LoopLink Updated

By, Doug Carruthers

First things first, we missed a change to the login script on the software page of our site. Sorry to those of you that tried unsuccessfully to log-in through that page over the weekend. We corrected the problem early Monday morning however, you may need to refresh your browser to get the fix to work.

Now that we have that issue sorted out lets talk about some of the updates we introduced this week...

Improved Graphs

One of the most obvious changes you'll notice as you go through the software is that the graphs have changed considerably. We made all of them easier to read and more presentable for the reports. The operating cost and carbon emission graphs now more clearly indicate the values and labels for each bar.

Enhanced Support Tools

Less noticeable changes we made are the backend improvements to help facilitate faster and easier customer support. We have built in access for the LoopLink support team to view your projects with you. The biggest thing you should know about this function is that we will be in a read-only mode while we work with you through your questions and can never alter the specifications that you enter into your design.

We have also expanded our sort and find functions for the user list and simplified the updating for equipment profiles and other system parameters. These are changes that will make keeping LoopLink up-to-date even easier which will help to ensure that you are always working with the most current GSHP design software available.

Read-Only Mode

Besides being a necessary and very cool tool for us, the new Read-Only mode of the software will enable any expired users to view their projects and print out their reports. Of course being read-only, expired users won't be able to change their projects parameters without resubscribing but you will always have access to your information.

System Profiles and Bin Data Values

We have been periodically adding equipment profiles and bin-data locations for the past couple of months. Most of these have been by user request so if you come across an equipment profile you need or a bin-data location we haven't added yet, let us know and we will try to take care of it as soon as possible.

Program Modifications and Bug Fixes

We have made a few key changes to the software that you may or may not have realized needed tweaking.

For those that have tried to make a design with very large loads, you may have run into the cap that we originally placed on LoopLink loads. The reason for the cap was originally to avoid people designing projects that were beyond the bounds of what we intended LoopLink to be used for— residential and light commercial design. We found that for large spaces without complex gains like small warehouses, this was too stringent a restriction. Long story short, we removed the cap and have added in a warning message when loads are beyond typical for residential and light commercial applications.

The NNAGL (Normalized Net Annual Ground Load) calculation has been changed to increase accuracy. The method formerly used was a conservative one so there was no danger of underestimation. The new calculation just brings things a little closer to the true equation for the data curve.

Finally, the carbon emissions graph caused an error when generating reports for systems that had no heating loads. Being from South Dakota, we didn't think of that eventuality when we went through our original testing but some of our southern friends turned us on to this issue.

Practicing What We Preach: Geo-Connections Installs New Loop Field.

By, Jared Horn

Geo-Connections broke ground on the bore holes for our new facility late last week. The system was designed with LoopLink (of course) and consists of twelve, 200' vertical loops on fifteen foot centers. The building it will supply is 120'x60' with 20' side walls.

We thought we would share photos as the project progresses. Drilling is going a little slower than planned but the soil contained a lot more gravel than expected from our previous bore fields and we did hit a rock shelf just past 100 feet. The drillers switched out their bit and we are expecting things to move quite a bit faster through out the next couple of days.

LoopLink For Educators Announced

By, Doug Carruthers

One of the core beliefs of Geo-Connections and our staff is that our success depends on the ability of the GSHP industry to become a mainstream technology. To make that goal a reality, we know that a properly trained workforce coupled with well-designed systems are key. We have had a couple of instructors from universities and trade schools approach us about using LoopLink to help teach their students GSHP design and we realized that the industry was giving us an opportunity to stand by our beliefs.

Geo-Connections proudly announces that we will be offering free LoopLink accounts to instructors and teachers throughout the duration of their GSHP design courses. The software will not be limited in any way the only difference between the student version and the regular version is the price.

To learn more, check out our "LoopLink For Educators" page.

Grouting Practices for Horizontally-Bored (Directionally-Bored, HDD) Loopfields

By, Ryan Carda

Horizontally-bored loopfield installations are becoming a more widely recognized viable alternative to the vertically-bored loopfield configuration.  However, designers must be aware of the different aspects and limitations associated with HDD (horizontal directional drills) loop installation to properly design such a system.  Special attention must be paid to the installation depth, soil properties, pipe placement methods, and grouting practices during the HDD loop installation process. 

