Heating or cooling equipment including a geothermal heat pump associated with an artificial snow production installation

Abstract

The invention relates to equipment for alternatively producing either artificial snow or heating or cooling, the equipment comprising: an artificial snow production installation including in particular a buried pressurized water network; at least one heat pump having a ground heat exchanger circuit; and a configuration system for either disconnecting the connection circuit of the heat pump from the buried water network of the artificial snow production installation during a stage of producing artificial snow, or else connecting the connection circuit to the water network of the artificial snow production installation during a stage of heat pump operation, either in heating mode or in cooling mode.

1 . Equipment for producing in alternation either artificial snow or heating or cooling, wherein the equipment comprises:
 an artificial snow production installation comprising:
 a buried pressurized water network connected to a supply source and including in particular a set of buried pipes; and 
 spray devices for spraying water and air under pressure, the spray devices being connected to the buried pipes by controlled valves and being adapted to form artificial snow; 
   at least one heat pump with a ground heat exchanger circuit, the heat exchanger including a refrigerant fluid circuit passing successively in particular through a first heat exchanger, through a compressor, and through a second heat exchanger, the first heat exchanger serving to exchange heat between the refrigerant fluid and a connection circuit connecting to the buried water network of the artificial snow production installation, by means of controlled valves, the second heat exchanger exchanging heat between the refrigerant fluid and an external utilization circuit; and   a configuration system serving either to disconnect the connection circuit of the heat pump from the buried water network of the artificial snow production installation during the artificial snow production stage, or to act during the heat pump operation stage to form at least one water circulation loop providing the ground heat exchanger circuit of the heat pump and formed by the connection circuit and at least a portion of the buried pipes of the buried water network of the artificial snow production installation.   
     
     
         2 . Equipment according to  claim 1 , wherein the connection circuit includes at least circulator means for circulating water in the water circulation loop, said circulator means being controlled to operate during the heat pump operating stage. 
     
     
         3 . Equipment according to  claim 1 , wherein the heat pump produces heating so that the first heat exchanger operates as an evaporator for the refrigerant fluid so as to absorb heat coming from the water circulation loop, while the second heat exchanger operates to condense the refrigerant fluid so as to deliver heat to the external utilization circuit. 
     
     
         4 . Equipment according to  claim 1 , wherein the heat pump performs cooling so that the first heat pump operates to condense the refrigerant fluid so as to deliver heat to the water circulation loop, while the second heat exchanger operates to evaporate the refrigerant fluid so as to absorb heat coming from the external utilization circuit. 
     
     
         5 . Equipment according to  claim 1 , wherein the heat pump is reversible so that the first heat exchanger operates to evaporate the refrigerant fluid so as to absorb heat coming from the water circulation loop during heating mode, and to condense the refrigerant fluid so as to deliver heat to the water circulation loop during cooling mode, while the second heat exchanger operates to condense the refrigerant fluid so as to deliver heat to the external utilization circuit during heating mode, and to evaporate the refrigerant fluid so as to absorb heat coming from the external utilization circuit during cooling mode. 
     
     
         6 . Equipment according to  claim 1 , wherein the heat pump includes as first and second heat exchangers, a condenser and an evaporator, while the external utilization circuit and the ground heat exchanger circuit include means for swapping over exchanges between said circuits and the condenser and the evaporator. 
     
     
         7 . Equipment according to  claim 1 , wherein the configuration system enables the valves of the connection circuit and the valves fitted to buried pipes of the artificial snow production installation to be controlled depending on the operating stage. 
     
     
         8 . Equipment according to  claim 7 , wherein the configuration system serves automatically to control the valves of the connection circuit and the valves fitted to the buried pipes of the artificial snow production installation. 
     
     
         9 . A method of alternatively producing either artificial snow or heating or cooling by means of production equipment, wherein, while the artificial snow production installation is stopped, at least a portion of the buried water network of the artificial snow production installation is used to form the ground heat exchanger circuit of the heat pump. 
     
     
         10 . An alternating production method according to  claim 9 , wherein it consists in forming the ground heat exchanger circuit by adding connection pipes and/or valves thereto.