Ground Up Magazine Issue 3

1January 2012 l Ground Up

EGSHPAEuropean Ground Source

Heat Pump Association



Ground Upmagazine

issue 3

5 060246 061 1 23

Ground Up

magazine

5.99€

Home is where the heat is The advantages of turning to a UK-based manufacturer

when investing in renewable technologies such as

ground source heat pumps

Race against time Geothermal holes in less than three hours, maybe it

should be an Olympic event?

Brownfield reclamation An invitation to the ground source heat pump community

Large Scale

Geothermal

Heat Pump

System intelligent controls and a

shift in design mindset

GroundUp3Subbed.indd 1GroundUp3Subbed.indd 1 10/01/2012 15:5410/01/2012 15:54

2 Ground Up l January 2012







Welcome to the third issue of Ground Up magazine and

Happy New Year!

This issue is packed with fantastic articles. We dispel the myths

associated with ground source heat pumps and take a look at

what makes a winning combination in this competitive market from

the team at Ground Heat. We also take an in depth look at an

installation at the National Maritime Museum.

So enjoy this issue of Ground Up magazine and have a fantastic

start to 2012. Please email us at [email protected] if you

have any submissions you would like to see featured in our next

issue.

This month we would like to thank the following members for their

Contribution:

Stephen Hamstra, P.E., LEED AP, ASHRAE HBDP, Certifi ed

GeoExchange Designer

Chief Technology Offi cer

Paul NathanailProfessor of Engineering Geology

University of Nottingham

Greensleeves LLC1995 Tiffi n Avenue, Suite 312

Findlay, OH 45840

Phone: (419) 420-1515

Fax: (419) 420-1513

Engineered Systems magazine2401 W. Big Beaver Rd., Suite 700

Troy, MI 48084

European Ground Source Heat Pump AssociationArgyle House

Dee Road

Richmond

Surrey

TW9 2JN

Not for Profit Company Limited by

Guarantee, Registered in England &

Wales, Company No. 7689830

Homepage: www.egshpa.com

Contact Us:

[email protected]

Advertising and Editorial enquiries:

[email protected]

The Team

Adrian Bridgwater

Head of Social Media &

Editor-in-Chief

[email protected]

or Twitter

http://twitter.com/#!/EGSHPA

Paul Kilby

Editor

Dale Holdback - BEng AMIMechE

Technical and Industry Knowledge

[email protected]

Richard Layton - BA ACA

Head of Finance

[email protected]

Nathan Berkley

Head of Media and Marketing

[email protected]

DisclaimerGround Up is a trademark and may not be used or reproduced without the prior written consent of EGSHPA. Ground Up is published in the UK by EHGSPA and is sold subject to the following terms: namely that it shall not without the written consent of the Publishers be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise disposed of by way of Trade at more than the recommended selling price shown on the cover and that it shall not be lent, resold or hired out in a mutilated condition or in any unauthorised cover by way of Trade of affixed to or as part of any publication or advertising literary or pictorial matter whatsoever.

Welcome





ContentsHOME IS WHERE THE HEAT IS

page 6-7Martyn Bridges, director of marketing and technical

support at Worcester, Bosch Group, explains the

advantages of turning to a UK-based manufacturer

when investing in renewable technologies such as

ground source heat pumps

GROUND LOOPSpage 8-9

ESI talk us through planning early for Ground Source

energy schemes

BROWNFIELD RECLAMATIONpage 10-12

An invitation to the ground source heat pump

community to engage with Brownfi eld practitioners

involved in remediation of soil or groundwater to

enhance the effi ciency of both energy exchange and

remediation

BRIGHT STARpage 14-17

Insight from Ground Heat, a UK based award winning

team

RACE AGAINST TIMEpage 18-19

Geothermal holes in less than 3 hours, maybe it

should be an Olympic event





RENOWNED ARTIST SCULPTS ENERGY EFFICIENT FUTURE

page 20-21Renewable Solution Provided: reliable, cost-effective

heating and hot water solution for off-gas property in

remote area

LARGE SCALE GEOTHERMAL HEAT PUMP SYSTEM

page 22-24intelligent controls and a shift in design mindset

RESIDENTIAL GEOTHERMAL A SIGN OF THE TIMES page 26-27Insight from Sonic Drill Corporation

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK

page 28GreenACT talk about the appeal of the industry as a

new business venture

CASE STUDYpage 30-31

A £35 million refurbishment at the National Maritime

Museum

A WORD FROM OUR FRIENDS OVER THE POND page 34The National Ground Water Association to Develop a

Loop Well Standard

FIT FOR A KING

page 36-37The use of a moat for heat pump installation

FIND A PRO

page 38-39





Home is wherethe heat is

Since the announcement of the Renewable

Heat Incentive (RHI) Premium Payment

Scheme the profi le of technologies which

qualify for the scheme has increased, as has the

number of manufacturers offering the technologies to

the UK homeowner. Here, Martyn Bridges, director

of marketing and technical support at Worcester,

Bosch Group, explains the advantages of turning to a

UK-based manufacturer when investing inrenewable

technologies such as ground source heat pumps.

“The RHI announcement has undoubtedly increased

the profi le of renewable heating technologies in the UK

market. However it is accepted within the industry that

we remain some way behind many of our European

counterparts, who have been taking advantage of the

benefi ts of renewable technologies for a number of

years now. The ground source heat pump is one such

technology, which has been popular in Scandinavia,

in particular, for a few years. As a result, a number

of manufacturers from across Europe and beyond

have introduced products into the UK market with the

intention of taking advantage of a market invigorated by

the RHI.

Homeowners have a plethora of options available to

them in today’s market. Whilst the range of products

on offer may be greater than ever and costs lower

than they have been in the past, homeowners must be

mindful of the suitability of each individual product for

their home. The research and development department

at Worcester spends years developing a product for the

UK market, so we are well aware that whilst a product

may work exceptionally well in heating systems in

countries abroad, a range of factors may prevent it from

having the same impact here in the UK.





I cannot stress enough the advantages of selecting

a product which has been fully prepared for application

in the UK market. Worcester’s Greenstore ground

source heat pumps are fully approved to meet the legal

requirements of the G3 building regulations and have a

proven track record of successfully operating in many

thousands of UK homes.

The UK consumer can be forgiven for accepting

a reliance on imported products as we do this in so

many other aspects of our lives, however there are

greater benefi ts associated with buying domestically-

manufactured products. The reassurance that the

product has been developed specifi cally for its target

market means that the homeowner will be able to reap

the benefi ts of a package which can be tailored to their

individual needs. In terms of ground source heat pump

technology, this transpires as improved effi ciency and

compatibility with legislation within the heating industry.

The Microgeneration Certifi cation Scheme (MCS)

was introduced to the industry in the UK last year and

offers an over-arching system to categorise products,

installers and manufacturers deemed suitable to provide

renewable energy solutions to UK homes. Naturally, UK

manufacturers are required to have a close association

with this scheme, which means that the products they

produce are geared towards meeting its requirements,

therefore safeguarding the interests of the homeowner.

Undoubtedly, there are manufacturers across the globe

offering products to enhance the way consumers access

renewable energy, however the strength of product

development in the UK should not be underestimated.

The knowledge UK-based manufacturers have of their

consumers, the infrastructure of UK properties and of the

requirements of legislation make them well-placed to offer

the ideal solution for the UK homeowner looking to invest

in renewable technology.”





ESI: Ensuring ground loops deliver energy needs





ESI is a leading consultancy for Ground Source Energy,

including training and software support solutions. It

has a proven track record of successfully delivering

comprehensive projects across the UK and Italy, with a

technical understanding of the issues faced in both open and

closed loop ground source heating and cooling systems. ESI

is the ideal consultancy choice when considering Ground

Source Energy as a low carbon and cost effective solution for

heating and cooling.

• Feasibility Studies

• Regulatory Approval

• Open & Closed Loop Design

• Borehole specifi cation & Testing

• Thermal Response Tests

• Impact Assessment Modelling

Ground Source Energy Schemes should be designed at a Building’s Planning Stage

ESI encourages building designers to address a building’s

energy requirements at an early stage to ensure that the

ground source solution is fully integrated with the building’s

energy needs. A Ground Source Energy scheme that is

treated as an afterthought will pose a real risk for the design

not matching the eventual energy use of the building, will be

less effi cient and at worse could even fail to meet the buildings

and client’s needs.

Feasibility studies and predictive modelling of the ground

source will confi rm the potential of the Ground Source

Energy scheme as a long term solution and this can then be

developed into the detailed design when tenders are awarded.

