Patent ID: 7571762

Claim:
A method of forming a ground source heat exchange system comprising: providing an upstream manifold; providing a downstream manifold; connecting more than one heat exchange flow circuit to the upstream and downstream manifolds, the heat exchange flow circuits for being buried in the ground, the upstream manifold for distributing a single flow path of heat exchange fluid into multiple flow paths into the more than one heat exchange flow circuit, and the downstream manifold for recombining the multiple flow paths; mounting a control valve associated with each said more than one heat exchange flow circuit on at least one of the manifolds, each control valve for controlling flow of heat exchange fluid through a respective heat exchange flow circuit; providing more than one downstream temperature monitor, each associated with a respective more than one heat exchange flow circuit for separately monitoring the temperature of the heat exchange fluid exiting each heat exchange flow circuit; positioning a combined flow downstream temperature monitor downstream from the downstream manifold for monitoring the temperature of the combined heat exchange fluid of the heat exchange flow circuits; and connecting a controller in communication with each of the control valves and temperature monitors, the controller capable of adjusting the control valves and the flow through each heat exchange flow circuit to obtain a maximum combined heat exchange based upon the monitored temperatures of the heat exchange fluid exiting each heat exchange flow circuit, and the monitored temperature of the combined heat exchange fluid from all the heat exchange flow circuits.