One major point of debate related to HDD loop installation is whether it is necessary to completely grout the holes after pipe placement.  Arguments against grouting HDD bores are:

• Hole collapse around the pipe
• The presence of heavy drilling mud left in the boreholes

Our response to each of these arguments is:

• There is no way to guarantee that the native soil will collapse around the pipe uniformly and with the density needed to promote adequate heat transfer through system
• Drilling mud and/or drill cuttings are not recognized by IGSHPA or the National Ground Water Association to be adequate grouting materials   

Grouting is the only way to ensure consistent thermal contact between the pipe and the earth to promote heat transfer.  In fact, in Section 7.7 of IGSPHA’s Ground Source Heat Pump Residential and Light Commercial Design and Installation Guide(2009), it is recommended that all horizontally-bored holes be grouted from end to end to ensure contact between the earth and GHEX piping and to protect the integrity of our environmental groundwater supply. 

Our experience with HDD loopfield installations further reinforces this concept.  We have dealt with numerous installations in neighboring states.  The majority of the problematic HDD installations we have encountered have been where the loop contractor did not grout the holes, but left them to bore collapse and thickened drilling mud for performance.  It must be stressed that the ultimate goal during construction is to build a heat exchanger.  Proper performance of that heat exchanger is critical for the performance of the system as a whole. 

In the interest of putting our best foot forward as an industry, best practice principles suggest that we should completely grout all boreholes, vertical and horizontal, and leave nothing to chance. 

Rewriting The Book On Geo: Interview with Ryan Carda

By, Doug Carruthers

In 2009, Geo-Connections, Inc. finished work on the complete rewrite of the IGSHPA Residential and Light Commercial System Design & Installation Manual. The goal was to create a comprehensive reference source for the geothermal heat pump industry based on sound scientific and engineering fact learned through our more than 50 years of combined professional experience.

Ryan Carda, one of the manual's co-authors, answers some questions about the new manual in the interview to follow.

Why write this new geothermal design & installation manual for IGSHPA?

When IGSPHA first contacted us to see if we would be interested in writing the new manual, we knew the task would be a huge undertaking. But we also knew it would give us the chance to serve a great need in the industry.

Our livelihoods depend on the success of the industry as a whole, so we wanted to create something that would help push it to the next level. Geothermal heat pumps are becoming more mainstream and as new companies jump in, they will need a guide to help them along the way.

How does the new manual differ from the older version?

The old manual served as a decent installation guide for many years but as time passed, the industry evolved. Also, there wasn't a lot of concrete information in the old manual that was related to the actual design procedures you need to follow when sizing a ground heat exchanger.

An abundance of great information did exist, but it was scattered in so many places, it was hard to find. We tried to pull all of that information into one place and then present it in a manner that would be fairly easy to understand. This manual is by far the most comprehensive guide available for all things geothermal: installation, design, system troubleshooting, economics, etc. Just about anyone could take something from this manual, engineers, contractors, and well drillers alike.

How might the new material help people and companies in the industry?

As new companies come to the industry and try to get their start, they will be exposed to countless rules-of-thumb, general guidelines, etc. The problem with that lies in the fact that newbies won't understand where these rules of thumb came from and which situations they work for or where the exceptions exist. The new manual was written so that if used properly, no one would have to rely on secondhand rules of thumb.

As an industry, we need to be as competitive as possible. There isn't much room for error. Also, if someone really takes the time to read through the presented material, they'd see that geothermal heat pumps aren't nearly as intimidating as they seem to be at first glance.

Geo-Connections' Blog Replaces Articles and Interviews Page

By, Doug Carruthers

We are finally up and running with our new blog. What was formally our Articles and Interviews section is now going to be replaced with this blog. This format combined with our LoopLink Twitter account will make it easy to keep everyone informed about where and when we are training as well as all of the new developments with LoopLink.