Seminar 41 Saving Water (and Energy) with Solid Geothermal Design and Operation

Tuesday, January 31, 2017: 9:45 AM-11:00 AM
Water-Energy Nexus
Chair: Cary Smith, Sound Geothermal Corp.
Technical Committee: 6.8 Geothermal Heat Pump and Energy Recovery Applications
Geothermal heat pump systems have long been known as a leading system choice for energy performance. But in many regions of the world, geothermal is also the best choice for saving water, as it avoids significant operation and water usage from cooling towers used in those regions. Hybrid systems are also sometimes operated with both geothermal loops and cooling towers; these can be operated optimally to save both energy and water.

1  The Energy-Water Highway: Getting the Least Use from Evaporative Devices

Cary Smith, Sound Geothermal Corp.
Cooling towers used by water source systems can consume up to 50% of a site’s potable water. Owners and design-professionals must cut down on CTs that reject waste heat for space cooling by the power of evaporation. Towers consume water, chemicals, and lots of electricity; producing wastewater unqualified to pass through treatment plants. Can anything take their place? YES! Distributed GSHP systems provide thermal leverage on reduced power demand; reducing cooling tower water wastage by 50% - 70% and electric consumption by 60%. Explore how a GX-based Distributed Energy System enables solutions to Energy/Water Nexus challenges.

2  Water Wizards and Water Wasters: Geothermal Exchange Replaces Cooling Towers

Jay Egg, Egg Geothermal
This presentation focuses on a geothermal sourced chiller plant in Florida, and a distributed geothermal heat pump installation near Los Angeles, both in operation for several years, originally slated for cooling towers. Attendees will see in both cases the methodology and rationale by which architects, engineers and owners worked together to choose to eliminate their cooling towers, and reaping remarkable water savings along with energy savings and an array of other tangent benefits.

3  Managing Water in Las Vegas: Keeping the Cats Clean and Cool

Jerry Zupancic, Cashman Equipment
With the ever changing climate we are experiencing in the world, Cashman Equipment is doing their part to conserve water and energy by using a Geo-Thermal system to cool their corporate facilities. They are using 30% less water than conventional systems utilizing two (2) 250 ton cooling towers as a supplemental cooling to the loop used by the heat pumps. The original calculations showed an approximate savings of $46,000.00 over the conventional DX cooling. Yes, as hot as Las Vegas is, we are running efficiently with massive well field below the desert heat.
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