As an introduction, the following obstacles to significant market growth for geothermal probes are briefly identified: High costs compared to air source heat pumps, highly dependent on subsidies, limited existing drilling capacities. In the important renovation market, the large amount of space required for the machines and supply lines also acts as a barrier, as this involves restoration work on gardens and paths.
At GeoTHERM 2024, separatus presented the innovative split pipe geothermal loop concept to the public for the first time and met with great interest. A two-chamber pipe combines flow and return, makes the production of borehole heat exchanger pipes more resource-efficient, optimizes transport and storage, enables unrivalled slim boreholes and considerably simplifies installation. The overall concept reduces the investment costs for geothermal installations by a significant 30%, thus evidently to the level of an air source heat pump. Due to the small drilling diameter, the drilling equipment can be massively downsized so as to cause hardly any ground damage and be used in courtyards, small gardens and narrow passages. Drilling companies can also use their capacities more efficiently.
After the introductory part, the presentation explains the functional principle of the separatus split pipe idea so that the cost structure of a fully installed geothermal system can then be made clear. Since the submission for GeoTHERM 2024, the first plants have been successfully realized, which means that interesting data material from comparisons on different probe types is now available. The presentation analyzes the measurement results and compares the expected investment costs in parallel. The determination of the borehole resistance for the new separatus pipe type is also shown, which enables simulation using various software such as EED and GHEtool. In addition, the planning and installation experience gained will be passed on.