Patent ID: 7363769

Claim:
An electromagnetic signal transmission/reception tower and accompanying base station housing electronic equipment within an environment that is thermally controlled by a system employing a plurality of coaxial-flow heat exchanging structures installed in a plurality of well bores in the Earth, using thermally conductive material, wherein each said coaxial-flow-type heat transfer structure comprises: a proximal end, and a distal end; an input port, provided at said proximal end, for receiving a heat exchanging fluid at a first temperature from said environment; an output port, provided at said proximal end, for outputting said heat exchanging fluid at a second temperature to said environment; an inner tube section having an outer wall surface extending between said proximal and distal ends, and supporting an inner flow channel having a central portion and a substantially uniform inner diameter along its length and into which said heat exchanging fluid can be introduced from said input port, and along which said heat exchanging fluid can flow in a substantially laminar manner towards said distal end, to provide a thermally insulating effect between the central portion of said inner flow channel and the walls of said inner tube section; an outer tube section, disposed coaxially around said inner tube section, and having an inner wall surface extending between said proximal and distal ends, and said outer tube section being thermally conductive so as to be in thermal communication with said Earth, and having a cap portion at said distal end so as to seal said outer tube section from fluid leakage; wherein an outer flow channel is provided between the outer wall surface of said inner tube section and the inner wall surface of said outer tube section, and being capable of conducting heat exchanging fluid from said distal extend, along said outer flow channel towards said proximal end, and exiting from said output port; wherein a turbulence generating structure is disposed along a substantial portion of the length of said outer flow channel so as to introduce turbulence into the flow of said heat exchanging fluid flowing along said outer flow channel, from said distal end towards said proximal end, so as to break up barrier layers that may form along the inner wall surface of said outer tube section, thereby improving the transfer of heat energy between said heat exchanging fluid and said Earth along the length of said outer flow channel.