IP Library Granted Patent US 12,571,547
Granted Patent B2
US 12,571,547 · App. 18/492,669 · Granted Mar 10, 2026

Hybrid geothermal, air source, water source systems

Inventor: Scot Matthew Duncan (Lucas, TX)
Assignee: HEDS HOLDINGS LLC
F24F3/153F24F8/10F24F13/1413F24F13/15F24F8/22
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,571,547
App. No.
18/492,669
Granted
Mar 10, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for providing hot air or hot dehumidified air to a facility using an energy recovery high efficiency dehumidification system. The energy recovery high efficiency dehumidification system can include an air filter bank that receives air from a first inlet source, a supply fan that causes the air to flow from the first inlet source, a cooling coil configured to cool and reduce a relative humidity of the air that passes over the cooling coil, a cooling recovery coil coupled with the cooling coil and configured to heat the cooled air to generate cooled dehumidified reheated air in a cooling recovery coil plenum, an equipment room configured to surround mechanical and electrical equipment and further heat received cooled dehumidified reheated air, and a heat rejection coil that rejects heat from one or more components of the mechanical and electrical equipment to further heat the air.

Claims (57)

1 . A hybrid geothermal, air source, water source system comprising:

one or more coils, the one or more coils comprising a first coil functioning as an air source heat pump heat rejection coil utilizing fluid or refrigerant as a heat transfer media; or

the first coil functioning as an air source heat pump cooling coil utilizing the fluid or the refrigerant as the heat transfer media; and

the first coil functioning as a water source heat pump heat rejection coil, the water source heat pump heat rejection coil utilizing the fluid or the refrigerant as the heat transfer media; or

the first coil functioning as a water source heat pump cooling coil utilizing the fluid or the refrigerant as the heat transfer media; and

the first coil functioning as a chiller heat rejection coil, the chiller heat rejection coil utilizing the fluid or the refrigerant as the heat transfer media; or

the first coil functioning as a chiller cooling coil utilizing the fluid or the refrigerant as the heat transfer media; and

the first coil functioning as a geothermal or ground source heat pump heat rejection coil, the geothermal or ground source heat pump heat rejection coil utilizing the fluid or the refrigerant as the heat transfer media; or

the first coil functioning as a geothermal or ground source heat pump cooling coil utilizing the fluid or the refrigerant as the heat transfer media; and

a preheating coil designed to prevent winter coil freezing;

the preheating coil functioning as the air source heat pump heat rejection coil; or

the preheating coil functioning as the air source heat pump cooling coil; and

the preheating coil functioning as the water source heat pump heat rejection coil; or

the preheating coil functioning as the water source heat pump cooling coil; and

the preheating coil functioning as the chiller heat rejection coil; or

the preheating coil functioning as the chiller cooling coil; and

the preheating coil functioning as the geothermal or the ground source heat pump heat rejection coil; or

the preheating coil functioning as the geothermal or ground source heat pump cooling coil; and

a reheating coil designed to provide temperature and relative humidity control;

the reheating coil functioning as the air source heat pump heat rejection coil; or

the reheating coil functioning as the air source heat pump cooling coil; and

the reheating coil functioning as the water source heat pump heat rejection coil; or

the reheating coil functioning as the water source heat pump cooling coil; and

the reheating coil functioning as the chiller heat rejection coil; or

the reheating coil functioning as the chiller cooling coil; and

the reheating coil functioning as the geothermal or the ground source heat pump heat rejection coil; or

the reheating coil functioning as the geothermal or the ground source heat pump cooling coil; and

one or more additional coils functioning as a heating coil or as a cooling coil, the one or more additional coils being controlled individually to function as the heating coil or as the cooling coil.

2 . The hybrid geothermal, air source, water source system of claim 1 , further comprising:

an energy recovery high efficiency dehumidification system for providing cool dehumidified air to a facility, the system comprising:

an air filter bank that receives air from an environment via a first inlet source;

a supply fan that causes the air to flow from the first inlet source;

the cooling coil configured to cool and reduce a relative humidity of the air that passes over the cooling coil;

a cooling recovery coil coupled with the cooling coil and configured to heat the cooled air to generate cooled dehumidified reheated air in a cooling recovery coil plenum;

a first outlet configured to be coupled with ductwork to allow the cooled dehumidified reheated air to pass to the facility;

an equipment room configured to surround mechanical and electrical equipment and receive air from the environment via a second inlet source; and

a heat rejection coil rejecting heat recovered from one or more components of the mechanical and the electrical equipment to cause a temperature of the air to increase causing heated air, the heated air configured to pass through an outlet to the environment.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the cooling recovery coil plenum includes a first damper system and a second damper system, the first damper system connecting the ductwork to the cooling recovery coil plenum being in an opened position and the second damper system connecting the equipment room to the cooling recovery coil plenum being in a closed position.

4 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the system further comprises a preheat coil for receiving a preheating liquid from one or more heat recovery units to preheat air from the first inlet source that passes over the preheat coil.

5 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the equipment room includes a third damper system connecting the second inlet source, the third damper system being in a closed position to redirect air to the heat rejection coil.

6 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the system further comprises a reheat coil to further warm the cooled dehumidified reheated air received from the cooling recovery coil.

7 . The system of claim 2 , wherein a chemical or a biological mitigation system comprises one or more of an Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) system or a Photocatalytic Oxidation (PCO) system.

8 . The system of claim 2 , wherein at least a portion of a fluid provided to the cooling coil to cool and reduce the relative humidity of the air is output from the cooling coil and provided to an inlet of the cooling recovery coil.

9 . A cooling and heating plant based on a modified heat pump design or a standard chiller-based design that is built to provide relative humidity control, down to 0% cooling loads, while increasing a capacity of an earth-coupled field.

10 . The cooling and heating plant of claim 9 , further comprising:

a heat pump system and a cooling system utilizing a ground coupled heat rejection system.

11 . The cooling and heating plant of claim 10 , further comprising:

a first heating and cooling energy recovery unit.

12 . The cooling and heating plant of claim 11 , further comprising:

a second heating and cooling energy recovery unit.

13 . The cooling and heating plant of claim 12 , further comprising:

one or more additional heating and cooling energy recovery units.

14 . The cooling and heating plant of claim 13 , further comprising:

a ground coupled field for heat rejection and heat reclamation.

15 . The cooling and heating plant of claim 14 , further comprising:

a cooling augmentation system that allows added cooling energy to be injected into a piping loop for instantaneous use, or injected into the ground coupled field, for use at a later time; and

a heating augmentation system that allows added heating energy to be injected into the piping loop for instantaneous use, or injected into the ground coupled field, for use at a later time.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 17, 2025
From: DUNCAN, SCOT MATTHEW
To: HEDS HOLDINGS LLC
Reel/Frame 070873/0453 →
Continuity (5)
Continuation In Part 17683023 · Feb 28, 2022
Continuation 16233800 · Dec 27, 2018
Provisional Application 62641211 · Mar 9, 2018
Provisional Application 62641200 · Mar 9, 2018
Related Publication 20240053031A1 · Feb 15, 2024
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