Case Study

Project: Modelling of open loop ground source energy

design for Tate Modern

Client: Max Fordham – Consulting Engineers

Summary: An open loop ground source heating/cooling

scheme is being developed for the redevelopment of the

Tate Modern, located close to the River Thames. ESI

was instructed by Max Fordham to construct a FEFLOW

groundwater fl ow model to support the design

The geology at the Tate Modern site comprises Made

Ground, Drift and River Terrace Gravels overlying a substantial

thickness of London Clay. To model the proposed open loop

Ground Source Energy (GSE) scheme in the River Terrace

Gravels, a single layer model was developed using FEFLOW -

hydrogeological fi nite element modelling software.

The model simulated groundwater fl ow in the River Terrace

Gravels and overlying Alluvium and Made Ground and

extended over an area approximately 2km by 1km, adjacent

to the River Thames. A steady state model was fi rst used

to assess the maximum abstraction rates that might be

achieved and the likely impact on local groundwater levels. It

also assessed the sensitivity of the GSE scheme performance

to the borehole locations and uncertain hydrogeological

parameters. A transient model was used to investigate the

feasibility of abstraction / injection at higher fl ow rates for

limited periods of higher demand. The model was run to

simulate a period of 24 hours, with increased abstraction.

The results indicated that it would be possible to double

the abstraction rate relative to the designed fl ow for up

to 12 hours without excessively dewatering the aquifer.

However, if abstraction was continued at this rate, it became

unsustainable with an increased risk that the groundwater

levels would fall too low to continue operation. It was

concluded that the design represented the maximum

sustainable fl ow rate for the boreholes, but that there was a

degree of operating fl exibility to meet short term peak energy

demands.

On the basis of the modelling carried out the client went on

to commission the initial pumping and injection test at the site.

The scheme is now being installed, and will make a renewable

and effi cient contribution to the building’s energy use.

Contact Antonio Gennarini at ESI for Ground Source Energy

design support.

T: +44 (0)1743 276100

E: [email protected]

W: www.esinternational.com





Ground source heat pumps and Brownfi eld Reclamation C P Nathanail(1,2) and J F Nathanail(2)

1 University of Nottingham, UK [email protected]

2 Land Quality Management Ltd, UK

This short article is an invitation to the ground source

heat pump community to engage with brownfi eld

practitioners involved in remediation of soil or

groundwater to enhance the effi ciency of both energy

exchange and remediation.

Brownfi eld sites have been affected by former uses of the

site or surrounding land; are derelict or underused; are mainly

in fully or partly developed urban areas; may have real or

perceived contamination problems; and require intervention to

bring them back to benefi cial use (CABERNET 2006; World

Bank 2010).

Far from all brownfi elds are contaminated. However those

that are contaminated and require remediation to ensure they

are suitable for their intended use offer opportunities for ground

source heat pump that can increase the economic attractiveness

of GSHP solutions and contribute signifi cantly to a positive

evaluation of the sustainability of the overall reclamation. Process

based remediation technologies (Nathanail et al. 2007) can

create opportunities for GSHP to re-energise brownfi eld sites and

greatly enhance the cost effectiveness of such solutions but only

if remediation and re-energising are considered in a timely and

integrated manner.

Activity Comment

Redefi ning the site Brownfi eld sites are essential components in dynamic urban land management.

Changing land uses allow urban systems to develop and avoid stagnation.

Remediating

unacceptable risks

Those brownfi elds that are contaminated require chemical, physical, biological or

conventional engineering intervention to ensure they are suitable for their next use.

Reclaiming land Brownfi eld often contain remnants of former land uses that need to be removed

prior to the land being reused. Such remnants can include foundations, utilities,

traffi c infrastructure, unsuitable materials.

Re-energising the

site

Brownfi eld have traditionally made use of conventional grid based energy supply

or on site generation sources. Current attention on renewable energy sources

gives brownfi elds advantages over previously undeveloped land.

Table 1 Reusing brownfi elds – a stepwise approach





Groundwater in urban areas is often polluted with volatile

organic compounds such as hydrocarbons and chlorinated

solvents. The way in which such groundwater is remediated may

also allow energy exchange processes to take place. Pump-

and-treat involves pumping groundwater out of the ground,

treating it and then reinjecting the clean water back into the

ground. Since the energy used to pump the groundwater is

accounted for against the remediation process, it is ‘free’ to any

energy exchange process that could exploit the energy storage

capacity of the water. On a large scale this being carried out

in the Netherlands where water is pumped to protect areas

from inundation. On smaller scale industrial sites, pump and

treat is seen as an expensive long term – quasi permanent –

means of containing groundwater pollution. Existing pump and

treat schemes may offer low cost quick win opportunities to

demonstrate the benefi ts of GSHP on industrial sites.

Permeable reactive barriers (PRB) were developed in the

1990s as an alternative to pump and treat. Instead of pumping

the groundwater out of the ground, a treatment zone is placed

into the ground to intercept natural groundwater fl ow. Polluted

groundwater fl ows through the treatment zone and emerges

clean down gradient of the PRB. The residence time within the

PRB is an important design consideration. Heat exchange infra

structure can be installed immediately adjacent and downstream

of the PRB at little extra cost – the bulk of the permitting and

excavation expense is charged to the remediation works.

REFERENCES

CABERNET (2006)

Sustainable Brownfi eld

regeneration. Millar K,

Grimski D, Ferber U,

Nathanail CP. (eds).

Land Quality Press:

Nottingham. http://

www.cabernet.org.uk/

resourcefs/427.pdf.

Accessed 14 November

2011.

Nathanail, C.P. 2011.

Chapter 25: Sustainable

Brownfi eld Regeneration.

In: F.A. Swartjes

(ed.), Dealing with

Contaminated Sites,

Springer. pp 1079-1104

Nathanail, J.F., Bardos,

P. and Nathanail, C.P.

2007. Contaminated

Land Management

Ready Reference, EPP

& Land Quality Press:

Nottingham, 2nd edition.

World Bank. 2010.

The management

of brownfi elds

redevelopment: A

guidance note. World

Bank Europe and

Central Asia Region

Sustainable Development

Department.





Contaminated soils are sometimes treated in situ or

capped but most often are excavated for treatment

or off site disposal. Where excavation is involved,

the resulting void is usually backfi lled with imported

inert material to make up the site levels. However the

expensively created void could be seen as an asset. In

a GSHP context, the void could allow the installation

of shallow GSHP infrastructure with the cost of

excavation charged to the remediation.

The above discussion has shown how costs charged

against remediation can be piggy-backed by GSHP

solutions to enhance the overall sustainability of

brownfi eld reuse and make GSHP more economically

viable.

The CABERNET ABC model (CABERNET 2006)

has been adopted by national regeneration agencies

such as English Partnerships (now the Homes and

Communities Agency) and international funds such as

the European Bank of Regional Development JESSICA

fund. A-sites are those whose reclamation costs are

more than outweighed by the fi nal land value and are

therefore commercial viable. C-sites are those which

are not economically viable as reclamation costs

preclude profi t. B-sites are marginally non viable and

are usually seen as those sites where the public sector

can create the conditions for the private sector to step

in and complete the redevelopment process.

An integrated approach to remediation, reclamation

and re-energising (Table 1) can change the economics

of sites and push B-sites into A-sites and C-sites

into B- or even A-sites. However this requires early

consideration of the integrated land reuse strategy and

a broader outlook than traditional linear, sequential

thinking. Such ‘smart’ thinking can be a major

contributor to both successful reuse of brownfi elds and

greater take up of GSHP technologies.









As a company, Bolton UK based Ground Heat is an

interesting proposition. The business was launched

on the strength of 37 years experience within the

heating industry. The fi rm likes to assert its professionalism

as heating engineers in the renewable fi eld by reminding

customers that it has been installing heat pumps for

over seven years, making it one of the more experienced

installers of ground source heat pump technology in the

UK.

Earlier in 2011 the company was named as the

Renewable Ground Source Pump Installer of the Year and

awarded a cheque for £10,000 as overall winners of the

Renewable Awards. Technical Director Dave Thompson used

the event to explain how he built a passion for heat pump

technology which was not even in the vocabulary of the

heating industry at the time he started digging into it.

He enhanced his knowledge by contacting manufacturers

who funded visits to Sweden and Germany, where ground

source heating is the norm. His knowledge was gained

through experience of installing new technology creating

innovative solutions to the many problems encountered

during each individual installation.

