Ball State College Constructing Country's Largest Geothermal Heat Pump System

The coal-fired plant useful for heating and also cooling Ball State University, inside Muncie, Indiana is actually after its useful life. looking from creating a new coal plant to today's standards revealed that costs are usually comparable to some geothermal heat pump plant. Estimates are generally about $66 million for that entire project. The Actual University Or College hopes to get $40 million from the legislature, originally approved for a new coal fired plant. The Actual geothermal heating and also cooling plant ought to save regarding $2 million dollars annually on your own own coming from getting rid of purchasing of coal through BSU's budget. Implementing a carbon tax as well as carbon cap as well as trade system would actually increase the financial attractiveness of the project for Ball State. Contemplating the actual prospective economic and also environmental benefits of removing the actual coal burners, your geothermal heating and cooling plant has been determined to become the most appealing alternative for you to constructing new coal fired burners. Drilling for that first cycle began using a ceremony lead simply by Senator Richard Lugar in may 2009. a statement through Thomas Kinghorn, Vice President of Enterprise affairs and also Treasurer of BSU suggested yet another possible economic upside for the BSU location in a current AP article: "We feel we are positioned to adopt advantage of economic stimulus money," he said. In case that will happens, the particular project could potentially be completed in five years. With Out federal aid, completion could just take ten for you to 12 years." in October associated with 2009 the particular U.S. Department involving energy Awarded Ball State with a $5 million grant for the project. Right now there isn't any word but about the additional funding. Prospective Positive environmental impacts The Particular positive environmental impacts consist of those related with the ending coal burning about campus. Heat pumps use electricity from the grid. This indicates any portion in the coal-generated pollutants is actually used in a coal fired electricity generator. Utilizing propane for your affiliated hospital and for back up-in case of lengthy durations of intense cold-also produces pollutants, although fewer than coal based energy. Also considering this, your lead engineer, Jim Lowe, estimates the carbon footprint reduction simply by 40 to 50 percent. This specific is when this estimate is arrived: Presently BSU produces 180,000 tons regarding carbon/year 88,000 tons involving which are from the coal stacks, subtract 14,000 with regard to electrical use regarding the heat pumps and you net 74,000-ton reduction. This particular equates to a 41% carbon foot print reduction. Possibly one of the most immediate environmental advantages of your completed geothermal heating and cooling plant product is eliminating the particular particulate matter, sulfur, mercury and other hefty metals from locations instantly downwind with the coal plant in which sits just west associated with downtown Muncie. Prospective Negative Environmental Impacts all the particular typical environmental problems such as erosion, nutrient loading directly into waterways, and difficulties in containing miscellaneous debris connect with constructing the actual geothermal heat pump system. Creating associated with heat pump chillers as well as power stations is another construction requirement Putting sod back over the borehole area will return your territory in order to its previous status. This specific can cause concerns along with overuse associated with chemicals and furthermore over fertilizing so as for that new sod for you to take. The Actual boreholes are 400ft deep by 6-inch wide boreholes, this means the actual excavation regarding tons involving soil, clay, limestone, etc. The Particular project needs 4,100 of these boreholes. Long-term outcomes of borehole digging are generally extremely dependent about the quality regarding the well construction. the second cycle of the project involves replacing previous steam lines along with twenty inch diameter domestic hot water loops, buried 5 feet underground. This really is likely to trigger significant disruption for you to campus activity. It's Almost All Regulated inside the Grout the BSU product is "closed-loop "and uses simply h2o without any additives. This kind of eliminates a major concern in the EPA, and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. According for an Illinois State

Geological Survey 2004 document the vertical boreholes can easily "pose environmental threats." These threats would primarily involve improper grouting or even failure of the grout. the BSU system runs upon the bentonite, sand mixture. The Particular Indiana department regarding Environmental Management defines bentonite as "A clay material composed predominantly associated with sodium montmorillonite that meets American Petroleum Institute specifications regular 13-A ." a possible trigger of this kind of failure it states is always that the actual risk of bentonite drying is actually elevated within places associated with thick unsaturated zones. Drying may cause cracking. The Particular deeper the particular boreholes are usually drilled the bigger likelihood this is going to be any problem. the bond in between grout, borehole along with pipe is extremely important in maintaining steady temperature. These types of impacts are lessened without the use of anti-freeze, even so the analysis states there is nevertheless any risk of groundwater contamination by simply surface water and also inter-aquifer flow interference. The Actual Illinois research concludes which bentonite grouts are much far better than neat cement grouts with regard to vertical geothermal boreholes. Just About All Eyes on Ball State Because stated about BSU's website, as of March 2010, the actual geothermal system construction brought visits via universities throughout the country, delegations coming from Turkey, along with media via Japan. The first cycle in the project is actually reportedly on schedule. Significantly of the achievements the project hinges in getting federal funds to complete the second phase. Will this function as the environmental panacea and monetary windfall that will Ball State hopes? Alternatively, will it's an ambitious, yet financially burdened, environmental annoyance for your university as well as community? having seen along with heard the plans immediately from your project engineer, they appear relatively benign although 4,100; 400ft deep boreholes are generally difficult to observe as complrtely benign. for example, I don't know how the construction plans deal using the heat pump system possible with regard to heat pump systems compromising regarding ground drinking water and furthermore the risks of aquifers exchanging together with 1 another. Since a Muncie resident, Ball State Alumni, and citizen in the world, my hope is that project is really a success. As the perpetual skeptic, I concern the failure. References: WTHR-AP Thomas Kinghorn Quote; http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=9806552 The Actual Environmental effects regarding Ground-Source Heat Pumps- A New Preliminary Overview. Illinois State Geological Survey; http://library.isgs.uiuc.edu/Pubs/pdfs/ofs/2004/ofs2004-02.pdf Indiana Department associated with Environmental Management. (2009). Drilling procedures along with Monitoring Properly Construction Guidelines. Indianapolis: IDEM.; http://www.in.gov/idem/nrpd_waste-0053.pdf