Although air collection systems have been functioning for years, they do not represent the best currently available technology for air elimination. As one who’s been in this industry almost 30 years, I can bear witness to a transformation in which air control/elimination has moved from a “keep your fingers crossed” proposition in some situations to a relatively simple, consistent, and reliable process in well-designed modern systems.
Last
month, the author began a discussion of how tubing depth affects the thermal
performance of heated slabs by noting computer simulations that show the effect
is significant. This month he looks at bare
slabs, as well as some details for protecting tubing where it passes
beneath sawn control joints.
Solar collectors and wind turbines are probably the best-known methods of collecting renewable energy, but other approaches hold equal if not better return on investment potential. One of these is a geothermal heat pump system.