and may refer to
plastic, copper, or any other suitable material. For example, while, e.g.,
plastic or copper tubes / pipes might be
arrayed on the surface of a parking lot to gather heat or cold, copper piping
is about 62 times superior as a
conductor and so it is preferable as opposed to plastic.
Finally, `3 ecyclable fill'specifies material recyclable in nature such as
tires, baled tires, rubber, plastic,
construction debris, ground glass, etc. but not limited thereto, used to fill
up a space within the thermal storage
system. Said fill material may replace dirt, gravel, stone, sand, etc.
preexisting in the location where the thermal
storage system is constructed.
One embodiment of the present invention uses bales of tires within the thermal
storage sink in place of
porous fill. The remainder of the sink and pipes contains water which brings
either heat or cold into the chamber of
the thermal sink and store the heat or cold. (Thermodynamically, of course, it
is only heat which is stored, and cold
is the absence of heat. With that understanding, we shall at times refer in
this disclosure to"storing heat or cold' with
the understanding that` storing cold'really means preventing or minimizing the
intrusion of heat energy into a
thermal storage medium which is cold. Similarly, it is to be understood
that`storing'or"transporting' hermal energy'
is intended to refer to both the storage and transport of heat, and to the
storage and transport of the absence of heat
(cold).)
Tire bales are preferably either cylindrical in shape or square or
rectangular. These fill the inner core and
act as support around their outer boundary and simultaneously provide good
insulation and heat mass so that
thermal energy is not lost in a thermal added storage sink. These also act as
support in the event a roof or cover is
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to be put over the sink and provide footing so that a thermal cover can be
placed over the sink or taken off if the
space above is not going to be utilized.
Bales of waste plastic often have a specific gravity less than water and so
will float, and so may be
employed where no fill heavier than water is used. Floating bales are also
advantageous because they reduce
upward heat loss.
Construction debris and ground glass can be used as fill or added to the bales
themselves for added weight
and the blocks themselves can encapsulate this form of waste material.
Insulation for a thermal added storage sink is tremendously important, where
additional thermal energy is
added to the sink above what would naturally occur there. Without proper
insulation, vast quantities of thermal
energy can escape into the atmosphere or ground in a thermal added storage
sink, whereupon far more thermal
energy has to be pumped into the sink than would ordinarily be the case if all
the thermal energy could be easily
contained and then extracted when necessary from the core or the sink itself.
Presently in underground thermal
added storage sinks, it is necessary that the sink be heated or cooled, as
well as the area around the sink, up to as
much as 30 to 50 feet beyond the perimeter of the sink. The surrounding
environs often absorb a good deal of
thermal energy and over a period of 6 months to a year as much as 30% of the
heat or cold added to the sink can be
lost to these environs. This buffer then keeps the core insulated, but
unfortunately a great deal of the thermal
energy is lost in the process. Therefore a good insulating material must be
found to do away with much of the
thermal loss and to lessen ramp up time before the thermal heat sink can
operate effectively. This insulating
material must also be very inexpensive if the sink is of any size.
Thermal storage sinks are often ponds or containers holding liquid or at least
partially holding liquid. Such
sinks are known as thermal reservoirs. Most liquids tend to absorb heat or
cold more quickly than solids and more
quickly give it up. Plus, liquids tend to store more thermal energy than
gases. Since the thermal collector, the
thermal sink and the end use location are not often the same, liquid also
serves as a very good transport medium for
taking the heat or cold to another point.
Without insulation a thermal added storage sink, will lose thermal energy to
the surrounding environment
over time. This is good in a geo thermal sink but is a negative influence in
an added energy thermal storage sink.
In construction of this invention, bulldozers and other construction equipment
dig out a depression or a large trench
in the earth. This depression can be quite deep (perhaps 30 to 50 feet) below
the surface, but at the very least the
chamber, aquifer or thermal storage sink should be below the frost line. The
earth taken from the hole is placed to
one side to be used later. Since the hole will retain water, it must have a
liner which can be of a natural material
such as clay of sufficient depth to prevent leakage from the thermal storage
sink, or it must include a manmade
impermeable liner (i.e., a physical barrier), or it may have both. This skin
is placed over the surface of the
depression and along its sides. For purposes of this disclosure a liner may
refer to a natural or manmade barrier
which prevents leakage or it may refer to a combination of manmade and natural
barriers. In most cases pipes are
laid on top of this. Within these pipes will be water or glycol which will
take heated or cold liquid down into the
chamber from the surface directly overhead or from some other location in
close proximity thereto. The hole is
then filled with a fill which may have a recyclable porous material, some of
which may be a baled recyclable
material which will allow water to seep around it and / or through it. Over
the top of this material is placed a geo-
grid, tar paper, and / or a filter fabric, which will prevent the soil or
other material placed above it from drifting
down into the chamber and eventually filling the chamber. Earth which had been
taken from the hole when it was
made is placed back over the geo-grid, tar paper, and / or filter fabric, and
in most cases pavement or equivalent
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material suitable for a roadway, driveway, parking lot or walkway is
constructed directly above this manmade
thermal added storage sink or in close proximity thereto. As an alternative,
grass could be grown overhead or the
ground might serve just about any other purpose. Drains with catch basins
allow water to seep into and fill the
thermal storage sink. Vents are needed to allow air to escape when water is
filling the storage area. Permanent
openings must be screened to prevent insect infestation. Filters, diversions
or settling tanks are needed on the
inflow line to prevent trash and organics from entering the storage area. Once
the aquifer is filled, normal intake
openings are shut and water is shunted elsewhere.
One advantage of the present invention is that the water does not have to be
entirely clean because water
within the aquifer does not serve as a drinking source. Thus, it is not a
concern if some leeching occurs from the
recyclables into the water. In fact the aquifer can accept storm water runoff
which might contain pollutants from
asphalt or tar which would have drained elsewhere and would have otherwise
polluted rivers and streams, although
it might be originally filled from an underground stream or by making use of
ground water.
