Steven Pinette Geothermal

Maine Section ASCE
2008 Technical Seminar

Lewiston, Maine
March 20, 2008
ENERGY AND INFRASTRUCTURE
MAINE GOETHERMAL ENERGY

WAITING TO BE TAPPED
AN OVERVIEW
Steve Pinette
Senior Geologist
207-883-5714
[email protected]
Tremendous resource
energy consumption
greenhouse gases
Maine and New England
US Military, GSA, Midwestern/Northwestern US and Canada
Heat generated
from:
1) cooling in the
earth
earths core, and
2) radioactive
mineral decay
to 3,000 oC
+3,000 to
7,000 oC
Heat
dissipated
out through
the mantle
& crust
45-70+ oC
Big G
High Temp. Geothermal in areas
associated with thin crust,
volcanoes, rift areas .
High Temperatures Generated at Plate Boundaries
Geothermal Heatflow Map of North America, 2004

Adapted from Southern Methodist University Geothermal Laboratory
BIG G
Little g
How Do We Tap this Heat?

1. Closed-loop systems
2. Standing column wells
MOST COMMON
3. Slinky systems in soil trenches

4. Open loops, pond loops, .
Closed loop system no contact between

the water in the pipes and groundwater
No drawdown of water table

extracts heat only
Typically 300 400 ft. deep; borings 4 5 inches

diameter; geo-loop is 1.25 inches diameter HDPE
One heat pump on its own ground loop
25 Ft.
4 Ft.
200 Ft.
20 Ft.
Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Common loop conditioned by vertical

ground heat exchanger
A
HDPE geo-loop
u-tubes in
vertical bores.
Closed-loop boreholes typically 25

ft. apart; geo-loop being grouted
Tremie pipe
HDPE loop
DPE Geo-loop pipe
generally guaranteed
or 50 years)
DPE lines running from

headers to building;
several bore holes per
header
Geo-loop entry via pre-fab

holes in foundation
Standing Column Well
(typically up to 1500 deep; used mainly in Northeast)

to heat pumps
optional A
A
bleed
soil
sleeve
discharge
Rock
formation
submersible
pump
perforated
intake
***Groundwater quality is critical to run these systems!!
Below a depth of about 800, need auxiliary compressor or two rigs

running in tandem to provide compressor air capacity to lift drill
cuttings up the borehole
- Without extra compressor, some cuttings remain in the borehole
to damage well pumps and other equipment
p
providing auxiliary air
Ground loops can be vertical or horizontal

Generally requires
1500-3000 ft2 land
area per ton
Common loop conditioned by surface water

(Closed loop)
A
Typically, 15 tons/acre
(depth15-20 ft) or as high
as 85 tons/acre for well
stratified deep lakes
Lake
HDPE Coils with

UV Protection in
Loose Bundles
10
Open-loop conditioned by groundwater
Spent Water can be discharged to injection well or to

surface water body no recirculation
Plate heat exchanger

Optional
injection
well
Production
well pump
River or
other surface
body
Generally requires
wells with flow of 2-3
gpm/ton
Open-loop conditioned by surface water
More suited to
warm climates, or
cooling-only
applications
Plate heat
exchanger
Water discharge
Pump
Water intake
***Not appropriate for State regulated water

bodies in Northeast
No-discharge farm ponds generally okay
11
GHP System Options
Other methods of conditioning a single

or common loop:
Wastewater streams
Community loop
Potable water supplies (where allowed)
Hybrid systems (e.g., partial cooling with a
chiller during peak periods)
12
Commercial system: multiple GHPs on a

common loop
Heat
Pump
Heat
Pump
Heat
Pump
DP
Signal Wire to Drive

A
Transducer
Heat
Pump
Heat
Pump
Interior Pipe
Headers
Purge
Valves
A
Aux.
Pump
Pump
Variable Speed Drive
Heat pumps at
Gorham Middle School
Closed loop
140,000 sf
~200 tons
119 boreholes,
375 ft. depths
4.5 dia.
13
In New England,
most of the systems will be
closed-loop or standing-column
well systems installed in bedrock
Primary Concern
Rock Type and its Thermal Properties
14
Amount of Heat supplied to boreholes
Fouriers Law
Rate of heat
Production
Q = -kA dT/dx
Temperature
gradient
Coefficient of
Thermal Conductivity
Area
Calculate K (thermal conductivity)

Differential
temperature
= 1 degree
(dT)
BTU
(Q)/hour
Thickness =
1 inch (dl)
1 foot
1 foot
Q = k A dT/dl
15
Measuring Thermal Conductivity

