Geothermal Cooling

and Heating

CONSTANTINOS ANDREOU
MSC CIVIL ENGINEERING
 "GEOTHERMAL” ???

Geothermal is a Greek word

where:
 Geo = Earth

 Thermal = Heat

So in gross terms geothermal means:

‘Any type of earth’s thermal energy that is used for various

purposes for our society’
 Geothermal – Solar Energy Stored in the
Ground
Harnessing the Solar Energy from

Underground  
The earth is a wonderful source of heat. Just ask
the burrowing animals that depend on it for
warmth in the winter.

 40 – 60% of solar energy from the

Sun is directly absorbed into the
ground.
 Solar energy that reaches us, is a
natural source of heat for our
homes, if we can get it out.

And we can..
 Geothermal – Solar Energy Stored in
the Ground {cont’d}
The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency,
documented that geothermal heating and cooling is the most efficient
comfort system available, the "heating system for the 21st Century.“

o In winter, geothermal systems extract heat from the

ground to heat your home.
o In summer, geothermal systems transfer heat into the
ground to cool your home.
 Geothermal heating and cooling
Based on the simple facts
 that 6 feet down in the ground the temperature is always
same—between 10˚C and 15˚C
 the source for geothermal heating and cooling is not
affected by the weather.
 works by using the difference in temperature between the
outside air and the ground
 Heating and Cooling - PROCCESS

A. Earth’s heat transferred from the ground to the structure through a

series of buried pipes => high-density, poly-ethylene pipes

B. The pipes are filled with a water and are set to the underground =>
these pipes are called an earth loop systems.

C. A heat pump helps the water to move through the pipe loop system .
 Heating and Cooling – PROCCESS
{cont’d}
HEATING MODE
1. Heat pump extracts the heat from the loop,
2. Distributes it into the home,
3. Water circulates back through the earth loop,
4. Solar energy naturally flows from the ground into the loop,
5. and the process is Repeating …
COOLING MODE
1. Both heat energy and humidity are extracted from the house,
2. Then the thermal energy put it into the earth loop,
3. Now the loop system is warmer than the surrounding ground,
4. heat naturally flows from the loop into the earth,
5. and the process is Repeating …

=> Heating, Cooling, and Humidity control.

 Heating and Cooling – PROCCESS
{cont’d}
BUT WHAT IF WE WANT TO RAISE THE TEMPERATURE IN OUR HOUSE???

PV=RT
P is pressure
V is volume
T is absolute temperature,
R is a constant

• Keeping the volume constant, the Pressure becomes

proportional to the Temperature.

• This means that if we want to raise the temperature a

little, then we should increase its pressure a little.
 Geothermal - Loops
4 basic types of geothermal system - all are
ground loop systems.

 Horizontal Close Loop System

{residential installations}

 Vertical Close Loop

System
{Large commercial buildings}
Geothermal – Loops {cont’d}

 Pond/Lake Close Loop System

{residential installations}

 Open-Loop System -
Adequate supply of
relatively clean water
{residential installations}
 Advantages
 Geothermal energy is renewable,

 Environmentally friendly.

 Production of less greenhouse gases

 Better efficiency of heating compared to pure electric heaters

 25% to 50% less electricity compared to conventional heating or cooling

systems.
 Good lifespan

 Very silently procedure compared to conventional air conditioners

 Very low maintenance costs.

 No carbon dioxide emission

 Disadvantages

 High initial costs => three to four times bigger

compared to conventional systems.
 Not Widespread Source of Energy

 Not 100% environmental => use of electricity by

pumps
 May Release Harmful Gases
So, is geothermal the
answer to our energy
concerns?

TELL ME…!
 References
 http://www.green-energy-efficient-homes.com/advantage-disadvantage-
geothermal.html

 http://gladwell.typepad.com/gladwellcom/2006/08/the_case_for_ge.html

 http://www.redcar-cleveland.gov.uk/seen.nsf/SEEN/
ADE3AA99C2D9507F80256CCD0046D1C7?OpenDocument

 http://www.geothermalenergy.org/geothermal-heating-and-cooling.php

 http://www.top-alternative-energy-sources.com/geothermal-heating-
system.html

 http://designbuildsource.com.au/geothermal-australia

 http://www.our-
energy.com/geothermal_heating_advantages_and_disadvantages.html