The present invention makes use of baled recyclable material, more
specifically baled and compacted tires
and plastic. It can make use of used inner tubes and almost any waste product
which might find its way into a
landfill which would take an inordinately long time to bio-degrade and which
could be used as a structural support
for the roof of a manmade thermal storage sink or to keep the sides from
caving in. It can make use of concrete,
used pavement, asphalt shingles, tires, etc. If the material itself does not
lend itself to acting as a support, the
compacting and baling processes will enhance that materials supportive
capabilities.
By placing recyclable material in a bailer and compacting it under great
pressure heat is built up. This
causes the plastic to combine. In the event the bale is found to be too light,
and if the way in which the bales are
placed in the aquifer would lead to these bales floating, heavier waste
material can be added, and when all the
ingredients are compacted together, the binding process would make the bale
into one heavier than water unit.
Compacting and binding also prevent the bale from disintegrating back into its
various components over time.
When pressure is applied, these materials will quickly spring back and restore
the chamber to its full capacity once
again.
Tires can, for example not limitation, be baled into two different forms:
first into long hollow tubes, and
secondly into a rectangular configuration. By placing tires one next to
another so as to form long hollow tubes, the
tires themselves become a pipe. By placing these pipes close to one another
within a hole where the ends of these
pipes butt up against the outer earthen walls, they prevent the outer walls
from collapsing. By compacting the tires
and then using the compacted tires to make the pipe, the strength of the pipe
is enhanced markedly. By placing
rows of this piping material next to one another and on top of one another,
the size of the underground reservoir can
become immense and the depth of the aquifer can be increased significantly.
Besides being baled as long pipes, the tires can be compacted and baled into a
rectangular shape, much like
a concrete block. This adds to their construction capability. They can be laid
one on top of another more easily and
so made to form a wall or a block-like inner core for the heat or cold sink
itself. Drawings of various configurations
will now be discussed below.

Heat Sink Aquifer
Figure 1 illustrates how the thermal added sink 102 is part of a thermal added
system 100, which is
supplied with heat, and how it stores said heat. Specifically, rays 1 from the
sun strike the upper layer of the
finished asphalt surface 15 or darkened concrete surface 25 of the parking
lot, driveway, or roadway 2. (This
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surface 15, 25 will be referred to as a thermal gathering surface comprising a
thermal collector (heat collector) 101
which may be the surface itself or a separate device for enhancing energy
collection including solar energy
collection, though it may also include any other ground surface substantially
atop the sink.) These rays 1, once
having made contact with that surface, heat it to as high as 54.45 Celsius
(130 degrees Fahrenheit) in summertime,
and further energy is provided in the event of enhancement by solar
collectors. Tubing 8, configured in an array, is
placed within the asphalt or concrete close to the upper surface which absorbs
heat from roadway 2. The heat from
the concrete or asphalt warms the liquid 20 within the tubes and this liquid
is pumped through the underlayment 3
of the roadway through the fill 5 and down into the reservoir or manmade
aquifer 6 containing water 21 or brine 26
where the liquid 20 discharges that heat. Also illustrated is the top
waterline 16. The heat discharging liquid 20
than passes through the bottom layer of compacted tires 14 just above a liner
18 by means of a pipe 22 within the
lower level tire pipes and transfers heat to the water in the reservoir or
aquifer or thermal storage sink itself 6. This
same liquid then goes into a reservoir 23 and from there is drawn up again by
means of a pump 4 back into the array
of tubes 8 within the upper layer of asphalt 2, or darkened concrete 25, just
below the parking lots surface.
Whereupon the liquid gains heat once more from the parking lots surface and
takes it down into the aquifer, in a
continuous, iterative process. This process continues ad infinitum until such
time as one or more heat sensors 9
placed within the parking lots surface signals (17) the pump 4 to shut off
because the temperature of the asphalt or
darkened concrete does not exceed that of the manmade aquifer, or does not
exceed that of the manmade aquifer by
a predetermined amount. The pump 4 is turned on again once the asphalt or
darkened concrete is detected by
sensors 9 to be at a higher temperature than water within the aquifer, or
higher by a predetermined amount.
In addition, in summertime any heat source within a building can allow heat to
be transferred to the heat
sink aquifer as well.
In winter time when heat is required to heat a nearby building (indoor air
space), water from the aquifer
passes through a filter 10 through a thermal sink water supply line 11 to a
heat exchanger which than supplies heat
to the building (indoor space to be heated). This indoor air space is
schematically illustrated as 905 in Figure 9.
After aquifer water has passed through the heat exchanger it is returned to
the aquifer through a return pipe 12.
Most often pipes 11 and 12 are separate and operate on a continuous loop, but
for the sake of this drawing and
simplicity the drawing shows the two pipes as one). Thus, the heat stored
during the summer is used to heat an
indoor air space during the winter, and the only energy required is that which
is needed to move the liquid between
the upper surface of the parking lot and the manmade reservoir, and to move
the fluid within the heat sink to the
heating system of the indoor air space and back.
Because the aquifer is below the frost line, and because of the thermal mass
of earth around and on top of
the aquifer, heat loss of the water within the aquifer is kept to a minimum,
and the aquifer will remain hot for
months. The compacted tires within the aquifer add to the thermal mass of the
system. Over time the reservoirs
temperature will drop down in the colder months as heat is drawn from it. But
that temperature will be raised again
in the summer time, or during periods of intense sunlight, in other seasons.
This system should function for years
on end with minimal maintenance, upkeep or expense.
