Underground cooling system and method

4495781
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Inventors

Gatling, Grafton G.

Application #

467320

Filed

Feb-17-1983

Published

Jan-29-1985

Current US Class

062/260
126/400
165/45

International Classes

F25D 023/00

Field of Search

165/45 165/485 62/260 126/400 98/31

Examiners

Bennett; Henry

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Spicer, Jr.; Robert L.

US Patent References

4008709   Underground stora...
4205718   Solar-earth thermal...
4258780   Dual cycle heat pip...
4291751   Thermal inverter

Referenced by:

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Abstract
An underground air cooling system and method for at least one building including an air line disposed beneath the ground for conveying air to an I-tank filled with fluid that is also disposed beneath the ground. The fluid in the lower compartment of the I-tank absorbs heat from the air in the air line and dissipates that heat quickly to the surrounding earth and to the fluid in the upper compartment of the I-tank. In addition, a fluid line is connected to the I-tank and is interposed in the path of the air in the air line. Cold water from the I-tank runs through the water line. As air passes over the fluid line in the air line, the air is further cooled and dehumidified before being conveyed to a building to be cooled. In a preferred embodiment, a second water line is connected to the lower compartment of the I-tank and is disposed in different parts of a building so that cool water from the I-tank runs through coils of the second water line in different portions of the building. A fan can be provided to blow air over the coils of the second fluid line thereby further cooling the air in the building.
 
Claims
What is claimed is:

1. An underground cooling system using cooled air for cooling at least one building comprising:

(a) an air conveying means for conveying air underground including:

(i) an inlet for receiving air;

(ii) a blower for blowing air into said inlet;

(iii) an outlet for emitting cooled air into said building;

(iv) an air line for transmitting air there-through, connecting said inlet to said outlet; and

(b) a container means for containing a liquid, including:

(i) an upper compartment;

(ii) a lower compartment, spaced apart from said upper compartment, at a different vertical height and in communication therewith so that when a liquid is in said container means said liquid may flow therebetween, wherein said container means is disposed at a depth beneath the ground such that when liquid is in said lower compartment, said liquid is at a lower temperature than air in said air conveying means, wherein said air conveying means conveys air to a location where the air will become cooled by an exchange of heat with liquid from said lower compartment, a first liquid conveying means, attached at one end to said lower compartment and connected at its other end to said container means, for conveying liquid from said lower compartment therethrough, wherein a section of said first liquid conveying means is interposed in the path of air in said air line, said air line has first and second sections and said air conveying means further includes a junction chamber connecting said first and second sections wherein said junction chamber has a greater cross-sectional area than said air line and wherein at least a portion of said first liquid conveying means is interposed in said junction chamber.



Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a cooling system for a building using an underground heat exchanger.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional air conditioning systems use freon, a compressor and a fan which are powered by electricity. The cost of the freon and the compressor has always been high. In addition, the amount of electricity needed to power the compressor has always been substantial. In the past decade, however, the cost of electricity and the materials used to manufacture conventional air conditioning systems have increased dramatically.

One way in which to lower the costs of cooling a building is to replace the expensive compressor and freon with a less expensive cooling medium. One such cooling medium is the ground beneath the earth. At a depth of six feet, in the temperate zone, the earth has a relatively constant temperature of approximately 57.degree. F.

Many cooling systems have been manufactured which use the ground beneath the earth as a cooling medium to cool a building. However, these cooling systems are still relatively expensive and not very efficient. For example, the patent to ROGERS et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,037, discloses a set of pipes which carry air from a building to a location beneath the ground and then return the air to the building. However, the transfer of heat through the pipes to the ground is not very efficient. ROGERS et al., in fact, states that in many applications his cooling system can only act as a supplement to and not replace a conventional cooling system.
 
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