GEOptimize
  • HOME
  • About
  • Training
    • CGD Courses Online
    • CGD Courses in your Office
    • CGD at IGSHPA
    • Register
  • Services
    • Feasibility
    • Residential
    • Geo Forensics
    • Peer Review
    • Design Assistance
    • GCHP & GHX design
    • Manage your GHX
  • Products
    • Ground Loop Design >
      • GLD quote
    • GeoCube
  • Projects
    • Agriculture
    • Commercial >
      • Steinbach Credit Union
      • Walkerton CWC
      • 2211 West 4th
    • District Systems >
      • Gibsons, BC
      • Seasons of Tuxedo
      • Miami, MB
    • Institutional >
      • Prairie Dale School
      • St. Pierre Church
      • College Universitaire St. Boniface
    • Multi-family Residential >
      • Bethany Manor
      • YWCA Elm Centre
    • Recreational >
      • Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre
    • Retail >
      • Neechi Commons
      • IKEA, Centennial, CO
  • Blog
  • HOME
  • About
  • Training
    • CGD Courses Online
    • CGD Courses in your Office
    • CGD at IGSHPA
    • Register
  • Services
    • Feasibility
    • Residential
    • Geo Forensics
    • Peer Review
    • Design Assistance
    • GCHP & GHX design
    • Manage your GHX
  • Products
    • Ground Loop Design >
      • GLD quote
    • GeoCube
  • Projects
    • Agriculture
    • Commercial >
      • Steinbach Credit Union
      • Walkerton CWC
      • 2211 West 4th
    • District Systems >
      • Gibsons, BC
      • Seasons of Tuxedo
      • Miami, MB
    • Institutional >
      • Prairie Dale School
      • St. Pierre Church
      • College Universitaire St. Boniface
    • Multi-family Residential >
      • Bethany Manor
      • YWCA Elm Centre
    • Recreational >
      • Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre
    • Retail >
      • Neechi Commons
      • IKEA, Centennial, CO
  • Blog
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

9/24/2013

GCHP system helps polar bears keep their cool

The Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg, MB is building an International Polar Bear Conservation Centre and the Journey to Churchill Polar Bear exhibit that will be opened to the public in 2014. The four buildings under construction for the exhibit (the Conservation Centre, Tundra Cafe, the Gateway to the Arctic Exhibit Building, and Aurora Borealis Theatre) are connected to a common GHX. The GHX design is unique in that it...
is actually comprised of two different GHX modules. To create the outdoor exhibit space for the bear enclosure a mound of earth up to 12' (4 m) in height was built. High density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe was laid in a 3' (1 m) excavation prior to building the earth mound to take advantage of the cover. This provided approximately 20% of the capacity of the GCHP system at very low cost to take advantage of the earth work. To provide the remainder of the heating and cooling capacity for the buildings, a horizontal directionally drilled GHX was built under the existing parking lot adjacent to the zoo.

Other unique features of the GCHP system for this project include:
  • The connection of 4 separate buildings to a common GHX to create a district geothermal system. This takes advantage of the diversity of buildings and provides more opportunities to transfer energy directly from one building to another.
  • Conditioning of two pools for polar bears and seals. In winter, the pools are heated enough to maintain some open water in the pools, and chilled in summer to provide a cool respite for the northern animals.

Designing a GHX around proposed earth work can significantly reduce the cost of building a GHX for a project. This can eliminate a significant portion of the cost of building a GHX since the earth will be moved regardless. Modeling and planning the logistics of placing the pipe must be well coordinated with the entire design and construction team to facilitate the placement of the pipe without disrupting other work. 

Comments are closed.


    Ed Lohrenz

    In my blog I'll be expressing my opinions about what I've the learned about ground coupled heat pump (GCHP) systems over the last 30 years. I've been very fortunate to work with many interesting people who are passionate about this technology...engineers, geologists, mechanical contractors, drillers, excavation contractors...in different parts of the world. I've learned a lot from them and will be using this forum to pass on some of the things I've learned and feel are important. Please feel free to use this information if you feel it's worthwhile...hopefully you can avoid some of the same mistakes I've learned from.

    Archives

    September 2021
    November 2016
    January 2016
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013




    Categories

    All Building Design Energy Storage Energy Supply Energy Use Ground Heat Exchangers Incentives Industry Events Interesting Systems Monitoring Your System Product Info Standards System Design Training Workshops Waste Heat Recovery

    RSS Feed



HOME
ABOUT







Privacy Policy 
TRAINING
      CGD Courses Online

      CGD Custom Courses
      CGD at IGSHPA

SERVICES
  Feasibility
  Geo Forensics
  Peer Review
  Design Assistance
  GCHP & GHX Design
  Manage your GHX
PROJECTS
   Agriculture
   Commercial
   District Systems
   Health Care
   Industrial
   Institutional
   Multi-family Residential
   Recreational
   Retail
BLOG

GEOptimize Inc.                 220 Portage Avenue, unit 1410, Winnipeg, MB, R3C 0A5, Canada               +1  204-318-2156