It is also to be observed, because the heat sink aquifer of Figure 1 contains
water 21, or brine 26, which is
heated, and because tubes 8 may already run beneath a roadway or driveway or
walkway or parking lot, etc., that
during cold weather, the heat stored in the aquifer can be circulated back
through the tubes 8 so as to de-ice the
roadway, without the need for plowing, salt, or any of the usual means for
clearing a roadway of snow and / or sleet
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and / or ice and / or frost (frozen precipitate). This is a second way in
which the stored heat may be applied to
useful benefit.
Also illustrated, to be discussed later, is a conduit or pipe 24 which is
attached to a fire hydrant 19 which
allows for a fire truck to pump water from the thermal storage sink for a fire
emergency. This is an additional use
for the water stored in the aquifer.
Finally, it is also beneficial in all embodiments of the invention, to provide
an optional vapor barrier 13 or
liner 18 above the top liquid line 16 of the thermal storage sink for
preventing liquid or vapor from entering said
thermal storage sink from above. It is further beneficial to provide a
protective barrier 7 of geotextile or equivalent
material to prevent materials from above the thermal sink from dropping down
into the thermal sink.
Cold Sink Aquifer
A thermal storage sink can also function in a way to store cold as opposed to
heat, as now illustrated in
Figure 2 which is a slightly-modified version of Figure 1. This too is another
version of a thermal added sink 102
within a thermal added system 100. Here, a subterranean cold sink water
reservoir 6 is constructed below the frost
line in the same manner as was the heat reservoir. Again, this preferably uses
baled tires 14 in a pipe-like
configuration, as illustrated. Water 21 or brine 26, within the underground
reservoir 6 is made colder during the
late fall and wintertime by tubes 8 in the thermal collector (cold collector)
201 which again is a part of the overhead
parking lot, roadway, or pathway. Again illustrated is the top waterline 16.
Tubes 8 are arrayed and placed just
below the asphalt 15 or concrete surface 25. (Again, this surface 15, 25 may
itself be a thermal collector (cold
collector) 201, or may contain a separate associated apparatus to enhance cold
collection.) The parking lot,
roadway, driveway or path serves as a cold collector and is placed just above
the thermal storage sink or reservoir 6
or in close proximity thereto. Water or antifreeze or brine or glycol or an
equivalent substance 20 passes through
the tubes 8 and loses heat to the parking lot as it passes through the array.
This serves a dual purpose,
simultaneously defrosting the roadway because the liquid medium will be warmer
than the parking lot itself and
over time making the aquifer itself colder and colder. A pump 4 pushes the
liquid through the tubes 8 which are
arrayed and embedded in the upper layer of the asphalt or concrete. As the
heat in the liquid within the tubes 8 is
dissipated in this process, the liquid in the tubes becomes lower in
temperature. It is then pumped back into the cold
sink reservoir where it than passes through one or more level of tires or
pipes within the cold sink where it then
absorbs heat from the cold sink aquifer and so lowers the temperature in the
aquifer. Meanwhile the liquid 20 in the
tube or pipe 22, which is passing through the lower row of compacted tire
pipes, increases in temperature. That
liquid passes into the reservoir 23 and is pumped back up to the surface of
the parking lot until such time as the
temperature in the cold sink reservoir equals or is less than the temperature
of the asphalt or concrete surface (by a
predetermined amount), and / or until such time as the cold collector needs to
be defrosted by the warmth in the
cold sink reservoir which is still higher than the overhead cold collector.
One added feature required for the cold
sink that is not needed for the heat sink is an air pump or compressor 202
which blows any liquid out of the array of
pipes 8 once the water pump 4 ceases to function. 204 is an air pipe leading
between the compressor and the pipe 8.
This purging prevents liquid in those pipes above the frost line from freezing
and so allows water to be used as a
thermal transport medium in place of antifreeze or glycol or brine, which is
less costly. Attached to the reservoir is
a bleeder valve 203 which allows air to escape from the reservoir when it is
opened and so allows liquid to fill the
reservoir rather than be prevented from doing so by the air within the
reservoir itself.


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In summer time or when there is a need for air conditioning within a nearby
structure, water within the
cool sink aquifer 6 passes through a filter 10 and then via a conduit 11 into
the building (indoor space to be cooled,
designated as 905 in Figure 9) where a heat exchanger uses the cold fluid to
extract heat from the building via a
water and/or air circulation system within that building. Thereafter, the
water returns 12 to the aquifer having risen
somewhat in temperature.
Over the summer months the water within the cold sink reservoir will rise
somewhat but cold will be
restored to it as weather conditions moderate and as winter comes on.
In relation to Figures 1 and 2, while we refer to summer and winter cycles, it
is also understood that in
general these systems can be run based on hot and cold cycles which are not
necessarily seasonal. For example, not
limitation, the cold storage system can store cold overnight and then use the
cold during the daytime, or the heat
storage system can store daytime heat and use the heat overnight.
Figure 3 shows two configurations of baled tires within the thermal sink. The
view is taken partially from
the side of Figures 1 and 2, along view 3-3. First, toward the bottom of this
Figure, and not explicitly shown in
Figures 1 and 2, there is a rectangular-shaped bale of compacted tires which
keeps the bottom insulated from the
ground below. (To be precise, three-dimensionally, these bales are really
substantially shaped as cuboids, i.e.,
rectangular parallelepipeds.) This type of bale 301 is different only in shape
from the pipelike bales 14 shown in
Figures 1 and 2, in which the open`donut'centers of the tires align to form a
substantially pipelike configuration. In
this exemplary embodiment illustrated by Figure 3, the pipe-like bales sit on
top of the layer of rectangular bales. If
the rectangular bales 301 are situated about the perimeter of the thermal
storage sink as will subsequently be
illustrated in Figures 4-8, then these bales serve as an insulation liner 302
about the thermal storage sink. As
mentioned previously, a Colorado School of Mines study predicts that the
thermal conductivity (U) of tire bales can
range from 0.120 - 0.124 Btu/ hr degrees Fahrenheit per foot, which converts
to an R - value range of 0.694 - 0.672
per inch, or a total R-value of 40.0 - 41.6 for a 60" tire bale wall, which
would equate to approximately 11.75 inches
of fiberglass batt insulation. Tire bales 301 provide super-insulation-like
performance when the perimeter of the
sink is so lined with them and should well contain the thermal energy within
the sink itself.