As an accredited installer Worcester Bosch invited him

to their factory to examine products and provide him with

various heat pumps and cylinders to research performance in

the company’s functioning plant room attached to a local hair

salon. The salon had in fact won awards of its own, due in

part to the innovative technologies designed and installed by

Ground Heat.

In addition to ground source technology, the salon has

been fi tted with solar thermal and heat recovery systems for

both heating and cooling which have since been installed in

several other projects.

Lakes , moats and streams

Thompson says his company has installed ground loops in

lakes, moats and streams to extract heat including many

vertical bore holes incorporating solar thermal to re load heat

during summer and winter. The bores have been used for

both passive and active cooling via under fl oor and blown

air cooling. He is now designing and specifying larger

sustainable projects which have thus far defeated architects

and engineers.

Ground Heat carefully monitors each of the heat pumps

that they install and provide a 24 hour service to their clients

for the fi rst two years after installation and beyond. Their

engineers are recognised as the best in their fi eld and any

problem is treated as a challenge.

Welsh cottage wind wonder

So to take one example from Ground Heat’s customers,

a customer contacted the company in order to link a

heat pump with solar thermal energy and a wind turbine

on a property in North Wales. The property was an old

cottage with excellent insulation and had a wind turbine

that is producing far more electricity than predicted from

calculations.

Ground Heat installed an 8KW Vaillant Geotherm heat

pump with a bespoke 200 litre stainless steel buffer. The

Ground HeatThe 7-Year Fix





buffer itself was fi tted with a built in immersion heater. The solar

thermal for hot water was backed up by the immersion, under

most circumstances being operated by electricity produced by

the wind turbine.

The 5KW wind turbine was perched on a 15 metre mast

on the North West coast of Wales facing the sea. Ground

Heat reinsulated all of the roof spaces in order to improve heat

effi ciency. The GSHP is linked up to the wind turbine so that

when the wind blows the heat pump switches off automatically

and the wind turbine feeds the immersion heater built into the

buffer.

This uses all of the electricity that the wind turbine produces

during the winter months. When the wind turbine is not

producing electricity during the winter months the heat pump

automatically switches itself on.

The system can be operated through remote access via an

iPad, iPhone or web browser in order to monitor and adjust

settings when the property is unoccupied. This combination of

three renewable technologies working together in harmony with

the environment is a testimony to the simplicity of being able to

provide a carbon neutral solution.

Industry recognition

At the time of the company winning the ‘Ground Source

Installer’ Award, Jackie Thompson, administrator at Ground

Heat Installations spoke of the fi rm’s relationship with Valiant,

“We’ve been carrying out a lot more Vaillant installations

recently. It’s great working with Vaillant as they are incredibly

easy to work with, as they are so helpful. Vaillant was kind

enough to install an air-to-air system in our offi ce, which we

use to demonstrate the effectiveness of their systems to our

clients.”

Dave Thompson, Technical Director said, ‘We choose Vaillant

to install heat pumps in larger properties, where we have

adapted systems to incorporate the heating of swimming pools

and the installation of cooling systems’.

Words of wisdom

Within the last three years the renewable industry has been

fl ooded by governing bodies fi ghting to gain control of the heat

pump industry with Easy Access MCS Accreditation courses.

It is not and should not be easy to gain MCS accreditation

for the installation of heat pumps nor any other renewable

technology. Ground Heat has been installing heat pumps for

over seven years with no one to turn to for advice except for

the Ground Source Heat Pump Association. The fi rm received

accreditation in September 2010 after a gruelling administrative

inspection which no doubt can and has been made easier and

more expensive by the introduction of software purchased by

installers and a plethora of courses available through various

manufacturers and governing bodies.

The inspection of one its installations was insignifi cant in

comparison to the paper chase and was performed by an

inspector crammed with the theoretical knowledge of the

renewable industry in particular money making solar PV, but

with no practical experience of the installation of a ground

source heat pump.

“Surely we have lost sight of the underlying principle of the

heat pump industry which is the actual installation of the heat

pump itself. Yes it is important that the heat pump conforms to

the standards applied by MCS, Building Regulations and the

Environmental Agency or the latest governing body that wishes

to jump on the green bandwagon, but it is the installation that

the is pivot in the centre of the roundabout of competing

organisations hell bent on profi teering from the latest green

initiative,” said the company, in a press statement.





“We are alarmed at the number of agencies applying for

accreditation in the renewable industry who are not qualifi ed

time served engineers. We are well suited to install solar PV,

but leave it to the electricians. We are well suited to install air

conditioning units, but leave it to refrigeration engineers. The

trades are already there, leave it to the experts!”

Case Study > Revitalize hair and Beauty Spa

Ground Heat had been looking for a premises local to our offi ce

to build a working showroom so when the owners asked for our

help in their salon we realised that a salon would give us every

application to demonstrate what Ground Heat could do. The

owners gave us complete control of the design of the heating

and hot water supply.

A Ground Source Heat Pump is a unit which extracts heat

from the ground via bore holes and pipes laid in the ground

which can be 75% cheaper in running costs, a much cheaper

and greener option to oil or gas.

We approached Worcester Bosch and told them of our

intention to make it the only total green salon in the country with

new research applications being fi tted along side their units and

they very kindly gave us £15,000 worth of units to experiment

on.

We fi tted under fl oor heating to both fl oors to free up wall

space, each room has its own temperature control.

The nail room being glass fronted has an Air to Air Source

Heat Pump which gives heat and air conditioning and also air

purifi cation.

The by product of a heat pump is a cold liquid which gets

pumped into the bores to reclaim heat from the ground. We

fi tted a unit en route which blows air over the cold liquid and

gives free air cooling to the salon and removes the heat via vent

ducts, this heat is then re loaded into the ground which makes

our heat pump more effi cient.

The four backwashes and showers use an enormous amount

of water, as this water goes down the drain we extract the heat

from it and re use the heat to re load our bores.

We have reuse of all the waste heat from the salon. We have

solar panels on the roof which gives us hot water during the

summer, once the hot water has reached temperature the solar

then gets dumped back into the ground to give us an even

more effi cient running cost the following winter.

We believe we have gone one step further in ground source

by using the renewable energy from an already super effi cient

system.

How the Ground-Source Heat pump Works

A Ground Source Heat Pump is a unit that uses the heat from

the ground or from groundwater to provide space and/or water

heating.

All Ground-Source Heat Pumps have two parts: a circuit

of underground piping outside the building, and a heat pump

unit. The piping circuit can be what is called Open or Close

Loop, there are two variations of the Closed Loop: vertical and

horizontal (which refers only to the way the ground loops are

arranged. Regardless of the type of Ground Source Heat Pump,

it can be seen that a major reason for their superior effi ciency is

because they extract heat from a source that is free, the ground

but also take heat via solar gain from the atmosphere i.e. the

ground temperature increases and is regenerated on a daily

basis via solar energy.(A body of water acts as a similar source

of natural heat).

Ground Heat Installations has also carried out the installation





of a Ground Source Heat Pump using a lake extraction

closed loop, the job was unique because of the environmental

constraints we were asked to work within. As one of the main

clients was the British Waterways it was essential for them

to minimise the risk of any potential pollutants including silt

management. For this reason we approached a specialist

directional drilling company who were brought in to install the

main connector pipe work from the lake collectors back to our

plant room.

For heating the building the company installed its own unique

under fl oor heating system throughout controlled by optimising

thermostats.

It also installed a solar thermal hot water system to provide

some of the buildings hot water requirements.

About Ground Heat

Ground Heat has full MCS accreditation which will

enable eligible customers to claim the RHPP available

from August 1, 2011 and the RHI feed in tariff when it

becomes available next year.

The company specialises in integrating existing

systems including solar thermal, solar PV, wind turbines

and solid fuel burners with heat pump technology. It

also has experience of cascading multiple units and

installing mechanical heat recovery systems.

Ground Heat can offer expert advice on the design

and specifi cation of heat pump installations and offer

a full after care service where we monitor performance

of the installation and troubleshoot any problems that

may occur. It offers a consultancy service for companies

who may require our support on the installation of heat

pumps.

Being market leaders Ground Heat has invested

heavily in research and development and have designed

and developed its own plant room that houses a full

showcase of working heat pumps and other renewable

energy alternatives including rainwater harvesting.

The company is accredited with Vaillant, Worcester

Bosch and Stiebel Eltron, working closely with these

manufacturers in order to keep up to date with the latest

trends in heat pump technology.





