The functioning of the installation takes place over an annual cycle.
- In winter, with the aid of a heat pump, when the water is colder than the soil, heat is removed from the circulating fluid (and indirectly extracted from the soil) and renders a higher temperature to the heating.
- In summer, conversely, when the water is warmer than the soil, heat is dissipated into the soil for cooling
1., 2. & 3. During the screwing-in phase, a soil displacing screw head inserts the guide tube to the correct design depth
4. During the screwing-out phase - as the auger is simultaneously withdrawn while rotating - concrete is pumped into the borehole through the hollow central tube of the auger.
5. & 6. The reinforcement, fitted with integrated heat exchangers in HDPE (‘collector pipes’), is then placed into the concreted pile. A heat exchange fluid, usually simply clear water, circulates in an U-shaped pipe circuit (‘pipe loop’) located between the piles and a heat pump (HP) and is heated or cooled by the surrounding soil.