[at-l] Geothermal Energy Way Off Topic

[RoksnRoots at aol.com (RoksnRoots@aol.com)]

In a message dated 12/20/2005 1:11:53 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
jbullar1@twcny.rr.com writes:
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Well, here in the frozen North next to the Quebec border the temperature 
well water is 55?
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          I think the way it works is that your total thermal formula is 
derived from calculating the outside temperature (-15* up by you sometimes), plus 
the insulation ability of your house, plus the ambient inside temperature 
before heating. This is the 'work' your heating system is doing to keep a 
comfortable inside temperature. 

            I'm assuming the geo-exchange system somehow jumps up to 55* as a 
base closer in to the calculation. In other words, your inside ambient 
average is boosted to 55* simply because the system has brought that temperature 
inside your walls where it can be used as a base temperature to heat from. I 
assume the average base temperature for the conventional system is somewhere below 
that in between the -15* and room temperature. 

             Seeing this, I assume geo-exchange increases the value of normal 
insulation. In other words, it probably has a slightly exponential effect on 
insulation. (The better the insulation, the better the efficiency of the 
system). When your house is warmed the conventional system is "looping" in between 
the -15* air outside and your heater. The geo-exchange is looping in between 
the heater - a vast loop of 55* temperature source - and the -15* air outside. 
In short, a new component of 55* "loop" has been introduced to your 
calculation. 

           I also thought about raising underground temperatures too high for 
the normal biological balance, but if you look at the system's footprint it 
is only a few feet of trench in a yard hundreds of square meters large. The 
percentage of ground space affected is small. How that fits into "fragmenting" 
underground climate I don't know. It would seem the deeper system would be less 
harmful to the biological layer.






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