Meanwhile water 21 fills all voids within the thermal storage sink below the
water line 16 both within the bales and
in the empty spaces where there are no bales. The pipe-like bales not only add
thermal mass, but the shape of the
pipe-like bales allows for a natural nesting pattern which simultaneously
gives structural support to the interior of
the thermal storage sink itself and so prevents cave ins from the ground
outside.
Figure 4 shows how the rectangular bales 301 can completely insulate the
thermal storage sink from the
surrounding earth, providing a thermal liner 302. In this illustration, the
thermal storage sink 6 is an open pond
400. Here, the cavity e.g., thermal storage sink comprises a physical liner 18
placed on the floors and walls thereof
for simply containing water and deterring water from passing through the
perimeter of the thermal storage sink. On
top of this liner 18 is placed sand or gravel 401 so as to prevent any sharp
wires from the bales from perforating the
liner if the liner itself is made of plastic or some other material which
could rip or tear. The liner can also be an
impervious clay if such is the desire of the builder, or a combination of both
clay and some manmade substance.
On top of this are the bales containing recyclable material. These can
comprise bales of plastic 402, and / or bales
of waste tires 301. Or, they may even comprise bales containing plastic and
some other material of a higher weight
which prevents the bales from floating to the surface 403. However, bales of
plastic can be placed below tire bales
which have less of a tendency to float. The bales can even be concrete blocks
with recycled tires, plastic or waste
glass inside 404. It is understood that while all of these materials are
illustrated, one or more of these materials or
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equivalent materials may be employed in any particular implementation. The
bales on the outer perimeter rise clear
to the ground surface 405. Within the thermal storage chamber is water 21 or
some other liquid such as brine 26.
Baled waste tires can also be situated within 30 feet of the thermal storage
sinks physical liner, including possibly
some which are situated within the thermal storage sink itself. In other
words, the baled waste tires may be within
the thermal storage sink adding heat mass thereto, or outside the thermal
storage sink usually no more than 30 feet
away for the greatest benefit thereby insulating the thermal storage sink from
the surrounding environment, or both.
Figure 5 shows still another embodiment of a thermal storage sink 6, e.g.,
pond. 400 In this embodiment
the liner 18 wraps around the rectangular bales on the walls of the thermal
sink situated on the outer perimeter.
These recycled material bales may be baled tires 301, baled plastic 402,
weighted baled plastic 403, concrete blocks
with recycled material 404, or some other material. The liner 18 than wraps
around the outer perimeter as
illustrated so that there is a barrier of air which fills up the void spaces
503 in the outer perimeter's bales. This liner
18 serves as a physical barrier to prevent water in the aquifer from entering
the surrounding earth 504 within which
the cavity resides. The baled waste tires, to the extent that they are
situated near the liner (proximate, and inside
and / or outside thereof) serve to provide insulation against heat (or cold)
loss. Plastic or vinyl or similar materials
known in the art to be suitable may be employed for the former function as a
physical barrier). Meanwhile ground
recycled glass 502 serves as the porous material as well as construction
debris 501 within the sink itself. This
embodiment of the inventions shows a physical liner 18 and a thermal liner
302.
Below the ground level 405 within the sink 6 is water 21 or brine 26, waste
glass 502, and construction
debris 501. Water 21, or brine 26, fill the voids between the construction
debris within the sink.
Figure 6 illustrates a thermal storage sink below ground level 405 which is a
large thermal mass of
individual recycled bales, be they compacted tires 301, compacted waste
plastic 402, or bales with plastic and
construction debris or something to make them heavier such as ground glass or
construction debris 403. Between
the bales are conduits or pipes 22 which take the thermal storage energy from
the thermal collector and other pipes
which run through the mass and transport it from the storage sink to heat
exchangers in the building itself (not
shown). This thermal storage sink 6 has a liner 18 and sand and/or gravel 401
and/or waste glass 502 below the
large block. This large thermal mass could just as easily be above ground and
the liner could wrap around the outer
perimeter of bales. Any of these large blocks of bales which make up the
thermal storage sink can contain water 21
within, or not. In the event they do not contain water, they will not need a
liner 18, especially if they are above
ground. In this case, earthen fill 504 surrounds the sink.
Figure 7 shows a thermal storage sink pond 400 which is above ground level 405
much like an above
ground swimming pool. In this case there is no porous material inside.
Schematically illustrated here are bales of
rubber tires 301 and / or other recycled plastic 402, concrete block with
recycled materials therein 404, water 21,
and a liner 18.
Figure 8 shows a thermal sink pond 400 where bales of plastic 402 which can
float provide insulation so
that thermal energy stored in the sink does not escape into the atmosphere. A
cover 801 can be placed over the
bales 402 to prevent thermal energy from escaping between the bales floating
on the ponces surface. Illustrated here
also are a liner 18 and water 21.
Figure 9 portrays an embodiment of the invention where the thermal storage
sink 6 and the thermal storage
collector 101 are some distance away from one another, and / or the thermal
storage sink 6 and the building or
structure 901 (indoor air space), where the thermal energy from the sink will
be utilized, are somewhat distant from
one another, thermal energy will be lost to the ground as thermal energy is
transported through thermal medium

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conduits 22 unless some insulation is provided. Therefore unbaled waste tires
902 or baled tires 14 surround and/
or insulate the conduits. These tires are placed around the pipes when they
are laid below ground 405 in a trench
connecting the two components, so that the air space within the tires or
compacted tire pipes forms a pocket of
insulation which separates the pipes from being in contact with the ground
itself. Further the waste tires provide
support and prevent breakage of the pipes themselves were the ground to shift
or heave as a result of freeze thaw or
for some other reason (e.g., earthquake). In such a case, shifting in the
ground will not harm the pipes because the
tires serve as a physical buffer as well as an insulator. These protect and
insulate both the thermal storage transports
conduit for transporting thermal energy from the thermal collector to said
thermal storage sink for storage therein,
and the thermal delivery conduit for transporting thermal energy from the
thermal storage sink to an indoor-air
space for use therein.