Closed-Loop Borehole
Q We know how much heat (BTUs) the building will need

A ?? The area that we need to supply this heat (borehole area how
many borings and to what depth?)
K We can estimate this based on rock type, but there are broad
ranges in the same rock type better to test
dT/dx (temp. gradient) We can guess,

but better to test
***If you use general values, usually end up with

conservative design. In one case, testing allowed
designer to reduce number of proposed boreholes by
50%.
16
Required by the system design software
Source: GRTI, 2006
Also need to know Heat Capacity

The quantity of heat required to raise
the temperature of a system by one
degree (can obtain standard values
for this)
Need to know this plus the thermal
conductivity to calculate diffusivity
17
Thermal Diffusivity
Thermal conductivity of a substance
divided by the product of its density
and heat capacity
For Standing Column Wells with bleed

we also need to know
Sustainable Well Yield
***This is one key reason for system problems***
18
Broad Range of Thermal Conductivities in Similar/Same Rock Types
Source: Montan Universitt (www.uniloben.ac.at)
Thermal Coefficients for Common Materials

K
BTU/hrBTU/hr-ftft-oF
Granite
Marble
Gneiss
Quartzite
Slate
Sandstone
Limestone
Moist Sand
Dry Sand
1.51.5-2.1
1.21.2-1.9
1.31.3-2.0
3.03.0-4.0
0.90.9-1.5
1.21.2-2.0
1.41.4-2.2
1.41.4-1.7
0.80.8-1.4
Cp
Btu/lboF
0.21
0.22
0.22
0.20
0.22
0.24
0.22
---
Diff (
()
ft2/day
1.01.0-1.4
0.80.8-1.2
0.90.9-1.2
2.22.2-3.0
0.60.6-0.9
0.70.7-1.2
1.01.0-1.4
0.80.8-1.0
0.80.8-1.3
19
Other features that affect heat transfer

Fractures
Voids in the rock
Water saturation
20
21
Higher Thermal
Conductivity if saturated
with groundwater
Entering Water Temperature Affects System Efficiency

Its not a parameter that we can control, but
Higher Temp more efficient for heating
Lower Temp more efficient for cooling
heating
Heating COP
Increasing
Efficiency
cooling
20
15
3
10
2
1
0
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Cooling EER
25
90 100
Entering water temperature (F)
22
Deep earth (and groundwater)

temperatures in the U.S.
Maximum Temperatures (oF)

46 (400)
Explanation?
Off-shore
Seamount??
64
49.8 (400)
50.5 (400)
48.1 (420)
50.1 (190)
48.0 (405)
48.1 (450)
47.5(115-135)
52.9(115-1500)
23
Test Groundwater for Chemical Parameters

***Critical for Standing Column Well Systems!!!
Metals
Ag, Al, As, B, Ba, Be, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, K, Mg,
Mn, Mo, Na, Pb, Ni, Sb, Se, Si, Sr, Tl, Ti, V, Zn
Other Ions
Br, Cl, F, NH3-N, NO2-N, NO3-N, PO4, SO4
Synthetic
Organic
Compounds
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Semi-volatile Organic

Compounds (SVOCs)
Other
Parameters
Radon, Uranium, Hardness, Alkalinity, Ammonia-N, OrthoPhosphorous, Dissolved Organic Carbon, Cyanide, Total
Dissolved Solids, Total Dissolved Solids, Total Suspended
Solids, Total Coliform Bacteria, Color, Odor, Iron Bacteria
Field
Parameters
Dissolved Oxygen, Specific Conductivity, pH, Turbidity
Water Quality and Standing Column Well System
Bleed must
be clean
soil
sleeve
discharge
Rock
formation
submersible
pump
perforated
intake
24
COROSION INDICES
for Standing Column Wells only
Chloride concentration (road salt, paleo
seawater, marine environment)
Calcium Carbonate Saturated pH
Langelier Index
Aggressive Index
Rynzar Stability Index
Advantages of GHPs
High efficiency
Lower energy consumption & CO2 footprint

Lower energy cost
Low maintenance cost

Low life cycle cost
No outdoor equipment
Greater occupant comfort
25
***Less Greenhouse Gas Emissions***
Note: This takes into account emissions from

electric power plant (non-renewables)
Source: Whitney Engineering, 2008
So
Lower energy consumption
Smaller Carbon Footprint
what about $ Payback period??
26
CLOSED LOOP
(Source: Whitney Engineering)
PROBABLE CONSTRUCTION COSTS GORHAM MIDDLE SCHOOL