Geothermal Holes in Under Three Hours: Sonic Rigs Set the PaceBy Al Price

When it comes to drilling through

overburden, nothing buzzes through

sand, silt and gravel like a sonic. But,

on one recent occasion, the drilling speed surprised

even the company who manufacture the sonic drill

rig.

Drilling a test hole for a future geothermal project,

a Sonic Drill Corporation rig was able to bore past

300 ft. and complete the hole in two hours and

three minutes. No other drill exists that could do

the job any faster.

The drilling project, part of a law library extension

for the University of B.C., was contracted

to Hemmera Energy, a division of Hemmera

Environmental Services Consultants in Vancouver,

B.C., Canada. In this initial fi rst step, the company

was asked to conduct a feasibility study to see if

it was practical to install a geothermal fi eld in the

proposed extension.

“Our role is to do the test holes to see if a larger

scale project is feasible,” said Christiaan Iacoe, an

environmental scientist and consultant at Hemmera

Energy. “If you’re going to drill 200 holes or more,

it’s good to know the conditions.”

Located on the campus near the high sand

bluffs overlooking Burrard Inlet, the plan was to drill

a single 350-foot hole. The initial hole was drilled

using a conventional mud rotary rig but, when the

drill rig got past the 320-foot mark, it was stopped

in its tracks. That’s when the sonic drill was

brought in as a “rescue rig.”

In typical fashion, the sonic rig buzzed quickly

and easily through the same challenging conditions

that jammed the conventional rig – the only problem

was when they installed the geothermal loop into

the hole, it was too buoyant due to salt water

intrusion.





“We always add rebar to compensate but, this

time, we didn’t have enough,” said Sonic Drilling

Ltd. general manager, Bill Fitzgerald. “By the time

we got more rebar, our pipe had now become

stuck.”

“We overdrilled the stuck pipe, removed it, moved

the rig ahead, cleaned up and drilled the next hole,”

he said. “I don’t know the time on that one. We

didn’t measure it but it must have been pretty close.

We installed the geothermal loop and there was no

problem.”

When it comes to test holes, Iacoe says any

failed attempts are just as useful as ones that are

successful. “If it shows it’s not realistic to drill at that

site, that’s really important.”

“Our job is to produce a feasibility report, so what

we do is drill the test hole and install a geothermal

test loop. We have a piece of equipment that runs

off a pretty big generator, that applies a constant

temperature to the fl uid in the loop,” he added.

“That gives us a temperature versus time situation to

see what the actual heat transfer is.”

Iacoe says, based on the geology of the site as

well as moisture conditions and other factors, they

get a range of values including thermal conductivity,

thermal diffusivity and deep ground temperature. If

the decision is made to proceed with a larger fi eld,

this information gives mechanical engineers, in the

design phase, the ability to use the actual numbers

in designing the system, rather than projections.

“That’s way, way more accurate,” says Iacoe.

“We also pinpoint challenges at each site for full-

scale construction.”

“We have a lot of experience working with Bill

and Sonic, and they can drill through things other

drills can’t,” adds Iacoe. “Their drill holes are fully

encased so there is not as much sloughing and

they can grout a borehole and retract the casing,

compared to a mud rotary, which just leaves an

open hole.”

Sonic Drill Corporation rigs use an award-

winning, patented drill head to transmit vibrations

and power through a drill string. The energy

produced liquefi es overburden and bedrock and

pushes the material up and away from the drill pipe.

This enables a sonic drill to achieve penetration

rates 3-5 times greater than conventional drilling

systems such as mud rotary, air rotary and auger

drilling – all without the use of drilling mud and while

drilling through overburden.

“The sonic is fast and so we count on getting

through those zones before a problem arises,”

explains Fitzgerald. “We do jobs all the time that

require us to drill through a lot of overburden and we

do it better than anybody else.”





Domestic Heating Case StudyRenewable Solution Provided: reliable, cost-effective heating and hot water solution for off-gas property in remote area

RENOWNED ARTIST SCULPTS ENERGY EFFICIENT FUTUREArtist and sculptor Keith Maddison and his wife Christine live

in a 4 bedroom, stone built bungalow, which nestles in the

historical and picturesque village of Elsdon in the heart of the

Northumberland countryside.

Although beautiful, the temperatures can be unforgiving in

the depths of winter and deliveries of fuel supplies can prove

diffi cult in poor weather conditions. A hot water and heating

system that relies upon these deliveries is certainly not ideal,

and with no gas in the property to provide alternative heating,

an effi cient and reliable system is essential.

“Until now we have been relying on an AGA cooker

fuelled by coke to provide the heating and hot water to

the bungalow, but with solid fuel costs rising and supplies

diminishing we had been looking around for a replacement,”

said Mr Maddison. We were not happy with alternative fuel

sources such as anthracite and pellet fuel and wanted a

sustainable solution.

“Sorting out the AGA was labour intensive, not only did it

need topping up twice a day - which you forgot at your peril,

as that meant we could be without heat and hot water for

quite some time - and we also had to clean it out and dispose

of the ashes on a regular basis,” he explained

Mr Maddison wanted a cost-effi cient, renewable energy

supply that he could rely upon in all weathers, so he called

in the UK’s largest and longest established renewable

technology company, Ice Energy Technologies.

Dave Webb, Installations Manager for Ice Energy Heat

Pumps Ltd, visited the Maddison’s property to advise on

which new system the couple should install. Having carried

out a site survey at the property he recommended they

replace their old system with Mitsubishi Electric’s Ecodan® air

source heat pumps.

“Originally, we looked at the possibility of using a ground

source heat pump system, said Mr Webb. “However, there

was not enough space for a horizontal collector system,

so early on in the design process we determined that an

air source heat pump would be the right technology for the

Maddison’s property.

“We performed a full heat load assessment on the building

and the results confi rmed that the property required two

air source heat pumps linked together to provide suffi cient

heating and hot water for the couples’ needs,” he explained.

“The new system is controlled by an Ice Energy control

system and heating is provided via a new radiator system,

whilst hot water is supplied from a single 210 litre cylinder.”

Terry Hart, owner of Catterick-based, Hippo Plumbing, was

called in to carry out the installation of the pumps, along with





INSTALLATION SUMMARY

• 4 bedroom, stone-built

bungalow with slate roof

• Ecodan chosen to

replace solid fuel system

in off-gas property

• Two 8.5kW units were

installed due to the

bungalow’s very high

heat load characteristics

• Installed over a one week

period in very severe

weather conditions

* For every 1kW of electricity fed into the outdoor unit of an Ecodan heating system you could get at least 3kW of heating energy. The overall system effi ciency and energy savings will depend on how it compares to the heating system it replaced, satisfactory system design and installation, the operational settings and how the heating system is used.

the renewal of the existing central heating system. Radiators and

their connecting pipework were replaced in order to provide the

correct amount of heat for the property and optimise the effi ciency

of the new system.

The work took place in some of the toughest weather

conditions the UK has experienced for several years. In

temperatures well below freezing, Mr Hart installed two, 8.5kW

Ecodan units to the outside wall of the property.

“The weather defi nitely made life interesting in terms of getting

the kit to the property,” said Mr Hart, “but the real challenge was

the space restraints I had to overcome. The new cylinder was

fi tted back into the existing cylinder cupboard and the pipework

run from outside, underneath the bath into the cupboard, and

back out again to the central heating, in order to fi t everything in.

We chose a cylinder that was not pre-plumbed in order to help

deal with the space restraints, which was a major factor in helping

me to overcoming the challenge.”

Mr Hart also praised Mr and Mrs Maddison’s patience and their

“can do” attitude throughout the work, as they both continued to

live in the property whilst the new system was installed.

The new Ecodan units harvest renewable low grade energy

from the surrounding air and upgrade it into useful heat, which is

used to supply the bungalow with all of the Maddison’s hot water

and heating requirements.

Not only is this renewable energy technology very fuel effi cient*,

but it is also low carbon and helps to meet the Government’s goal

of substantially reducing the UK’s carbon emissions by 2050.

Due to the very severe weather conditions the installation took

a little longer than average to complete, but Hippo Plumbing went

above and beyond what was expected of them in order to get the

job done. In fact, when the delivery vehicles could not reach the

house one day, they even managed to transport a large unvented

hot water cylinder, 2 Ecodan pumps and several other items, over

300 yards, manually.

“The Ecodan’s are the ideal solution for us: no fuss, no mess,

and very economical, I am really pleased with their performance.

