Patent ID: 8776543

Claim:
A direct exchange geothermal heating/cooling system configured for operation in a cooling mode, comprising: an interior heat exchanger; a liquid refrigerant transport line coupled to the interior heat exchanger and configured to direct liquid refrigerant into the interior heat exchanger; a vapor refrigerant transport line coupled to the interior heat exchanger and configured to direct vapor refrigerant out of the interior heat exchanger; an expansion valve disposed in the liquid refrigerant transport line; a hot gas bypass line communicating with the liquid refrigerant transport line at a delivery point and configured to transport vapor refrigerant to the liquid refrigerant transport line, the delivery point being positioned between the expansion valve and the interior heat exchanger; and an automatic valve disposed in the hot gas bypass line and movable between an open position and a closed position, the automatic valve being responsive to an incoming refrigerant temperature entering the liquid refrigerant transport line upstream of the expansion valve to move to the closed position when the incoming refrigerant temperature is above approximately 50 degrees F. and to move to the open position when the incoming refrigerant temperature is below approximately 50 degrees F.