Sq. Ft.
140,000
Heating ~3,000,000 Btu/hr. Feb.
Cooling ~292 tons cooling in July
A. Data:
$/Sq. Ft.
Cost
Total New Building
$11,800,000
84.29
Total Mechanical
$ 2,419,000
17.28
Base HVAC Systems
$ 1,831,300
13.08
Geothermal Field
Boilers, Cooling Tower
$
$
653,900
540,000
4.67
3.86
B. Cost Comparison: Geothermal vs. Conventional HVAC

Base HVAC Systems
Geothermal Bid Price
Conventional Bid Price
Total
$ 1,831,300
$ 653,900
$ 2,485,200
$ 1,831,300
$ 540,000
$ 2,371,300
C. Extra Cost for Geothermal: $ 113,900 ($0.81/SF)
ECONOMIC EVALUATION
(Source: Whitney Engineering)
Project: Gorham Middle School

Sq. Ft.
140,000
BOREHOLES
(Closed Loop)
1. Extra Cost for Geothermal $ 113,900
2. Energy Savings
$ 40,000
3. SIMPLE PAYBACK
2.85 Years
STANDING
COLUMN
WELLS
$ 293,000
$ 40,000
7.3 Years
Note: Energy savings based on Middle School with

conventional Water Source Heat Pump (WSHP)
system and Gorham Middle School with geothermal HVAC
system
27
Bowdoin College Dorms

Standing-Column Well Example
(Source: Harriman Associates)
66,000 sf with 180 beds
Heated/cooled with Standing-Column Well system
Uses
seven 1500-foot wells with
seven 30-ton heat pumps
2,500 gallon cistern to collect bleed water; this water is used to
flush toilets had no place to discharge
heat recovery ventilation
Compared to 2M BTU gas boiler & 150-ton chiller Geothermal system

was $515,000 more
Design Payback 9.6 years
Actual Payback 6.2 years
Closed-Loop vs. Standing-Column Wells

Closed-Loop
Pro In-ground system is robust and durable; little attention after

installation
Pro Existing or future groundwater quality is not a major concern,

except during drilling
Pro - Less/little need for regulatory oversight and permitting
Con Higher front costs ($2,600 - $3,000 per ton installed [Harriman])
Con Requires a larger area for bore field
Standing-Column Wells
Pro Lower front costs ($2,400 -$2,800 per ton installed
Pro Can be sited around existing buildings and requires smaller

footprint
[Harriman])
Con - Groundwater quality and sand/grit create major problems for

equipment
Con - Requires more DEP oversight and permitting
28

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Maine Section ASCE

2008 Technical Seminar

ENERGY AND INFRASTRUCTURE

MAINE GOETHERMAL ENERGY

Maine and New England

US Military, GSA, Midwestern/Northwestern US and Canada

High Temperatures Generated at Plate Boundaries

Geothermal Heatflow Map of North America, 2004

How Do We Tap this Heat?

3. Slinky systems in soil trenches

Closed loop system no contact between

No drawdown of water table

Typically 300 400 ft. deep; borings 4 5 inches

One heat pump on its own ground loop

Common loop conditioned by vertical

Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Closed-loop boreholes typically 25

DPE Geo-loop pipe

DPE lines running from

Geo-loop entry via pre-fab

Standing Column Well

(typically up to 1500 deep; used mainly in Northeast)

***Groundwater quality is critical to run these systems!!

Below a depth of about 800, need auxiliary compressor or two rigs

Ground loops can be vertical or horizontal

Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Common loop conditioned by surface water

HDPE Coils with

Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Open-loop conditioned by groundwater

Spent Water can be discharged to injection well or to

Plate heat exchanger

Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Open-loop conditioned by surface water

Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory

***Not appropriate for State regulated water

GHP System Options

Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Other methods of conditioning a single

Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Commercial system: multiple GHPs on a

Signal Wire to Drive

Variable Speed Drive

Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory

375 ft. depths

Rock Type and its Thermal Properties

Amount of Heat supplied to boreholes

Calculate K (thermal conductivity)

Measuring Thermal Conductivity

Q We know how much heat (BTUs) the building will need

dT/dx (temp. gradient) We can guess,

***If you use general values, usually end up with

Required by the system design software

Source: GRTI, 2006

Also need to know Heat Capacity

For Standing Column Wells with bleed

Sustainable Well Yield

***This is one key reason for system problems***

Broad Range of Thermal Conductivities in Similar/Same Rock Types

This is one key reason for system problems

Less Greenhouse Gas Emissions