They are also virtually maintenance free, all that is required is an

annual check by a qualifi ed tradesman to make sure the units are

working properly and the vents are clear of debris,” concluded Mr

Maddison.





Large Scale Geothermal Heat Pump SystemWith the help of advances in intelligent controls and a shift in design mindset, these systems can steer buildings toward smaller equipment sizes and associated savings. Review three projects and consider the benefi ts of keeping an upcoming project in the loop.

BY STEPHEN HAMSTRA, P.E., ASHRAE HBDP, LEED® AP, CGD

For several decades, our industry has applied closed-

loop, water-source heat pump systems in commercial

and institutional buildings. These systems can provide

excellent energy performance when the building’s internal heat

gains match the building’s heat losses or loads on a real-time

basis, simply moving heat from where it is not needed to

where it is required. However, the application of thermal energy

storage in these systems has generally occurred in only a small

portion of buildings such as the occasional water storage tank

that served as a diurnal “thermal fl ywheel” to hold surplus heat

from a daytime cooling cycle to provide the basis for nighttime

heat requirements being the most common example. The polar

shift towards net-zero building energy use requires us to rethink

any application where we might be discarding energy that has

potential to do additional benefi cial work. As the application

of geothermal heat pump technology has evolved, the design

engineer has an entirely new set of opportunities to “time shift”

energy on both a daily and seasonal basis. This is a major

changein thinking for most engineers, requiring an adjustment

in their design process from typically focusing on peak loads

during design days and instead considering the benefi ts of

harvesting, storing, and distributing energy between multiple

loads, sources, and sinks.

RECYCLING ENERGY

Large buildings with diverse uses often have opportunities to

move energy; waste heat from air conditioning can serve as

a preheat energy source for domestic hot water, etc. If these

buildings are connected via some form of an energy-sharing

network or “virtual central energy plant,” the opportunities

grow enormously and the overall net cost of the needed

infrastructure begins to drop. At a recent ASHRAE Conference,

an engineer1 presented a case study of a college campus

with a common geothermal heat-pump loop interconnecting

buildings that totaled nearly 1,500 tons of peak cooling load,

yet due to the energy sharing and diversity of the campus,

the energy loads were being handled by a geothermal earth

heat exchanger that was sized for only 300 tons. Real-world

examples such as this compel the building design team to

consider the larger picture beyond their standalone project.

This is a challenge in today’s marketplace where we parse

large, complex projects into manageable smaller “bits,”

often losing the opportunities for energy sharing and cost

reduction available when we think in macro terms. We typically

separate our mechanical systems by function such as chilled

water generation, hot water generation, domestic hot water

generation, etc., and design them independently instead of

looking for synergistic relationships and opportunities between

those systems. Some examples of attempting to take a larger

view in both corporate and campus settings follow.

SELF-LEARNING GEOTHERMAL HEAT EXCHANGERS – EXAMPLE PROJECT #1

Example project #1 is a 344,000-sq-ft corporate center being

constructed in Michigan for a large food service company.

In addition to traditional building functions such as offi ce

space and data processing areas, this building houses a large

commercial kitchen for traditional food preparation as well

as the development of new products. The project includes a

snow-melting system at the major entries to improve employee

access and safety. These last two items provide an excellent

heat sink for much of the excess thermal energy generated by

the earlier-noted operations.

The central energy plant consists of several heat recovery

chillers totaling 760 tons, as well as two 250-ton custom

rooftop units serving a large underfl oor air distribution system.

What makes this project unique is the integration of dry-

cooler sections in the rooftop units, as well as a predictive

thermal-management system to control the heat fl ux to/





from the geothermal earth heat exchanger, the dry coolers (a

heat rejection option or “sink”), and the snow-melt system (a

“discretionary” heating load). The advanced control technology

allows the geothermal heat exchanger to be an intelligent system

component instead of merely “pipe in the ground.” Controls

track real-time heat fl ux and then project the heat exchanger

performance well into the future allowing corrective action to be

automatically applied weeks or months before an overheated

or overcooled geothermal heatexchanger situation arises. This

control and pump package (Figure 1) is constructed off site

in an ISO-9001 facility and arrives at the site pre-wired, with

controls installed and programmed and hydronic components

fl ow tested — all signifi cantly reducing construction time, control

commissioning time, and subsequently, project risks.

This application of intelligent, self-adapting predictive controls

as well as innovative deep-earth directional boring in lieu of some

of the vertical geothermal bores allowed the geothermal heat

exchanger to be signifi cantly reduced in size and fi rst cost — in

this case from $1,500,000 to $1,150,000 while still affording all

of the positive benefi ts of geothermal heat pump technology.

Tracking real-time HVAC loads in/out of the geothermal earth

heat exchanger and then comparing these loads to design loads

enables the system to become even more intelligent over time

as the history of actual performance is documented. Instead

of the traditional project where controls function best at their

fi rst day of operation and then degrade over time, this system

actually becomes “smarter” about managing thermal assets and

then leveraging them for benefi cial use.

THE ADVANCED HYBRID GEOTHERMAL SYSTEM – EXAMPLE PROJECT #2

Example Project #2 is a 20-year-old, 225,000-sq-ft corporate

offi ce building located in North Carolina that is the focus of a

current feasibility study. The building has four existing 180-

ton air-cooled, directexpansion (DX) rooftop units serving

VAV systems with electric reheat coils. This 760-ton system

contributes to the documented building electrical peak demand

reaching 1,400 kW in the summer and 1,700 kW in the winter.

The HVAC equipment is at or near the end of its viable

service life. It could be replaced with similar units and the

owner would experience some energy cost reductions due to

effi ciency improvements. But what if a different perspective were

considered?

The existing rooftop units are sized for the peak load of each

of their respective zones — in this case, 180 tons per unit. The

building’s blockcooling load reaches approximately 600 tons — if

a central chilled water cooling plant were applied, the connected

capacity could be reduced from 760 to 600 tons. Cooling could

be delivered by replacing the existing DX coils in the rooftop units

with chilled water coils connected to this central plant — these

coils could serve as morning warm-up heating coils as well.

On-peak/off-peak electric rate structures, installation cost

savings, and a reduction in the size of the geothermal heat

exchanger point to consideration of thermal energy storage.

For this application the chiller plant could be reduced again,

from 600 tons to 350 tons by the addition of ice thermal energy

storage tanks. An additional benefi t is that chiller operation

during on-peak periods could be as low as 250 tons on a design

day offering a huge reduction in summer electrical demand on

the order of 35% to 40%.

Winter heating is currently provided solely by electric reheat

coils at the VAV boxes. A central energy plant using geothermal

heat-pump technology could provide hot water to the new

chilled-water coil during morning warm-up operation, then

heating would shift back to the electric reheat coils after the

building reaches occupied mode. This shift from electric

resistance heat at a COP of 1 to heat pump technology with a

COP of 3 or more allows a very signifi cant reduction in winter

peak electrical demand, in this case on the order of 35%.

The fi nal interesting part of this analysis is the review of

geothermal heat exchanger options. For this application, if we

sized a vertical geothermal heat exchanger to handle the entire

cooling-dominated load, we would need approximately 200,000

borefeet in the ground (or 400,000 lineal feet of pipe). Applying

thermal energy storage reduces the peak cooling load that the

heat exchanger would see from 600 to 350 tons.





Subsequently the size of the heat exchanger could be reduced

to 180,000 borefeet — a 10 % reduction. Finally, the project has

a 7.5-acre pond on the site that can also be utilized, allowing

a further reduction in the vertical HX portion to 9,000 borefeet

while adding much less expensive pond loops totaling 72,000

lineal feet. The overall potential reduction in fi rst cost by applying

these strategies is approximately $2 million. The key to achieve

this level of benefi t is the intelligent management of heat fl ow

to/from the multiple heat sources and sinks — in this case,

the vertical closed loop heat exchanger and the pond loop.

Both heat exchangers have signifi cantly different performance

characteristics that dictate their ability to either dissipate or store

thermal energy — intelligent control technology allows us to

maximize these characteristics for benefi cial performance results.

The geothermal option for this client also opens up signifi cant

fi nancial opportunities that would not be available if conventional

replacement HVAC equipment were to be applied. These can

include a Federal commercial tax credit of 10% of the entire

geothermal system cost, bonus depreciation for an installation

done in 2011 or 2012, and a 5-yr accelerated depreciation for

the HVAC equipment in lieu of the traditional 39-yr period. These

incentives combined with energy cost savings can return up to

1/3 of the initial investment in the fi rst 5 years and can generate

a positive cash fl ow upwards of $1 million in the fi rst few years of

operation.

