GeoExchange systems are the most energy-efficient, environmentally clean, and cost-effective space conditioning systems available.
GEOEXCHANGE BENEFITS
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Reduce Energy Operating Costs 40%-60% and more depending on the client's needs and the installation. TRAK has client projects that save 75% of its energy costs compared to the next best alternative HVAC system. GeoExchange systems outperform the most efficient gas technology by an average of 36% in the heating mode and 43% in the cooling mode. GeoExchange lowers electricity demand by nearly 1 kW per ton of capacity. Each kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity used to operate a GeoExchange system draws more than 3 kWh of free, renewable energy from the ground.
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GeoExchange qualifies as Renewable Energy and Enables Carbon Footprint Reduction. According to Natural Resources Canada and the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, if 100,000 homes converted to GeoExchange, Canada could reduce its CO2 emissions by 400,000 tonnes annually. That would be the equivalent of planting more than 90 million trees. Over two-thirds of the energy delivered to a building by a GeoExchange system is renewable solar energy stored in the earth's crust.
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Safety. GeoExchange provides better indoor air quality by reducing pollutants and carbon monoxide risks by avoiding combustion. In arenas with artificial ice rinks, risky and dangerous ammonia-based refrigeration systems are no longer necessary.
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Quick Capital Investment Payback. GeoExchange systems pay for themselves in less time than conventional HVAC/R systems, depending on current heating and cooling use, size of the installation and other factors. They have a lower life-cycle cost.
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Longer Equipment Life. The HVAC/R mechanics are located within the building, meaning equipment is not being exposed to temperature extremes, dirt, pollution or vandalism, as with rooftop units. This enables longer equipment life and lower maintenance costs. Roof structures are typically punctured less or not at all with mechanical components, piping and wiring.
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Less Space Required. GeoExchange takes up much less space than traditional HVAC/R systems and improves aesthetics. They are best suited for commercial buildings as they allow for optimal design flexibility because the roof and landscape are free of chillers, air handlers and other outdoor equipment. Boiler rooms can be eliminated and the size of mechanical rooms can be reduced. They are ideal for retrofits and renovating buildings with historical merit.
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Comfort. GeoExchange systems provide air through a building at a constant, precise temperature. More air is circulated to create better indoor air quality. GeoExchange also enables higher natural levels of humidity in the winter. GeoExchange can provide all of your heated and chilled water needs, often for free. These factors lead to a more comfortable, year-round work environment than is possible with conventional equipment and enables increased productivity from your workforce and production processes.
A TRAK GeoExchange ground loop is a system of multiple vertical polyethylene plastic pipes set about 140 metres (450 feet) deep into the Earth and spaced about 6 metres (20 feet apart) as a field. Typically, a 70% water and 30% environmentally-safe glycol fluid is pumped through these loops to TRAK Heat Pumps that either absorbs or releases heat, depending on the season. In winter heating mode, fluid is chilled by giving its thermal energy off into the building, drawing heat out of the warmer ground (+6°C to +16°C year-round). In summer cooling mode, fluid is warmed by drawing thermal energy out of the building and rejecting heat to the cooler ground.
When done in balance, renewable energy is always available. Our focus is on the cubic Volume of Ground Field as Thermal Storage. We borrow energy from nature and put it back.
Borehole Drilling Rigs
With our TRAK Smart Energy Systems (SES) featuring a GeoExchange system, it is the single best thing you can do to reduce the carbon footprint of your building, with the added benefits of significantly reduced energy operating costs and a more comfortable environment. GeoExchange systems have also been referred to as earth energy systems, or geothermal heat pump systems. Geothermal is not a correct term or substitute term for GeoExchange.
TRAK GeoExchange
In a two-year study of the geothermal-heat-pump (GHP) and variable-refrigerant-flow (VRF) heating and cooling systems installed at ASHRAE Headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, the GHP system outperformed the VRF system by a wide margin, the Geothermal Exchange Organization (GEO) says.
We borrow energy from nature
and put it back
Drilling Boreholes Day & Night to Get the Job Done Quickly!
Multiple Drilling Rigs On-site When Necessary
Drilling Boreholes with Darrell Bertram's Team
Landscape over GeoExchange Field When Job is Done
Polyethylene (PE) Pipe Installation to Boreholes
Polyethylene (PE) Pipe Installation to Header
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SOLAR ENERGY - HYDRONIC
Solar energy is gathered to regenerate the ground loop on a daily, seasonal, and yearly basis. It reduces the size and provision cost of a GeoExchange field and improves the overall system efficiency.
THERMAL BATTERY CAPACITANCE
A thermal mass (heat sink) will become a thermal battery that can store heat by absorbing it from a source and then releasing it slowly over time. For example, any waste or rejected heat from CHP Cogeneration can be immediately used in the building for things like hot water heating. If not readily needed, heat energy can be stored for later use in the thermal mass of the parking garage and foundation concrete or the GeoExchange ground loop.
Our Smart Energy Systems utilize concrete and foundation slabs as in ice rink floors, underground parking garages, water storage, and the ground as “thermal batteries”.
Vertical Farms and Greenhouses are ideal GeoExchange applications
DOMESTIC HOT WATER (DHW) CAPACITANCE
The purpose of an enlarged DHW tank is to collect and store as much of the “free” high grade heat as possible during the CHP Cogenerator operating cycle. It is also used as a capacitor in the Heat Pump DHW heating to enable fewer stop/starts and better load during off peak hours. While the Heat Pumps can also meet the DHW heating with higher condenser temperatures, the free heat from the CHP Cogenerator is still less expensive. With proper sizing, the tank will maintain a 52°C (125.6°F) DHW supply through the building without calling support from the Heat Pumps.
Above ground thermal hot water storage at 80°C to 90°C (176°F to 194°F)
from CHP Co-generator and
50°C to 60°C (122°F to 140°F) from Heat Pumps
PARKING GARAGE CAPACITANCE
The mass of concrete is used as a thermal capacitor in the overall energy management and control, leveling the overall peak building load. The end result is a brighter, drier and far more comfortable parking garage. Any building mass can be use as thermal capacitance.