The thermal storage sinks shown so far in Figure 1-9 are"thermal added'storage
systems / sinks where
additional thermal energy, be it additional heat or additional cold, is added
to the sink and stored there until the
desired time arises for it to be used. Those systems require insulation. But
such is not the case in a geo thermal
sink. Figures 10A through 16 show various embodiments of geo thermal sinks. In
a geo thermal sink it is best that
there be as little insulation as possible, except, perhaps, for overhead. In a
geo thermal sink the intention is to take
the heat or cold put into the sink and get rid of it to the surrounding ground
as soon as possible so that the water
within the sink can take on the temperature of the ground around it, which
stays quite constant throughout the year.
In geo thermal sinks pipe styled compacted bales are much more suitable to the
task than rectangular bales since the
rectangular bales provide far greater insulation. By using pipe-like
configurations of baled waste tires, the water
within the bale will come in direct contact with the sides of the geo thermal
sink, which are in close contact with the
surrounding ground. Meanwhile, if water is brought into the sink and is at a
temperature higher than ground
temperature, that heat will quickly dissipate into the cooler ground around
the sink, if there is little insulation. If
water brought into the sink is lower in temperature than the surrounding
ground, that water within the sink will
quickly absorb heat from the surrounding ground.
Geo thermal sinks are pretty much the same as thermal added sinks except for
insulation, and except for
their source of thermal energy which in the case of geo thermal sinks comes
from the ground around the sink itself.
Hence there should be as little of a barrier between the sink and the ground
around it as possible, except for what is
necessary to retain liquid within the sink itself.
Figure 10A illustrates a geothermal storage sink 1000 with recyclables, in
this case with pipe-like baled
waste tires 14 within it so as to provide support for the sink itself, the
tires being placed in close proximity to the
liner 18 so that the water 21 within the sink has minimal insulation between
it and the surrounding ground 504, thus
allowing it more quickly to take on ground temperature 1001 within. Because
heat rises, the temperature at the top
of the sink will be higher than the bottom of the sink. Consequently there are
two transport pipes 1009 and 1010
within the sink. An upper transport pipe 1009 is placed higher up and a lower
transport pipe 1010 is placed lower
down. The former extracts warmer water and the latter extracts colder water,
depending on the needs of the area to
be heated or cooled. Each pipe can act as either a water supply line 11 or a
water return line 12. Both usually
operate simultaneously so that water levels within the sink stay constant. If
water entering the sink is at a higher
temperature than the ground temperature that higher temperature will
eventually be dispelled to the surrounding
ground 504. If the temperature of the water returning is of a lower
temperature, the water within the sink will
absorb heat from the surrounding ground 504. Water temperature within the sink
1002 will eventually equal
ground temperature 1001 if the geo thermal system is inactive for any length
of time. Attached to these two entry
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exit pipes each numbered both 11 and 12 are filters 10 and submersible pumps
4. Also there is a rainwater intake
pipe 1003 which is bifurcated so that when water has reached an appropriate
level within the sink, a further flow of
incoming water 1004 can be diverted elsewhere. The high water mark 16 is
naturally situated below the sink liner
18 or vapor barrier 13 to prevent water from overhead from entering the sink.
A geo-grid 7 is placed above that to
prevent earthen fill from entering the sink itself. There is earthen fill 5
above the sink for insulation from ambient
air 1005. The sink is placed below the frost line 1006 so as to better
insulate it from seasonal variation.
Figure 10B illustrates another geo thermal sink 1000 where construction debris
501 fills the interior of the
geo thermal sink in place of baled tires. As in Figure 1 there is a fire
hydrant 19 and a pipe 24 connected to the fire
hydrant that allows water to be drawn from the sink in times of a fire
emergency. There is also a rainwater intake
pipe 1003 and a pump 4 which feeds water into the sink itself. The pump 4
attached to the water feed line 11-12, in
the lower left side of the figure, is within a hollow shaft 1007 so that
maintenance can be done on the pump when
necessary. The geo thermal sink 1000 is stationed below the frost line 1006.
Fill 5 is placed over the sink as
insulation and to prevent debris or other forms of matter from entering the
sink itself. A liner 18 is atop the sink or
vapor barrier 13 as a geo grid 7 which prevents dirt or debris from falling
into the geo thermal sink or from
puncturing the liner or vapor barrier. There is a thermal water feed from the
sink 1009 on the right side of the
drawing which can act as both a feed 11 or a water return 12. On the lower
left side of the drawing is another
thermal water feed 1010 which can do the same. When one is acting as a feed
the other is acting as a return. The
two are stationed on different sides of the sink. Each has a filter 10 and a
reversible pump 4 for moving water either
out of the sink or into it.
Figure 11 shows a top down view of a geothermal sink with water feed and
return lines entering and
leaving a structure where they provide heating and/or cooling to the inside
space 901. In this embodiment pipe like
bales of waste tires 14 run within the sink itself from top to bottom and come
in direct contact with the liner 18
substantially everywhere along the periphery. The tire bales' donut openings
provide even less thermal insulation
than do those sides where the belt alone comes in contact with the liner, but
because both belt and sidewall are quite
thin, the insulation properties of the tires in general are kept to a minimum.