THE ENERGY NETWORK – EXAMPLE PROJECT #3

Example project #3 is a 1,000,000-sq-ft college campus located

in Indiana that was the subject of a recent conceptual review. The

campus has a mix of buildings — academic, recreation, dining,

residence halls, and offi ces. This blend of building types allows a

mix of diverse HVAC and other thermal energy source and sink

load profi les. Waste heat from academic and offi ce buildings

can be used as a source of heat for domestic hot water in the

residence halls or for the swimming pool, etc. Energy that cannot

be used on a real-time basis can be “stored” for use later in the

day or year using multiple geothermal earth heat exchangers.

Sharing and “time shifting” energy using a virtual central plant in

the form of a networked intelligent geothermal heat exchanger

system allows signifi cant opportunities for reducing the total

cost of converting the entire campus to more effi cient energy

systems as well as the quantity overall campus emissions and

dependence on fossil fuel.





SUMMARY

The advancements being made in

intelligent, predictive control of thermally

massive energy systems that employ

technology such as geothermal heat

pumps open many new opportunities

to engineers and owners in the design

and operation of energy-effi cient

facilities. Improved risk management is

an additional benefi t to this approach;

thermal failures in the performance of

geothermal heat exchangers where

the fl uids get too hot or too cold are

relatively rare, but the numbers are

increasing as the number of installations

rise. Currently, most of these failures

catch the owner by surprise systems

begin to fail as the loop temperatures

exceed operational limits of the attached

equipment. Real-time tracking of

geothermal loads and heat exchanger

performance combined with predictive

algorithms that forecast a future

condition allow pre-emptive actions

to begin well in advance of potential

problems. This level of intelligence

then provides the additional benefi ts

of optimizing the loop temperatures

over time to allow optimum overall total

building energy performance as well

as identifying the potential availability

of additional capacity in a geothermal

earth heat exchanger if the owner is

considering future changes that might

increase the loads on the thermal energy

management system. To maximize the

potential benefi ts these technologies

bring, the design engineer must shift the

approach from merely a “design day”

mentality to one where data-rich, full-

year energy models interact with equally

data-rich virtual models of building

and system components. Intelligent

controls can then take this strategy to

an operational level with self-learning

algorithms and control optimization.

These approaches will allow us to make

signifi cant progress towards widely

achieving net-zero energy buildings.

Single-loop geothermal systems have been promoted and applied by others2. In

this confi guration (Figure 2), a single pipe is routed in a circular fashion with primary

circulation pumps that vary fl ow rates with fl uid temperature differentials measured

at multiple points — load and performance data are monitored and subsequently

controlled via a central control system. Each building is connected to the loop by

additional pumps that move fl uid to/from the loop as needed to accommodate the

actual building loads. Separate dedicated pumps move energy to/from the loop

to dedicated geothermal heat exchangers which can take multiple forms such as

vertical, horizontal, or slinky closed loops; deepearth horizontal directional bored

loops; and pond/lake loops.

Hybrid cooling towers and boilers can also be mixed into this system

confi guration. Again, the application of intelligent geothermal earth heat exchanger

control allows the different heat exchangers, sources, and sinks to be confi gured

for optimum operation. A vertical closedloop heat exchanger might be confi gured

with tighter borehole spacing to allow more effective heat storage, whereas other

heat exchangers might be designed to more rapidly dissipate heat — the options

for both the design engineer and the campus facility-management strategy are

nearly endless, and by monitoring and “learning” the performance profi les over

time, the networked energy system can become more and more effi cient.

When multiple buildings with varying load profi les are mixed together using the

concept of a virtual central energy plant, the potential for fi rst-cost reductions can

get to be quite large. The challenge is overcoming the initial expense of installing

the primary loop; however, several fi nancial options do exist to spread this cost

out over an extended period of time in a manner that can provide very good

returns on that investment.

Non-taxpaying entities such as this college do not qualify for federal tax-related

incentives; however, this type of project can be fi nanced and owned by a separate

entity that could qualify for these incentives. The net result can take several forms,

including options where the cost of the infrastructure is spread out over time, or if

the owner pays for the entire project at the beginning, they may see a net 20% to

25% reduction in total project cost. It pays to look at the various fi nancial tools that

are available — the project team might consider the assistance of a fi nancial expert

with geothermal and renewable energy system fi nance experience as an integral

part of the project team.

The key concept is that the cost of the fi nal build-out of the entire campus will

be much less expensive than handling each building as a standalone geothermal

project, due to load diversity reducing the net amount of infrastructure that needs

to be designed and constructed.

Reprinted with permission from Engineered Systems, A BNP Media publication. Copyright 2011 Engineered Systems magazine2401 W. Big Beaver Rd., Suite 700Troy, MI 48084 Stephen Hamstra, P.E., LEED AP, ASHRAE HBDP, Certifi edGeoExchange DesignerChief Technology Offi cer Greensleeves LLC1995 Tiffi n Avenue, Suite 312Findlay, OH 45840Phone: (419) 420-1515Fax: (419) 420-1513





Residential Geothermal a Sign of the Times

The sign says it all. At the very top of a list of

lifestyle features, the sign for a new community

lists geothermal heating and cooling as its main

attraction. For many, it’s a sure indicator of what the

future holds in new home construction.

Located within the thriving community of Sooke, BC,

Canada, phase fi ve of the new community of Woodland

Creek offers a temperate rainforest climate, stunning

scenery and three geothermal holes per home – homes

that are built with Mother Earth in mind.

All of the homes in this phase are constructed to

certifi ed Built Green standards, a Canadian program that

asks builders to be environmentally conscious (including

waste management) and to construct homes with

excellent energy effi ciency and indoor air quality. Built

Green homes, by design, are often made from recycled

content, conserve more water, energy and other natural

resources and have a longer lifecycle, requiring less

maintenance.

The latest Woodland Creek phase is the fi rst

neighbourhood in Sooke to offer energy-saving geo-

exchange heating, cooling and hot water – technology

that can reduce each home’s annual CO2 emissions by

2.5 to 5 tonnes (equivalent to the planting of one acre of

trees per year).

When the locally-owned Totangi Properties fi rst came

up with the concept for Woodland Creek more than

ten years ago, the idea was simple: create a residential

community using Earth-friendly methods to build

environmentally-sustainable homes with lasting value.

To date, more than 80 homes in the Woodland Creek

community have already been built, purchased and

occupied.

“It’s so important for today’s developers and

contractors to use sustainable practices and offer

homeowners green energy saving options, like

geoexchange heating and cooling,” says Blair Robertson,

of Totangi Properties Ltd. “But, until very recently, it

seemed that they were only available to developments

with big price tags. Being able to create both an Earth-

friendly and affordable neighbourhood, like Woodland

Creek, has been a long term goal for us.”

With price tags starting at $384,900 CDN, standard

home features include natural gas fi replaces with wood

mantles, designer-selected light fi xtures, 12 mm premium

engineered wood fl ooring, master suite walk-in closets,

central vacuum systems, gourmet kitchens with top of

the line appliances, landscaped yards and more. The

actual geoexchange systems, supplied by Kelowna-

based GeoTility, are 30 to 60 per cent more cost effi cient

than other heating and cooling systems and there’s the

added benefi t of being environmentally friendly as well as

comfortable, safe and quiet.

Studies also show that living in a geo-exchange home

offers signifi cant health benefi ts: by blowing cleaner

air, allergy and asthma sufferers can experience less

symptoms and breathe easier. And, in light of rising

energy costs, the effi cient geo-exchange systems can

save homeowners a lot of cash. Although a geothermal

system can cost between $20,000 and $30,000 CDN to

install, the energy savings over a 5-10 year period can

pay off the majority of the cost of installation. From that

point on, the savings begin to accrue and, upon resale,

homeowners generally recoup their investment as banks

and buyers alike see the value in going geothermal.

For real estate developers, geothermal can certainly

offer a unique attraction for potential buyers but, in some

cases, it also comes with its share of challenges – all





depending on the ground below. In the case of Woodland

Creek, the drilling began with a conventional mud rotary

rig which encountered extremely diffi cult conditions. This

resulted in only one hole being drilled in a three week period.

GeoTility, the geoexchange provider, then made the decision

to engage Sonic Drilling Ltd. to complete the drilling program.

