Question

geothermal options for Mount of found
address the eutrophication of the freshwater found of on the premises as well as assessing the possibility of pond reclamation tied with the installation of the ghsp of filtration unit incorporate into the loop system to establish aquacultural food production

develop of full system using sayla and develop code in the matlab and photon 77 the graph should be plotted with the help of scilab only

Answer 1

 Primary Goal: To assess the feasibility of -- and give a recommendation on -- the installation of a ground source heat pump (GSHP) in an onsite pond at Mount Hope Farm. This system would be intended to heat one or more of the following:

A) a proposed event and visitor center where farm guests or students can host a variety of events and spend the night

B) the existing historical farm buildings, including the Gov. Bradshaw House, the Cove House, the newly constructed greenhouse, and/or others in the vicinity

C) a new, alternative, winter-growing greenhouse that is more energy efficient and eco-friendly than the current structure

 Secondary Goal: Address the eutrophication of the freshwater pond on the premises, as well as assessing the possibility of pond reclamation tied with the installation of the GSHP (e.g. a filtration unit incorporated into the loop system) to establish a aquacultural food production

In any discussion of ―geothermal‖ technologies it is necessary to define certain terms to differentiate between the various systems. For example, the geothermal systems described in this report are not to be confused with geothermal electricity generation

COP – Coefficient of Performance

A unit less ratio of energy output to energy input

EER – Energy Efficiency Ration

Equivalent of COP but for cooling (Btu/hr/W)

GSHP - Ground Source Heat Pump (aka “Geoexchange”)

Any heating/cooling system that utilizes temperature exchange within the environment

GCHP - Ground Coupled Heat Pump (aka “Closed Loop”)

Uses tube with no open ends to transport heated/cooled fluid- fluid never enters or leaves system

GWHP - Ground Water Heat Pump (aka “Open Loop”) or

Tube has two open ends, one which takes in water and one which deposits water

SWHP - Surface Water Heat Pump (aka “Pond Loop”)

Typically closed-loop, uses coil installed at the bottom of a pond to freeze surrounding water and extract heat

Direct Use

An open-loop system which utilizes naturally hot water, which eliminates the need for pre-heating

Standing Column

A geothermal well system drilled into confined aquifer, utilizing the vertical temperature gradient for heat exchange

Reclamation and Aquaculture

In general, the eutrophication of the pond can be thought of as a positive aspect in this circumstance, since there are so many roadblocks in place when installing systems in functioning ecosystems. This is due to conservation of existing species. One example of this kind of barrier can be seen with Narragansett Bay, which we targeted for a short while during the planning process. We thought that because of the proximity, if the pond proved infeasible, we could look into the possibility of using Narragansett Bay as a source of geothermal energy.

According to Mike Zimmerman, an expert in geothermal energy and installation, the bay would be able to provide enough energy to heat all of Rhode Island, thanks to ideal temperatures and scale. However, the Army Corps of Engineers prohibits any such use of these waters, under the ideology that it would harm the ecosystem. This is strictly enforced.

Because there seem to be no fauna in the pond in question, these roadblocks do not exist in this situation. Thus, at the very least, the project is legally plausible. However, one of the questions we originally posed related to the dual usage of the pond by both installing a geothermal heat exchanger system AND rehabilitating the pond. There were a couple problems we ran into. One of our original ideas was to install some kind of filtration as part of our geothermal loop system. However, once we settled upon a closed loop system as being a better option for this instance, the possibility of incorporating a filtration unit was ruled out automatically. Our proposed system does not actually draw water from the pond, and thus cannot be coupled with any kind of water treatment device.

Furthermore, we were not able to discover anything with regards to the initial cause of eutrofication. We reasoned that before reclamation is to take place, the source of the problem must be addressed. If this source is, for example, the farm itself, then reclamation may not be an option at all. This could very well be the case, as farms are often sources of runoff. There are many known cases in which fertilizers have been attributed to algae blooms, due to increased nitrogen. The algae bloom then depletes the water of oxygen and makes it unlivable for most other inhabitants. The last problem was estimating the impact of the heat exchanger itself on aquaculture, .if all other factors were accounted for and fixed. In the winter, the piping would be effectively freezing surrounding water to draw heat energy for use in the building(s). Jack Hermance, Professor of Hydrology at Brown, expressed much concern about the introduction of an additional variable into an already volatile system. Aquaculture has, in fact, been coupled with geothermal systems in ponds, but the examples we found applied to engineered ponds, as opposed to existing ones.

Additionally, geothermal systems are often used in productive larger bodies of water, such as lakes, but in these examples the heat exchange has a much lower impact than it would in a smaller ecosystem. There are fish that would be able to survive more extreme circumstances. Karp, for example, have the ability to freeze in winter and reanimate in the spring. However, Mike Zimmerman advised us not to aim for creating a habitat. In general, it is not accomplished with existing small ponds.