Geothermal Energy

For Oxford Plastics, geothermal energy, or earth heat, is more than just a promising new source of energy. It is an exciting new challenge for developing the right kind of pipe and piping systems for transporting this energy. Because of its scarcity, high cost of production, and rising demand, fossil fuel is quickly becoming an impractical source of energy. Because of their dependency on foreign owned energy, many industrial nations are actively looking for alternative sources of renewable energy. Geothermal energy is a leading candidate. It ranks third among renewable energy sources, ahead of solar and wind, and behind hydroelectricity and biomass. Not only is geothermal energy environmentally clean, unlimited in supply, what most people don't know is that the technology to take advantage of it is already available and in use around the world.

Geothermal energy is all about heat. Not the creation of heat, but the transfer of heat from the ground you're standing on. Heat is energy in motion from a high temperature zone to a lower temperature one. Geothermal energy is about the transportation of heat from the hot earth to a colder region (or heat from a pipe buried under the ground to a building). While most people know that the earth is a source of heat, most are not aware that it is actually a realistic method for heating and cooling their house or workplace.

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What is Geothermal Energy?
Geothermal comes from the Greek words geo, meaning earth, and therme, meaning heat. Geothermal heat, therefore, is literally earth heat. Often found in places where geologic processes have allowed magma to rise up through the crust as lava, or steam in a hot springs, people have sought to harness this energy in some form or another over thousands of years. With new technologies, from heat pumps, to sophisticated piping materials and heat exchangers, geothermal energy has become more than just a remote possibility. Unlike other kinds of geothermal heat that are found in hot springs, volcanoes and other natural hot spot formations, the heat in the ground is not dependent upon tectonic plate activity or other unique geologic processes. Using geothermal heat pumps and elaborate piping systems, heat can be acquired anywhere in the world.

Archaeological evidence suggests that use of geothermal energy occurred more than 10,000 years ago in ancient Rome and with the settlement of the North American Indian at various hot springs. Just as these springs served as a source of warmth and healing, modern efforts are currently capable of probing more than 10 miles below the Earth's surface. Since 1807, when North American settlers first founded the city of Hot Springs in Arkansas, people have looked for ways to bring the heated water in a hot springs to their homes and places of business. It wasn't until 1892, however, that water is piped from a hot springs to buildings using modern technologies from heat exchangers to ground source heat pumps. With these technologies, geothermal energy is no longer restricted to just those areas near a natural hot springs, but can be derived from any water that is heated by the earth as it is transported through pipes buried below the ground.

How a Geothermal Energy System Works
Geothermal energy uses the earth as a heat source as well as a heat sink. Instead of creating heat like your furnace, a geothermal system only moves heat from one place to another. Since earth heat hovers around 55 °F (12.8 °C) at 10 feet (3 m) below the surface, it can be used to heat buildings in climates warmer than 55 °F, or to cool them in warmer climates.

In a typical system, you will find three major subsystems or parts: 1) a geothermal heat pump to move heat between the building and the fluid in the earth loop, 2) an earth loop piping system for transferring heat between its fluid and the earth, and 3) a distribution subsystem for delivering heating or cooling to the building.

The efficiency of a closed loop ground source heat pump is well known. To extract the heat from the earth, a closed loop pipe or series of closed loop pipes are connected to the inlet and outlet of a heat exchanger and are buried in the ground. A heat exchange fluid is circulated through this buried pipe system. If a difference exists between the temperature of the fluid circulating in the pipe and the earth temperature, a transfer of heat takes place. When the system is in a heating mode, heat is taken from the fluid inside of this circulating loop by a heat exchanger. As this cool water is circulated back through the warm earth, heat is transferred into the fluid, which is subsequently taken from this stream and used to heat a building. Because of immense size, the earth remains at a relatively constant temperature, providing a virtual limitless resource as a heat supplier and heat sink.

Applications of Geothermal Energy
Uses of geothermal energy range from localized heating and baths, to large scale energy production. The heat pump has brought geothermal energy into the home. These heat pumps don’t require extremely hot reservoirs, or dry steam, but instead operate much like a refrigerator with pipes extending either out or down in a loop below the frost line. This technology can be used anywhere in the world, and is available in your own backyard. This unlimited energy can be used in both agriculture to extend the growing season, and aquaculture, to shorten the time to grow fish and shrimp. Industrial uses include process cooling, the pasteurization of milk and washing wool. In some cases, local communities have even started using geothermal energy to keep their sidewalks and roads from freezing. Some other applications include:

Hot Spring and Spa Bathing
Greenhouse and Soil Warming
Fish Farming
Product Drying and Warming
District Heating

Advantages of Geothermal Energy
The biggest advantage of a geothermal system is its ability to provide a consistent and unlimited source of heat. While conventional heating systems have to depend on outdoor temperatures that are constantly in flux, underground temperatures remain relatively constant all year round, producing the desired heating and cooling temperature year round. Other benefits include:

Renewable and Sustainable - is unlimited in supply and uses very little land to provide safe and clean energy.
Comfortable - maintains an even temperature and humidity level throughout your home or place of business. Can heat or cool a building. Can also be used to heat or cool different parts of a building structure.
Flexible - geothermal heat pump systems allow for design flexibility and can be installed in both new and retrofit situations.
Aesthetic - geothermal systems are easy to conceal, don't require cooling towers, eliminate conventional rooftop equipment, less potential for leaks and ongoing maintenance, better roof warranties, allowing architects and building owners to plan for more aesthetically pleasing architectural designs and roof lines.
Low Maintenance - since the workhorse of the system - the piping - is underground or underwater, there is little maintenance required.
Durable - with no moving parts, and parts that are sheltered inside a building, a geothermal heating system is durable and highly reliable. Hdpe pipe has a life span expectancy of up to 50 years or more.
Cheap - a geothermal system uses less electricity than conventional forced air heating or cooling systems. This means the less energy needed from burning fossil fuels that are harmful to the environment.
Energy Efficient - reduces consumption of fossil fuels and enhances to the diversity of energy resources.
Reduces Dependency - lowers importing and creates self-sufficiency in local economies.

Drawbacks of Geothermal Energy
The biggest drawback is the initial cost of installation. While geothermal heating is one of the most efficient ways to heat a building, drilling holes for the pipiing is expensive. There is also the ongoing costs of opeating the heat pump. Geothermal energy systems have not been used in the past because it is expensive to design and install the pipe loop heat exchanger which must be buried in the ground. Many of the complex geological and installation parameters that set the rate of heat transfer between this buried heat exchanger and the earth, also determine the performance and efficiency of the system. The uncertainty of the installation costs, combined with the uncertainty of the resulting operating efficiencies make it hard for the customer to predict the operating costs and the return on investment.

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Oxford Plastics Inc. ~ PO Box 119, Oxford Road 6, Embro, Ontario, CANADA, N0J 1J0
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