SC4 Geothermal Project Summer 2010

SC4 GEOTHERMAL PROJECT

(Ground Source Heat Pump)

ST. CLAIR COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, PORT HURON, MICHIGAN

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This is a horizontal geothermal installation.

The location of the geothermal fields is shown in red above (9 feet below the ground surface).

This geothermal heat pump takes heat from the earth during winter and transfers it to the North Building.

It will also cool the North Building in summer by rejecting heat into the earth.

When the biodegradable glycol is pumped through the ground loop, it is naturally warmed or cooled by the earth surrounding it.

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Photos below taken May through July 2010.

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Click on the image above to see a close-up of the one-inch geothermal coiled pipe (to view nomenclature).

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Coils stretch 52 feet across the pit (500 linear feet uncoiled). There are three fields of coils each 52 feet wide. This is field #1-- see map at top of page.

Coils are 36 inches in diameter and 72 inches apart on center (36 inch space between each row of coils).

Click on the map at the top of the screen to see the exact dimensions of the entire geothermal field.

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There are 91 sets of coils in each of the three geothermal fields (see map above) for a total of 273 sets of coils. This equates to 136,500 linear feet of one-inch tubing for the entire geothermal system which is just about 26 miles long if uncoiled.

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Photo above and below: 8-inch return line for geothermal system running from the parking lot to the North Building.

This pipe is 640 feet long and runs south and west of the College Center and connects to an underground distribution tank near the geothermal field (see below). A boring tool was inserted from the parking lot and guided to the North Building. The pipe was then attached to another boring tool and injected with water to insert it back to the parking lot. The incoming flow line was inserted the day before (5-19-10) and runs parallel to the return line (about 7 feet apart). See the first two videos at the bottom of this page to see installation of this pipe.

Photos above and below show the large distribution tank (located in front of the College Center) that sends the glycol fluid to and from the geothermal fields. The 8-inch flow and return lines that connect to the North Building also connect to this tank. See one of the 8-inch lines in the photo above.

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The video below shows the heat exchanger which is located between the CEM and North Buildings. This is where the ambient temperature of the glycol fluid is transmitted the North Building. This video was taken in October of 2010 after the entire system was up and running.

Below are photos of the heat exchanger located between the CEM and North Buildings.

Clima Cool Specs model UCH-30 460 volts.

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Below is a sample of the biodegradable glycol that flows throughout this geothermal system. It smells like regular anti-freeze from your car, but it will not harm the environment if it happens to leak out of the system. It is a chlorine-free and non-ozone depleting refrigerant.

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Vertical Geothermal Installation (not at SC4)

More Details on How Heat Pumps Work

Live Parking Lot Web Cam