# Presentation: 035537

## Geothermal Heat PumpsFor School Applications

*John A. Shonder*
*Oak Ridge National Laboratory*

- Rebuild America Geothermal Workshop
- March 5, 2002
- Concord, NH

## Mission of the U.S. Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP)

**Reduce the cost of government by advancing energy efficiency, water conservation, and the use of renewable energy sources, and by helping agencies manage their utility costs.**
**FEMP relies on ORNL and other national labs to carry out its programs and provide expert assistance to federal agencies working to reduce their energy use and costs. **

## Executive Order 13123

**Through life-cycle cost-effective measures, each agency shall reduce energy consumption per gross square foot of its facilities, excluding facilities covered in section 203 of this order, by 30 percent by 2005 and 35 percent by 2010 relative to 1985.**
**GHP is one technology being used to meet these goals**

## ORNL is the home of FEMP’s GHP Core Team

**Mission: Provide support and technical assistance to Federal agencies developing and implementing GHP projects**
**Also, to develop "tools of the trade" to make GHP technology just as easy for Federal facilities to procure and install as more conventional equipment. **

## Presentation outline

**Why GHPs are popular for school applications**
**Basics of GHP operation and performance**
**GHP system configurations**
**Site characterization**
**Design of GHP systems**

## Presentation outline

**Construction costs**
**Maintenance costs**
**Advantages and disadvantages of GHPs**
**Case study of the Maxey Elementary School in Lincoln, Nebraska**

## Some reasons why GHPs are popular for schools

**Reduced energy use and energy costs**
**One of the most efficient HVAC technologies available**
**Reduced maintenance costs**
**Modular, residential-sized units**
**No complicated controls required**
**Lower life cycle cost**
**Saves money for school district**

## Some other reasons...

**No outdoor equipment**
**Improved aesthetics**
**Reduced vandalism**
**Quiet operation**
**Reduced mechanical room space**
**Individual room control**
**Low source energy use and low air pollutant emissions – ****green technology**

## According to EPA, in 2000, geothermal heat pumps were installed in 450 schools in 30 states (undoubtedly more by now)

- http://www.epa.gov/globalwarming/publications/outreach/technology/geothermalheatpumps.pdf

## The technology goes by many different names

**Ground source heat pumps (GSHP)**
**Ground coupled heat pumps (GCHP)**
**Geothermal heat pumps (GHP)**
**GeoExchange (GX?)**
**Earth energy systems**

## Why GHPs are more efficient than other HVAC equipment

**GHPs exchange heat with the earth, rather than with ambient air**
**Earth provides a much better heat exchange medium**
**Stable temperature year-round**
**Generally cooler than ambient air when cooling is needed, and warmer than ambient air when heating is needed**

## Deep earth (and groundwater) temperatures in the U.S.

## Capacity of a typical 4-ton geothermal heat pump vs. EWT

**Heating capacity**

**Cooling capacity**

## Efficiency of a typical 4 ton GHP as a function of EWT

## Basics of GHP operation

**Compressor**

**Water-to-refrigerant coil**

**Air-to-refrigerant coil**

**Expansion valve**

**Fan**

**Air filter**

**Air inlet (Return + OA)**

**Conditioned air (Supply)**

**Heat recovery coil**

**Reversing valve**

## GHP System options

## One heat pump on its own ground loop

## Ground loops can be vertical or horizontal

- Generally requires 1500-3000 ft2 land area per ton

## Commercial system: multiple GHPs on a common loop

## Common loop conditioned byvertical ground heat exchanger

**HDPE u-tubes in vertical bores. **

- Common loop conditioned byvertical ground heat exchanger

- Generally requires 250-300 ft2 of land area per ton

## Common loop conditioned by groundwater

- Production

- well pump

- River or

- other surface

- body

- Optional

- injection

- well

- Plate heat exchanger

- A

- A

- Generally requires wells with flow of 2-3 gpm/ton

## Common loop conditioned by surface water (closed loop)

- Typically 15 tons/acre (depth15-20 ft) or as high as 85 tons/acre for well stratified deep lakes

## Common loop conditioned by surface water (open loop)

- A

- A

**Plate heat exchanger**

**Water intake**

**Water discharge**

**Pump**

- More suited to warm climates, or cooling-only applications

## Single or common loop conditioned by standing column well

**submersible pump**

**perforated intake**

**discharge**

**sleeve**

**formation**

**soil**

- A

- A

**optional bleed**

## Other methods of conditioning a single or common loop

**Wastewater streams**
**Community loop**
**Potable water supplies (where allowed)**
**Hybrid systems:**
**condition with 2 or more of above**
**condition with 1 or more of above and ****outdoor air**