While it’s common for the sonic drill to be called in as a

“rescue rig,” its performance at Woodland Creek became

a project life saver. The sonic was able to drill three to

four 115 ft. holes per day, making it many times faster and

allowing the project to actually be completed. Without the

sonic rig, there was no economically viable way to drill at

this location which would have prevented the completion of

the geothermal installations. In this instance, the contractor

opted for the newer smaller-sized, track-mounted sonic rig

which allowed for easy access in a restricted space.

Because of its unique advantages, the sonic rig is now

in use around the world, helping to further the adoption

of geothermal energy as a sustainable, renewable option

by making the cost of a geothermal installation a more

affordable choice for consumers. Not only does it have

the ability to drill through tough terrain that would have

prevented geothermal installations in the past, it also

allows the operator the ability to drill, case the hole, install

the geothermal loop and grout the hole closed — in one

operation.

“Sonic drilling technology allows the drilling industry to

take advantage of more opportunities,” says Ray Roussy,

developer and patent holder of the now-famous sonic drill

head and president of the Sonic Drill Corporation. “By

reducing on-site costs and increasing profi t margins, more

companies are able to grow their geothermal divisions and,

most importantly, drill in areas that were impossible in the

past because of challenging terrain.”





If you can see the gates, it increases your chances of going through them

I started GreenACT Ltd in 2009, both on a mission to help

people adapt to the demands of Kyoto and with a desire to

kick against the machine that had been paying the mortgage

for 20 years.

The mortgage was on an old house that had been around

since George, and was a draughty as a

tent. We were spending more and more

each month on gas and, as a chartered

mechanical engineer by profession, I

began to read more and more about

heat pumps and thinking ‘there has to

be a better way’.

Two and two became four, quite

easily. I could see opportunity in

linking the engineering background

with the skills in change management

and marketing that I’d picked up

wearing a corporate suit. GreenACT

started off with the goal of taking

the stuff on ‘free energy’ in the

Sunday colour supplements and

turning it into quantifi ed information

on installation & operating costs,

so people could see what it could

mean for them. “MyGreenHeat.co.uk” was borne as a website

with some fancy modelling algorithms in the background to do

just that. It was the fi rst of its kind in the UK at launch.

They say that the best way to learn something is to teach

it. I’d take it one step further: the best way to learn something

is to use it in the design of something else. Every day for

months was spent getting to the heart of SAP assessments

and fi guring out how to apply it to heat pump sizing, borehole

depths, energy usage and seasonal effi ciency.

With hindsight, it was a big thing to bite off and perhaps

an indication of not knowing just how much effort would be

involved. But it taught me huge amounts about how things

really were. If there had been one ‘go to’ place for information,

the learning curve would have been easier and defi nitely

quicker to get through.

But there wasn’t. The picture was pieced together by

meeting the folks at the British Geological Survey to fi nd out

what was possible from the various datasets they have; by

meeting the manufacturers and hearing what they were saying

on their product training courses; by

talking to energy assessors and building

services engineers to learn the essentials

that were relevant to ground source heat

pumps and renewable energy. The list went

on….

Perhaps one of the most troubling things

– from an industry perspective – was the

variability in the information from different

sources: the proportion of the total heating

load you should size a heat pump for; the

rate of heat extraction from the ground; the

rules of thumb that are in use (even by some

manufacturers at that time) about how to

estimate building heat losses. It’s scarey really

that the high costs of installing these systems

doesn’t mandate greater uniformity in the

techniques and a single authoritative source to

go to for support and advice.

GreenACT has moved on since those days. We still offer

support and cost-benefi t modelling for people kicking the tyres

on heat pump systems, but we’ve started to take our own

medicine. Now, we also install Ground-Source Heat Pumps

together with Solar Hot Water and Solar PV. We secured our

MCS accreditation earlier this year and are applying all that

hard-earned knowledge to help households adapt to the new

ways of using renewable energy in their homes.

We know how much there is to learn and to keep on

learning. But for us, that’s part of the joy about being at the

leading edge of such an exciting new industry.

And the suit? Recycling itself slowly into polishing cloths.

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Case Study

ProjectA £35 million refurbishment and extension at the

National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. The

project is to double the usable volume and create

a range of new facilities in the newly built element

alongside it.

Our Project BriefTo design supply and install an underfl oor heating

system capable of heating & cooling, utilising a

renewable water to water heat source capable of

summer time cooling.

Project ConceptionWe were approached by Mott McDonald Fulcrum

(formally Fulcrum Consulting, who we have worked

successfully in the past), to design an Underfl oor

Heating system with cooling capability.

The building was the Sammy Ofer Wing – an

1100m² new building at the National Maritime

Museum, Greenwich. Mitie Engineering Service

(South East) were the M&E contractors for the

project.

The heat source utilised an ATES system (Aquifer

Thermo Energy Store), traditionally a Dutch method

of storing all the energy required to heat and cool a

building deep underground.

The technology uses two boreholes drilled into

an aquifer. During the summer, groundwater is

extracted via one borehole to provide cooling while

unwanted heat is pumped into the aquifer via the

second borehole. In the winter months the system

is reversed, extracting warmer water to provide

heating. By doing this the aquifer is maintained in

equilibrium not extracting too much heat nor putting

too much back. The resource is then available for

use again – totally renewable.

System InstalledOur underfl oor heating system was designed to

achieve 60w/m2 of heating and 40w/m2 in summer

time cooling mode. We provided condensation and

dew point sensors which are a must when using

underfl oor cooling to avoid condensation build

up on fl oors which could make the fl oor surface

extremely slippery and potential ruin the fl oor fi nish.

For this project we used our RUW-K Manifolds

complete with Plate Heat Exchangers. We had

to use these manifold types instead of a standard

Project New Building - Sammy Ofer Wing – National Maritime Museum

Location London, Greenwich

Heat Source ATES (Aquifer Thermo Energy Store)

Pipe 6800m of 20x3.4mm W.T.H Tube

Manifolds RUW-K with heat exchanger for separate heating & cooling function.

The new wing has been made possible thanks to a substantial gift by Mr Sammy Ofer, KBE (1922-2011).





LT-S Low Temperature Manifolds because the heating

and cooling circuits could not be mixed. The Plate

Heat Exchange enabled us to have the correct Flow

temperature going to our underfl oor pipes without

using the Flow water direct.

In total we installed 10 Manifolds and a total of

6.8km of 20mm pipe.

Our pipe work was fi xed to 150mm Celotex

Insulation with a 65mm Screed covering the fl oor

area.

ChallengesThe biggest problem we had to overcome was

something completely out of our control – the

weather! We started installation during the winter of

2010/11 and very quickly the freezing temperatures

and heavy snow slowed things up.

Despite the initial delays, we were able to complete

on time, ready for the screeders. Once phase2 of the

project was complete we were able to return to site

and commission the heating/cooling system.

How we added valueWe have completed many underfl oor heating projects

utilising the cooling capability of a renewable energy

system whether it be an Air Source or Ground Source

Heat Pump, so were able to advise on parameters

and functionality of the cooling system.




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National Ground Water Association to Develop Loop Well Standard

The National Ground Water Association (NGWA) has

announced plans to develop an American National

Standards Institute (ANSI) third-party accredited

standard for the construction of vertical boreholes used in

closed loop ground source heat pump systems.

The decision was reached by the NGWA Board of Directors

earlier this month.

“This effort will use our now nearly 15 year old guidelines

document on this topic as the basis from which to develop the

standard,” explains NGWA Executive Director Kevin McCray.

The guidelines, fi rst published in 1997, have been revised

by NGWA twice in the intervening years, most recently in

2010.

“NGWA’s motivation is to strengthen our contributions to

this important drilling market segment heavily served by water

well drilling contractor fi rms,” McCray said.

“We want to help assure that the drilling of loop wells—

the vertical boreholes of many ground source heat pump

systems—is done in a way that protects the groundwater from

contamination risk. The number of boreholes typically drilled

for such systems makes groundwater protection especially

important,” McCray continued. “We also want to assure

that loop wells are drilled to the design specifi cations so

these systems operate effectively over their lifetime. This will

strengthen customer satisfaction and customer support.”

The guidelines contain chapters, or “articles” on topics

such as loop well fi eld design, test loop wells and samples,

borehole construction, loop tube installation, loop well

grouting, loop well fi eld identifi cation, and permanent loop

well decommissioning. NGWA anticipates the standard will

ultimately cover similar interests.

“Having much of the standard completed by way of the

guidelines, we hope will lead to rapid development of the

standard and introduction to the required public comment

periods on the draft,” McCray says. “However, the ANSI

process is very deliberate and thoughtful, with an aim toward

consensus agreement. We will follow the procedures to

produce our best possible work.”

