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Caitlin Ahearn 2009

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Caitlin Ahearn 2009

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  1. Underneath the plaza of the PRW Center, there are 500 thirty-six foot deep wells. In the winter, a water and coolant solution is circulated through these wells to gather heat from the ground. This heat is then used to warm a liquid refrigerant that circulates throughout the building to heat it. In the summer, the process is reversed to take the heat out of the building and put it into the ground. How Does the Peggy Ryan Williams Center Heat and Cool Itself? The building uses a geothermal heating and cooling system called a Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP), or GeoExchange. The word geothermal comes from the Greek geo, meaning earth, and therme, meaning heat. So, geothermal systems use heat from the earth. This type of system uses the earth’s relatively constant temperature of around 50º F to heat and cool a building. The Peggy Ryan Williams Center, as seen from the front. Photo from www.chronicle.com Instead of creating heat like a conventional fossil fuel furnace or boiler does, a GeoExchange system simply moves heat around. In the winter when the ground is warmer than the air, the ground is used as a heat source. In the summer when the ground is cooler than the air, it is used as a heat sink. This diagram shows the cycle of a Ground Source Heat Pump in heating mode. The heat source in this picture is the Earth, and the heat sink is the building. In cooling mode, the process is reversed. The medium in the pump is a refrigerant that has a low boiling point, so the heat from the earth is enough to vaporize it. Image from www.geo4va.vt.edu A schematic of the underground wells. A water and coolant solution circulates through these underground wells and brings heat from the Earth to the building. Photo from www.hvce.com About the author: My name is Caitlin Ahearn and I am a senior physics major here at IC. In the summer of 2008 I received a Dana Internship to conduct research on geothermal heating and cooling systems like this one. I’m very interested in the environment and how we can make IC more sustainable. If you have questions about the engineering behind geothermal systems or the costs and benefits of installing one in your home, feel free to contact me at cahearn21@gmail.com! What is the future of GeoExchange at Ithaca College? The campus’ Climate Action Plan has recently been updated to include the possibility of replacing old boilers and chillers with geothermal systems in academic buildings. So, you may see more systems like this at IC soon! Caitlin Ahearn 2009

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