Also, the bales themselves are such that
water itself can readily move between the compacted tires of each bale and
between the bales themselves. These
bales provide structural support for fill overhead (not shown). Outside of the
liner are stationed additional
compacted waste tire pipes like those within the sink to further support and
protect the sink walls from caving in, as
are those on the east and west side of the sink which are placed in a vertical
position 1101. These vertical bales
allow ground contact for this outer perimeter and keep this area at ground
temperature 1001. In the upper part of
the figure are an intake thermal feed 11 and extraction pipe 12. The pipe 11
on the right is drawing water from the
sink 6, 1000, taking it into a building 901, passing it through a cooling coil
1102 where a fan 1103 blows
unconditioned air 1104 through holes or openings between the coils 1105
whereupon the air leaves as conditioned
air 1106 and cools the space within the building, itself. Meanwhile, if
heating is required a heat pump 1107
upstream of the coil 1102 heats the water 21 to a higher temperature and the
heated water now is able to pass
through the same coil 1102 where the fan 1103 again forces air 1104 through
the coil openings 1105 between the
fins and so heats the area inside the structure. After leaving the coil, the
water than passes through a pipe 1108
which allows the water to reenter the sink. A second heat pump 1107 can be
placed in a position, prior to reentry to
the sink, so that any thermal energy gained or lost in the heating or cooling
of the building could be retrieved prior
to the water reentering the sink. Meanwhile, water entering the sink, if at a
different temperature of whatever
degree, will eventually equalize with the ground temperature 1001 outside of
the sink.

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Figure 12 shows us a top down view of a geothermal storage sink 1000 where
water 21 from the sink goes
into a building 901, is utilized for its thermal energy and thereafter becomes
post-utilization water 1201 with
additional thermal energy or a lack thereof. Thereafter this water exits the
building, now goes into another sink, an
acclimation sink 1202,where over time it returns to ground temperature,
gaining or losing whatever thermal energy
it acquired when it entered the building or some other utilization point, to
the surrounding ground 504 around the
acclimation sink. A temperature sensor 9 placed near the exit port of the
acclimation sink monitors water
temperature within the sink and as long as the temperature of water leaving is
at ground temperature, water from
within the acclimation sink is allowed to leave. That is, the water is
prevented from leaving the acclimation tank
until it is substantially equal to ground water temperature 1001, and thus is
not allowed to leave if it is higher or
lower, irrespective of whether the application is heating or cooling. When
water is allowed to leave the acclimation
sink 1202 and enter a geothermal refill sink 1203, that replenishes whatever
water is lost to the main sink 1000
which supplies ground temperature water 21 to the building 901.
Figure 13 shows another embodiment of a geothermal storage sink where water 21
is not returned to the
sink once it is utilized for heating or cooling purposes. In this case a
groundwater refill chamber 1300, or two such
chambers, are placed right outside the liner 18 of the geo thermal sink
itself. Water 21 from within the geothermal
sink leaves via a pipe 11 with a filter 10 attached. A pump 4 pumps water
through that pipe into a building 901 (not
shown) where the thermal energy within the water is utilized for heating or
cooling of the building. To return water
from the building directly into the sink would be counterproductive to the
sinks purpose because eventually the
water temperature within the sink would rise or fall to such a point that its
ability to service the needs of the
building would cease, at least for a period of time. So as to prevent that
from happening, water taken from the sink
is replenished with groundwater 1301 from outside the sink, from the refill
chambers 1300 situated on the outside of
the geo thermal sinks liner. In this case there are two such chambers, one on
either side of the geo thermal sink
1000. Within each groundwater chamber, baled tires 1101 are stacked outside
the liner 18 of the geo thermal sink
and a groundwater refill pipe 1302 extends between the compacted tire bale in
the refill area 1300 upward until it
then curves and enters the geothermal sink. The groundwater refill pipe(s)
supply the geothermal sink with
whatever water is taken out. A pump 4 is attached to the groundwater refill
pipe and as long as the bottom
extremity of that pipe is below the water table 1303 ground water is available
for refill purposes. By covering over
the tires outside the liner with geo grid, or filter fabric 7, a chamber is
formed, the groundwater refill chamber 1300.
The grid 7 allows water from the surrounding soil 504 to enter into the space
1300 where these upright tire stacks
1101 are located. The geo-grid prevents fines (fine fragments or tiny
particles, e.g., of crushed rock) and other
debris from entering the chamber. Water permeates into the refill area from a
lateral direction, from below, and
from any point outside the sink which is below the water table, except for the
area situated against the liner of the
geothermal sink. The stacked tires, not being watertight, allow water to
easily enter between each tire within the
bales and fill up all voids within the chamber below the water table. At the
top of the refill chamber is another pipe
which leads to the surface and attached to this pipe 1304 is a bleeder valve
203 so that when the water rises within
the chamber any trapped air inside the chamber escapes up through the pipe.
The valve also prevents surface air
from heating or cooling water within the groundwater refill chamber. Failure
to have such a bleeder valve and pipe
would result in air being trapped in the roof of the refill chamber resulting
in the chamber not being able to
accumulate as much water therein as might be possible as compared to when the
bleeder valve and pipe mechanism
are so employed. Whatever water leaves the sink to heat or cool the building
is replaced by ground refill water
1301 which is then pumped into the sink, so there is always a full supply of
water within the sink so that it may


CA 02753259 2011-08-22
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fulfill its heating or cooling needs for the building, just so long as the
lower part of the pipe within the chamber is
below the water line and just so long as water can quickly percolate into the
chamber to the extent that water is
being removed. Meanwhile, the temperature of the water within the sink remains
constant at ground water
temperature. Water which leaves the geothermal sink to be used in the building
is returned to the ground elsewhere
(not shown). Construction debris 501 and baled tires 14 within the geothermal
sink help to support the sink itself.