## Many ways to configure indoor equipment as well 

**Each room has its own air-to-water heat pump**
**One heat pump serving several rooms**
**Water-to-water heat pumps provide hot and/or chilled water to coils (2-pipe or 4-pipe systems) or console units**
**Outdoor air pretreatment (see below)**

## Site Characterization: evaluation of site’s geology, hydrogeology, and other characteristics

**Presence or absence of water**
**Determines whether groundwater or surface water heat pumps can be used**
**Depth to water**
**Affects drilling costs for open loop GWHP**
**Water (or soil/rock) temperature**
**Affects required flow rate (open loop GWHP) or heat exchanger length (closed loop systems)**

## Site Characterization (continued)

**Depth to rock**
**Influences drilling cost, borefield layout (closed loop)**
**Rock type**
**Affects thermal conductivity**
**Affects drilling costs**
**Influences feasibility of certain system types**
**Nature and thickness of unconsolidated materials overlying the rock.**
**Affects drilling costs**

## Other important site characteristics

**Land area available**
**Planned or current land use (e.g. parking lot, playground, tennis court, etc.)**
**Location of underground utilities**
**State regulatory climate**
**Can impact every aspect of the design**

## Sources of information for site characterization

**State water regulatory agency**
**State geology department**
**Well completion reports from nearby water wells**
**Geologic and hydrologic maps**
**U.S. Geological Survey**
**Local experience**

## Once the system type is decided, further tests are often required

**Vertical loop: Thermal Conductivity Test**
**Measures deep earth temperature as well**
**Important for loop field design**
**Open loop: Well Test**
**Water flow**
**Water quality (including chemistry)**

## Design of GHP Systems (inside the building)

**Outdoor air treatment is a primary aspect of design**
**Schools have high ventilation air requirements**
**During peak heating conditions, unheated OA mixed with RA results in low (<55 °F) entering air temperature to heat pump**
**Manufacturers do not recommend operation at such low EATs (and occupants may complain that system is “blowing cold air”)**

## Several ways of treating outdoor air

**Dedicated water-to-water heat pump supplying OA preheat coil**
**Sensible heat recovery unit to absorb heat from exhaust air**
**Conventional heat source (gas boiler, electric resistance, etc.)**
**Each method has advantages and disadvantages in terms of first costs and operating costs**

## Many aspects of GHP design are similar to the design of any conventional HVAC system

**Determine peak heating and peak cooling load for each zone of the building**
**Select heat pumps to meet design loads (remember that capacity depends on EWT)**
**Heat pumps should be located with due consideration for serviceability**
**Size ventilation system components: ductwork, fans, preheating coils, etc.**

## Retrofits: Existing equipment influences cost-effectiveness of various GHP designs

**Central/terminal systems (ductwork or no)**
**Water loop for two- or four-pipe system? If so, potential for re-use as GHP water loop**
**What space is available in zones for individual heat pumps?**
**Above dropped ceiling ******** horizontal units**
**Mechanical closets ******** vertical units**
**Through-wall PTAC units & perimeter ******** console units**

## Three basic configurations of geothermal heat pumps

**vertical**

**horizontal**

**console**

## Outside the building: borefield sizing (for vertical bore systems)

**Decide on borehole and u-tube size, grouting**
**Determine ground properties from in situ test**
**Design borefield layout (rows ******** columns, spacing)**
**Determine whether antifreeze is required**
**Select design EWT**
**Enter all information (including loads) into borefield design program – iterate if necessary**
**Design exterior headers**

## A number of programs available to design ground heat exchanger

## Design packages ORNL has tested

**GchpCalc (www.geokiss.com)**
**GlhePro (www.igshpa.org)**
**RightLoop (www.wrightsoft.com)**
**GS2000 (Caneta Research)**

## Design programs have greatly improved since 1996

## Important considerations for design of groundwater heat pumps

**Groundwater availability, quality and temperature**
**Required flow**
**Water disposal method**
**Design of plate heat exchanger **

