Carbon dioxide heat pipe in conjunction with a ground source heat pump (GSHP)

The principle of the heat pipe has been well-known for a long time. This system is once again gaining importance by the use of the heat transfer medium CO2. Contrary to a brine heat pipe (a heating pipe that is a single phase water pipe), a CO2 thermosyphon is a two-phase system. The advantage of this technology is that such systems are also applicable in water protection zones. Furthermore, CO2-heat pipes offer the advantage that circulation pumps, which are needed for brine heat pipes, are unnecessary and thus higher seasonal performance figures (SPF) are attainable. For this reasons the author‘s company in co-operation with independent research institutions developed a new CO2-heat pipe.The article reports on experiences with the high-grade steel corrugated pipe system, which – contrary to other pipe systems permits raw length up to 100 m. The article also describes the establishment of the heat pump system in general.