Figure 14 is much like Figure 13 though the entire sink 1000 has construction
debris 501 and water 21 or
brine 26 inside the liner 18. On either side of the sink are refill chambers
1300, are pieces of gravel-sized
construction debris 1401 in place of the vertical pipe tire bales. The refill
pipes 1302 are shown which connect the
refill area to the sink 1000. The geo grid 7 is utilized to separate the
ground around from the refill area and to allow
ground water to refill the refill area and to prevent fines from entering the
area. Air pipes 1304 with bleeder valves
203 are also present. Above the liner 18 at the top of the sink are placed
rectangular tire bales 301. Since heat rises
and since the greatest loss of heat occurs close to the surface of the ground
405 insulation placed at the top of the
sink will most probably be the most advantageous place for situating such
bales so as to maintain ground
temperature 1001 within the sink The sink itself is placed below the frost
line 1006. Fill 5 is placed above the
rectangular bales of tires.
Figure 15 shows a side view of a geo thermal sink 1000 with a shallow well
1501 beside the sink itself
where water from the well with a fluidic connection to the sink replenishes
any water taken out of the geothermal
sink utilized by a building for heating or cooling purposes. A check valve
1502 is placed on the well water feed
pipe 1503 to the geothermal sink. Because in this case the flow rate from the
underground stream 1504 which
supplies well water is not nearly sufficient to take care of the needs of the
structure, which takes water from the geo
thermal sink, the remaining water needed comes from an additional water source
feed 1505, or from the normal sink
water supply feed 12 to the geothermal sink source, such as a refill sink (not
shown). Were water flow from the
underground stream sufficient to take care of the structure's needs year round
then there would be no need for the
geo thermal sink. Of course there is recyclable material within the sink
itself, in this case construction debris 501.
Earthen fill 504 is under the structure and around the sink and the sink
itself is situated below the frost line 1006.
18 shows the liner around the geo thermal sink
Figure 16 provides a side view of a geo thermal sink 1000 and an underground
stream 1504 which either
singly or in combination feeds ground water at ground temperature to a
building 901 for heating or cooling
purposes. When the stream 1504 is flowing copiously and the water table is
high 1601 the stream alone supplies
ground water at ground temperature to the building 901. As the seasons change
and the flow of water from the
stream decreases the geo thermal sink makes up the difference. When the low
water table mark 1602 is reached and
water from the underground stream drops to such a point that little or no
water is flowing, the geo thermal sink
provides all water utilized by the building for heating or cooling purposes.
This figure shows the well water feed
1503 to the building, the geothermal sink 1000 with pipe like baled tires 14
within the sink, the sinks liner 18, the
sinks water feed to the building 11 with a filter 10, so any sediment from the
geothermal sink does not enter the
building and the ground surface level 405 above the sink are all shown. With a
geothermal sink and an
underground stream, the heating and cooling needs of a structure can be taken
care of on a year round basis, even if
the stream dries up during certain seasons of the year.
Having reviewed the drawings, let us now review some additional benefits and
features of the invention
disclosed herein.

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In many instances, it is preferable and far less expensive to use water in
place of glycol in the circulation
system of a thermal storage system which runs through the paving surface for
the"thermal added'systems. Glycol is
far more expensive than water and if there is a leak in any of the hoses which
run across the parking lot it can cause
environmental problems. Using water in its place within the system is less
costly and less dangerous. In winter
time when water is taken either from the heat or cold sink and is pumped
through tubes in the pavement either to
defrost it or to prevent snow build up some moisture would ordinarily remain
which could cause clogging and
rupture. To prevent this a blower system can be included in the system which
is activated after water ceases to flow
through the tubes in the pavement. These blowers removes any moisture droplets
left in the upper surface tubes to
purge the system and eliminate any freezing danger.
Thermal energy storage systems are affected by the laws of thermodynamics.
Objects or materials gain or
lose heat depending on the elements around them and the density of each.
Insulation can slow down thermal energy
loss or gain, temperature differentials and movement. If an object is moving
(e.g. if water is flowing) it must give
up more thermal energy before it can freeze than if it is standing still. If
an object or a substance, such as a liquid,
namely water or water droplets, are allowed to remain immobile in the plastic
or copper tubing in the upper surface
of a parking lot in the wintertime, when the parking lot is very cold, those
water droplets will soon turn to ice. But
if those water droplets are blown out of the tubing, located near the surface
of the parking lot, after the pump which
pumps the water stops, then freezing will not occur for they will drain back
down to the storage tank or to the sink
itself below the frost line. Therefore if water is to be used as a thermal
medium in the parking lot array during the
winter, it must be kept from remaining immobile in the surface tubing, or the
only alternative is to use a far more
costly liquid such as glycol which will not freeze at the temperature water
does.
Thermal storage sinks are often manmade aquifers and so contain a large body
of water. In times of
emergency such water can be optionally tapped to extinguish a blaze. Referring
to Figure 1 (and similar capacity
may be provided in relation to Figure 2 or Figures 10-14), a firefighting
conduit (e.g., shaft or pipe) 24 can extends
from the surface down to where water is found in the thermal storage sink, and
preferably to provide maximum
pressure, all the way down almost to the liner. Over the shaft is a fire
hydrant or similar device 19 for tapping into
and extracting the water. In times of fire emergency, fire fighters can thus
tap into the water stored in the aquifer to
help fight the blaze. Holes or shafts of this nature could also be placed in
parking lots where there are underground
retention ponds as well, below a roadway or parking lot. In those cases, water
available in the aquifer can be used
to help protect nearby buildings. If added pressure is required, a pressure
pump (not shown) may be provided to
force air down into the aquifer and increase pressure, so that water that is
drawn up through the shaft or pipe 24 will
have pressure sufficient for effective firefighting.