## Other system types have their own idiosyncrasies

**Open and closed loop surface water heat pumps**
**Standing column wells**

## Pumping/Piping Subsystem is another key design element

**Follow Kavanaugh’s “grading” system for vertical bore systems**

**Pump hp/100 tons****	****	****Grade**
**	****5****	****	****	****A -- Excellent**
**	****5-7.5****	****	****	****B -- Good**
**	****7.5-10****	****	****C -- Mediocre**
**	****10-15****	****	****	****D -- Poor**
**	****>15****	****	****	****F -- Bad**

## Ways of minimizing pumping power (closed loop systems)

**Water flow rate <3 gpm per ton peak block load**
**Minimize pipe friction**
**Operate pumps within 5% of max efficiency**
**Avoid excessive antifreeze**

## GHPs should also be considered for domestic water heating

**A heat pump is the most efficient technology for water heating**
**Can use dedicated water-to-water heat pump, or desuperheaters on selected heat pumps supplementing conventional DHW**
**In cooling-dominated applications, can reduce required bore length and system costs**

## Resources for GHP Designers

***Ground-Source Heat Pumps: Design of Geothermal Systems for Commercial and Institutional Buildings,***** Kavanaugh and Rafferty (ASHRAE, 1997)**
***Commercial/Institutional Ground Source Heat Pump Engineering Manual*****. Caneta Research. (ASHRAE, 1995)**
***Closed Loop/Ground Source Heat Pump Systems: Installation Guide *****(IGSHPA)**
***Learning from Experiences with Commercial/Institutional Heat Pump Systems in Cold Climates*****, Caneta Research. (CADDET, 2000)**
**Chapter 31: Geothermal Energy. 1999 HVAC Applications Handbook (ASHRAE)**

## Problem: Lack of construction-cost-estimating guide for GHP family

**RS-Means is the industry standard**
**Referenced by HVAC cost-estimating software**
**Does not include some GHP family members**
**Available GHP cost data are largely anecdotal — important factors are unknown**
**Type of estimate — preliminary, per square foot, bidder price, etc.**
**Scope — whether costs for site work, design, electrical, demolition, controls, etc., are included**

## Solution: HVAC Construction- and Maintenance-Cost Database

## Construction Cost Database

## Construction Cost Database

## Summary for Vertical Bore:

**Commercial New Construction**
**$14.61 per square foot (± 6%)**
**Commercial Retrofit**
**$11.50 per square foot (wide variation due to small dataset)**
**Large Residential Retrofits**
**$3,312 per ton (wide variation due to small dataset)**

## Groundwater heat pumps

**$3000-$5000 per ton for well water systems (open loop and standing column well)**

## Optimizing the Cost/Benefit Ratio of GHP Projects

**In vertical bore projects, minimize bore length by using industry-standard borefield design program**
**Perform thermal conductivity test**
**Avoid complex control systems**

## Available Maintenance Cost DataGHP/Conventional HVAC

## Estimating energy use of GHP systems (as required by LEED, ASHRAE 90.1)

**DOE-2 (PowerDOE, etc.)**
**Fairly good model, includes ground loops**
**Trane Trace**
**Can be used, but no ground loop model**
**TRNSYS**
**Contains sophisticated ground loop model, but somewhat difficult to use**
**Trane System Analyzer**
**Includes GHP, but not an hourly program**

## Web sites with information on GHPs

_**[www.ornl.gov/](http://www.ornl.gov/femp)**__**[femp](http://www.ornl.gov/femp)**_
_**[www.eren.doe.gov/femp/financing/espc/ghpresources.html](http://www.eren.doe.gov/femp/financing/espc/ghpresources.html)**_
_**[www.igshpa.okstate.edu/](http://www.igshpa.okstate.edu/)**_
_**[www.ghpc.org](http://www.ghpc.org/)**_
_**[http://geoheat.oit.edu/](http://geoheat.oit.edu/)**_
_**[www.geokiss.com](http://www.geokiss.com/)**_
_**[http://www.alliantenergygeothermal.com/](http://www.alliantenergygeothermal.com/)**_
**A Google search on the term “geothermal heat pump” turns up other interesting links**

## Advantages of GHPs

**High efficiency**
**Lower energy consumption**
**Lower energy cost**
**Low maintenance cost**
**Low life cycle cost**
**No outdoor equipment**
**Greater occupant comfort**

## Disadvantages of GHP

**First cost can be higher than for conventional systems**
**Not all system types feasible in all locations**
**Limited pool of designers**