To learn more about NGWA’s guidelines for the construction

of vertical closed loop heat pump systems, visit www.NGWA.

org, or call 800 551.7379 (614 898.7791).

NGWA, a nonprofi t organization composed of U.S. and

international groundwater professionals — contractors,

equipment manufacturers, suppliers, scientists, and engineers

— is dedicated to advancing groundwater knowledge.

NGWA’s vision is to be the leading groundwater association

that advocates the responsible development, management,

and use of water.





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Bishop’s Palacein Wells

More than simply an historic house and garden,

Bishop’s Palace is a splendid medieval Palace, which

has been the home of the Bishops of Bath and Wells

for 800 years. The Palace is surrounded by a stunning moat

and it is from here that the renewable energy is sourced for

the newly constructed visitor’s centre. For buildings located

near a suitable body of water, a water source heat pump offers

an attractive alternative to ground source systems. They are

virtually silent, maintenance needs and costs are negligible

and there are no visible external units.

Ecovision are widely known for the 2010 BCI Award winning

water source installation at Castle Howard in York, one of

Britain’s fi nest stately homes, where the lake was used to

provide the heating and hot water for this ancient building.

The national newspaper coverage announcing Hon Simon

Howard’s impressive savings encouraged owners of stately

homes to turn to our design expertise, including Ascott House,

Harrow School, Treago Castle and many more throughout

the UK. These older buildings were designed to operate at

consistent lower temperatures provided originally by fi res,

maintaining the thermal mass in the thick stone walls. Heat

pumps do something similar, but at a much cheaper rate than

an oil or gas fi red system.

A combination of ground, water and air source heat

pumps coupled with solar power are now collectively radically

reducing energy bills and carbon emissions nationwide and

providing users with valuable income. With energy prices

forecast to rise over 15% in the coming year, more and more

homeowners are switching to renewables.

Over the years we have designed and installed an

increasing number of closed loop water source systems but

Bishop’s Palace was a more complex challenge. Unlike the

Castle Howard system it was not possible to drain the loop

area prior to installation. An array of ground loops, were

designed on a loop support frame, which we lowered into

the water using buoys as fl oatation aids. After the loop array

was launched into the moat, it was fl oated into position using

ropes. A diver then guided the array into the fi nal position

before lowering it under the water. The array sits on the moat

bed but is lifted by weighting blocks which keeps it in position

and holds the bottom of the loops 200 mm off the moat bed.

“We have installed many closed loop water source systems

using the same loop layout strategy. In the past we have had

the luxury of a dry surface to construct them on. The challenge

at Bishop’s Palace was to get the loop set in exactly the

right position. Calculations were made to ensure the loops,

weighting blocks and frame would fl oat and remain in position

when fi lled and operational. It was a challenging part of the

installation but with accurate planning it was plain sailing….”

Closed loop water source systems are becoming more

and more popular. They reduce the client’s capital outlay and

almost eliminate the requirement for the alternative, which

would be horizontal trenches or boreholes. In addition it

provides a solution for a building that does not have suffi cient

land space or for client’s who want as little disturbance to

Uses the moat for heat pump installation





the grounds as possible. Ecovision is working on several

other closed loop systems of varying sizes in large country

houses and estates across the UK.

Although often the ground space is

available, the number of horizontal loops

required for several of these projects

would have been expensive and would

have involved extensive digging through

beautiful parts of the grounds.

At Castle Howard there was already a

plan to drain and dredge the lake, which

offered an opportunity to lay the 56 coils

of MDPE pipe on the lake bed before it

was re-fi lled. Each coil measured 100

metres in length and were fi lled with a

diluted glycol, an environmentally friendly

anti-freeze which will absorb the heat

from the lake. All the pipes converge into a chamber on

the lakeside and from there the warmed fl uid is pumped

in buried pipes to the heat pumps in the main house at

a temperature of 10ºC. It ends up in one of two 100kW

Dimplex heat pumps in the plantroom in the basement of

the building.

Closed loop systems make GSHP installations more

viable and depending on the water temperature and the

fl ow rate, they also provide a more effi cient heat source.

The Bishop’s Palace closed loop water source system

comprises 6 x 100 metre coils headed into one larger fl ow

and return, which penetrates the moat wall adjacent to the

plant room.

The heat pump is the Dimplex SIH

20TE, it’s output is 22kW and it can

achieve a maximum fl ow temperature of

70º C which will supply all of the heating

and the hot water for the building.

Ecovision estimates the average

temperature of the moat during the

heating season to be approximately

7ºC. The underfl oor heating has been

designed to operate effectively at the

lowest possible fl ow temperatures. With

this delta t across the system the average

CoP will be approximately 5.2. This

system will be approximately 20% more

effi cient over the year than an equivalent ground source

heat pump system.

The return from the Renewable Heat Incentive will be in

the region of £1,700 per annum. An alternative conventional

oil system would have cost approximately £2,900 per

annum to heat the building. The heat pump will cost approx

£1,200 per year to run, giving an annual saving on heating

costs of £1,700 and a combined annual fi nancial benefi t

of £3,400. The project received funding from the heritage

lottery fund and Church Commissioners for England.

‘Water source heat pump offers

an attractive alternative to

ground source systems’





Slim Jim – Geo Plate

7350 Tom Drive, Baton Rouge,, LA,

United States, 70806

Website: http://awebgeo.com/home.html

Phone: (225) 928 2630

Fax: (225) 928 2087

Drilcorp Ltd

Kinley Hill Farm, Hawthorn, Seaham,

Co. Durham, United Kingdom, SR7 8SW

Website: http://www.drilcorp.com

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 00441915273970

Fax: 00441915273115

Geothermal International Ltd.

Spencer Court 141-143 Albany Road,

Coventry, Warwickshire,

United Kingdom, CV5 6ND

Website: http://www.geothermalint.co.uk/


Phone: +44 (0) 24 7667 3131

Fax: +44 (0) 24 7667 9999

Greensleeves LLC

1995 Tiffi n Avenue, Suite 312, Findlay, OH,


Website: http://www.greensleevesllc.com/home.html


Phone: 616.931.4042 x1004

Fax: 866-688-7738

GeoPro, Inc.

302 E. Warehouse Street, Elkton, SD,


Website: http://www.geoproinc.com/


Phone: (877) 580-9348

Fax: (877) 580-9371

Energy Environmental Corporation

8295 South Krameria Way, Centennial, CO,


Website: http://www.energyhomes.org


Phone: 303-953-2346

Find a ProTo see what service we can

offer to help promote your

business, please visit:

www.egshpa.com/fi nd-a-pro

Groundsource Drilling & Contracting Ltd

Unit 3a Wentworth Way , Wentworth Industrial

Estate,Tankersley, Barnsley, United Kingdom, S75 3DH

Website: http://www.groundsource-drilling.co.uk/home/


Phone: 01226 741 843

Fax: 01226 743 392





National Ground Water Association

601 Dempsey Rd., Westerville, OH ,


Website: http://www.ngwa.org


Phone: 614 898.7791

Fax: 614 898.7786

GeoPro Design

Truman Capote, Javea,

Alicante, Spain, 03730

Website: http://www.geoprodesign.com


Phone: +34609434476

Kensa Engineering Ltd

Mount Wellington Mine, Truro, Cornwall,

United Kingdom, TR4 8RJ

Website: http://www.kensaengineering.com/


Phone: 01392 826020

Fax: 01872 862440

ESI Ltd.

New Zealand House, 160 Abbey Foregate , Shrewsbury ,

Shrewsbury , United Kingdom, SY2 6FD

Website: http://www.esinternational.com


Phone: 004401743276145

Fax: 004401743248600

WSP Environment & Energy Ltd

70 Chancery Lane , London , London,

United Kingdom, WC2A 1AF

Website: http://www.wspgroup.com


Phone: 02073145000

Fax: 02073145005

Denver Drilling Services Limited

Guardian House, Capital Business Park , Cardiff, Wales,

United Kingdom, CF3 2PZ

Website: http://www.denval.co.uk


Phone: 02920 360576

Fax: 02920 793503

Green Act

70 Binswood Avenue, Leamington Spa,

Warwickshire , United Kingdom, CV32 5RY

Website: http://www.mygreenheat.co.uk/


Phone: 08455 33 32 31

Geothermal Industries Ltd

Weizman 2, Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv,

Israel, 64239

Website: http://www.geothermal.co.il


Phone: 972(0)3.627.9502






Documents

Ground Up Magazine Issue 3