Finally, it is important to explore more thoroughly, the particular structural
advantages of baled tires, in
addition to their thermal characteristics. Thermal storage sinks of any type,
be they thermal added or geothermal,
require that there be little if any settling of the ground overhead. Otherwise
uneven depressions will form and the
surface area will be unusable and even dangerous. This can cause the asphalt
or concrete overhead to crack or
buckle in short order and be useless or unsightly. Even if only grass were
planted overhead settling can create such
an uneven surface that people who walk upon it can trip and fall creating
liability issues for the owners of the
property itself.
Baled tires whether in rectangular form or pipe like configurations provide
extremely stable and even
reinforcement and when put into a configuration with other bales of the same
shape their stabilizing capabilities are
only enhanced, whereupon the upper surface above the sink becomes even more
stable and less likely to cave in.

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Having already been compressed with as much as 36,000 lbs of pressure by
hydraulic cylinders, baled tires cannot
be compressed much more, even under extreme loads. Hence there will be little
deflection even when greater
amounts of weight are placed upon them. If the bales are in a pipelike
configuration they also have nesting
tendencies which add still further to the reinforcement strength of the mass
itself.
Baled tires also allow for large volumes of water to be incorporated within
the sink. The liquid can freely
travel within the bales themselves and between the spaces between one compact
tire and another within each bale.
The liquid within a sink is one of the main retainers of thermal energy and
the transport mechanism used by a sink
to transport that energy either to or from another location. For the most part
this liquid takes on thermal energy
more quickly than solids and so a thermal sink should have the capability of
retaining and holding a great volume of
liquid. Baled tires allow for a high percentage of liquid volume within a sink
and provide for easy circulation of that
liquid so that thermal energy can be easily removed and easily acquired by the
sink itself.
Tire bales also limit the spaces within a sink where unreachable pockets or
voids might form, where the
liquid therein cannot be retrieved, since as mentioned, compacted tires,
within the bales, still allow for the free flow
of a liquid between each individual compacted tires and between the bales
themselves. Further the pipes within the
sink are protected by the tire bales since they can absorb shock. They buffer
a shocks intensity and dissipate the
force so that even if an earthquake were to occur, the liner should remain
undamaged and the pipes unbroken.
Especially if tire bales are set about the perimeter of the sink or if they
are placed in a sinks interior, the ground
above should not cave in from such a natural disaster since the baled tires
dissipate the force of a quake to areas
outside the sink itself. Further, because of a tire baps large mass and
extreme weight, which is anywhere between
500 pounds and a ton or more each, they prevent cave in or shifting of the
pipes surrounded and protected by the
bales. Thus, any force that might have been placed on them is mitigated to an
extreme degree and such protection is
only enhanced when one tire bale is placed against another.
For all of the above reasons, baled tires make for an ideal material to be
used in a thermal storage sinks, be
they geothermal sinks or thermal added sinks. A compacted baled tirds
qualities make this material unique and hard
to find in other materials, leaving them ideally suited for the construction
of a thermal sink of large size. And, when
baled tires are used for this purpose, one is simultaneously solving the waste
problem that is otherwise presented by
baled tires sitting in landfills.
Even plastic pipes, which might be used as an inferior replacement, are not as
ideally suited to the job.
Plastic pipes lack the strength of baled tires which have steel reinforcement,
they do not last as long before they
start to deteriorate, they do not have the mass or weight, and they cost far
more. In fact utilizing plastic pipe as an
alternative to the baled tires within a thermal sink could cost as much as a
quarter of a million dollars more per acre
and would make the construction of large manmade thermal sinks prohibitively
expensive.
Another benefit to the use of baled tires in large thermal sinks, where
millions of gallons of liquid may be
contained, is that baled tires, and the sinks in which they are used,
eliminate the need for drilling, which has to be
done if a vertical open or closed loop geothermal systems is to be
constructed. Particularly, geothermal systems,
used for large commercial structures, require large bodies of water to serve
as a way to supply them with the
necessary thermal energy they need. Such a source of supply is often an
underground aquifer, river or stream. To
reach such a large water body, drilling is necessary. If the system utilizes
natural steam in place of water or goes
through hot rock, drilling, and the installation of a casing, is necessary so
that the energy from below the surface can
be tapped. Where none of these natural sources of thermal energy are
available, then many drill holes are dug, into
the earth, often 25 feet or more. These often go down about 200 hundred feet
with miles of tubing installed, through
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which a liquid travels which acquires the thermal properties of the ground
itself whose energy is necessary for a
large structure's heating or cooling needs. All such methods are extremely
costly and all such methods become
unnecessary when a large thermal sink is constructed with baled tires. The
result is that a thermal sink which
utilizes baled tires may cost only a fraction of what would otherwise be the
case.
The knowledge possessed by someone of ordinary skill in the art at the time of
this disclosure is
understood to be part and parcel of this disclosure and is implicitly
incorporated by reference herein, even if in the
interest of economy express statements about the specific knowledge understood
to be possessed by someone of
ordinary skill are omitted from this disclosure. While reference may be made
in this disclosure to the invention
comprising a combination of a plurality of elements, it is also understood
that this invention is regarded to comprise
combinations which omit or exclude one or more of such elements, even if this
omission or exclusion of an element
or elements is not expressly stated herein, unless it is expressly stated
herein that an element is essential to
applicanfs combination and cannot be omitted. It is further understood that
the related prior art may include
elements from which this invention may be distinguished by negative claim
limitations, even without any express
statement of such negative limitations herein. It is to be understood, between
the positive statements of applicanfs
invention expressly stated herein, and the prior art and knowledge of the
prior art by those of ordinary skill which is
incorporated herein even if not expressly reproduced here for reasons of
economy, that any and all such negative
claim limitations supported by the prior art are also considered to be within
the scope of this disclosure and its
associated claims, even absent any express statement herein about any
particular negative claim limitations.
While only certain preferred features of the invention have been illustrated
and described, many
modifications, changes and substitutions will occur to those skilled in the
art. It is, therefore, to be understood that
the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes
as fall within the true spirit of the
invention.

19

Representative Drawing