engineering

Glossary of geothermal heating and cooling

Glossary of geothermal heating and cooling is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Glossary of geothermal heating and cooling rather than just read about it. In short: The Glossary of Geothermal Heating and Cooling provides definitions of many terms used within the Geothermal heat pump industry. The terms in this glossary may be used by industry professionals, for education materials, and by the general public.

Key takeaways

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Reference excerpt

The Glossary of Geothermal Heating and Cooling provides definitions of many terms used within the Geothermal heat pump industry. The terms in this glossary may be used by industry professionals, for education materials, and by the general public.

Active Borehole Length The length of the U-bend in the borehole below the header trench (usually 4 to 6 feet less than the total borehole length from the surface).

Advanced Geothermal System (AGS) See Closed-Loop Geothermal System entry.

Ambient Air The surrounding air (usually outdoor air or the air in a specific location).

Ambient Ground Temperature The natural temperature of the earth in a specific location. This temperature will typically be quite stable at a depth of 30' (9 m) and is usually close to the annual average air temperature of the area and is influenced primarily by the average air temperature and secondarily by the thermal energy absorbed from the sun. While the ambient ground temperature is constant, as heat is extracted or rejected via the ground heat exchanger (GHX), the temperature will vary. Typically, a GHX is designed to operate at a minimum fluid temperature of about 32°F (0°C) and a maximum fluid temperature of 90°F (32°C)

Annual Ground Load Defined to be the difference between the annual amount of heat rejected to the GHEX in the cooling mode and the annual amount of heat extracted from the GHEX in the heating mode.

Antifreeze A variety of Antifreeze solutions are used in geothermal ground loops. The most common types are: Propylene glycol, Methanol, and Ethanol

As-Built Drawing A detailed drawing that shows everything included on the site plan in addition to the exact location, dimensions, and other pertinent details for a given GHEX installation after the installation is complete.

Auxiliary Heat A supplemental source of heating to provide additional heat to assist a geothermal heating and cooling system. Auxiliary heat can also be used as back-up emergency heat if heat pump goes into fault.

Average Efficiency Seasonal average versus peak Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) or coefficient of performance (COP).

Balance Point Temperature The outdoor air temperatures where internal heat gains from people, appliances, etc. offset the envelope heat loss to the atmosphere. It is at the balance point temperatures where no indoor heating or cooling will be required to maintain the temperature of the home at the thermostat set point.

Bend A fitting either molded separately or formed from pipe for the purpose of accommodating a directional change.

Bentonite Grout A common grout mix used to protect aquifers from ground or cross contamination and ensure good contact between loop and surrounding soil.

Best Practice Commonly accepted practices among industry professionals.

Bin In the bin method, a temperature increment, usually 5 F, into which the range of temperatures for an area are divided. Bins are used to produce a frequency distribution of hourly, monthly, or annual outdoor temperature occurrences for a specified location.

Bleed Discharge of water from a standing column well to maintain desired temperatures

Block Load Defined to be the sum of the zone loads. A block load calculation is necessary for a building with multiple zones served by a centralized heating/cooling system.

Blowers Fans used to force air across the heat exchanger. With a ground source heat pump, the only blower used is to force air through the central heating system.

Brine A mixture of water and antifreeze

Buffer Tank A storage tank for geo conditioned water

Building Management System A computerized or digital control system that controls many or all of the systems in a building, including the HVAC system, lighting system, building access controls, etc.

Centralized Pumping System Flow centers located centrally in a ground source system that produce flow to all heat pump units in that system.

Circulating Pump(s) The pump(s) that circulates the fluid in the closed-loop system during normal operation.

Closed-Loop Ground Source Heat Pump The heat exchange loop in a Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) system that consists of the ground heat exchanger, the circulating pump, and the water-source heat pump in which the heat transfer fluid is not exposed to the atmosphere.

Closed-Loop Geothermal System A subsurface circuit of wellbores containing a fluid heated by a geothermal hot rock resource, without direct contact of the fluid with the resource. Unlike the closed loop in a Ground Source Heat Pump, which is used for small-scale residential heating and cooling, Closed-Loop Geothermal Systems are used for utility-scale energy production (typically >1 megawatt). A Closed-Loop Geothermal System is sometimes referred to as an Advanced Geothermal System (AGS).

Coaxial Heat Exchanger A tube in tube heat exchanger where water (or brine) is separated from refrigerant.

Coefficient of Performance A measure of heat pump efficiency. It is calculated by dividing the heating or cooling output of a heat pump (in BTUs/hr) and dividing it by the energy input (converted to BTUs/hr).

Coil A heat exchanger used to transfer energy from one source to another. In ground source heat pumps, water-to-refrigerant and refrigerant-to-air coils are used.

Combination GSHP Unit A GSHP that has the ability to heat or cool air at full capacity or to heat or cool water at full capacity, but not both at the same time.

Condenser A heat exchanger in which hot, pressurized (gaseous) refrigerant is condensed by transferring heat to cooler surrounding air, water, or earth.

Compressor The central component of a heat pump system. The compressor increases the pressure of a refrigerant fluid, and simultaneously reduces its volume, while causing the fluid to move through the system.

Deep Earth Temperatures Relatively constant temperature at a given depth which vary when heat is extracted or rejected by ground loops.

Degree Day A measure of the severity and duration of an outdoor temperature deviation above or below a fixed temperature (65 F), used in estimating the heating or cooling requirement and fuel consumption of a building for either summer or winter conditions.

Delta P Difference in pressure between two test points

Delta T Temperature difference between two test sites such as supply and return air or entering and leaving water in ground loop.

Demand (DMD) The electrical input required to operate a GSHP unit for space conditioning.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Glossary of geothermal heating and cooling

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Glossary of geothermal heating and cooling claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Glossary of geothermal heating and cooling before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Glossary of geothermal heating and cooling ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Glossary of geothermal heating and cooling

In research: Glossary of geothermal heating and cooling appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Glossary of geothermal heating and cooling in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Glossary of geothermal heating and cooling is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Geothermal energy, Glossaries of science, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Glossary of geothermal heating and cooling outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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Frequently asked questions

What is Glossary of geothermal heating and cooling in simple terms?

Why does Glossary of geothermal heating and cooling matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Glossary of geothermal heating and cooling?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Glossary of geothermal heating and cooling.