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  2. geothermal and UIC soil borings

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal on Campus
    Illinois Geothermal Coalition

    Hi Andy and Fernando,

     

    One of our key research partners for the Illinois Geothermal Coalition is Andy Stumpf (copied here).  He has asked if there are soil borings info for the Chicago campus.  Can you connect him with the right person?

     

    “Hi Morgan, Do you have a contact at UIC who would have access to their geotech and soil boring records.. person similar to Beth. I have been asked to help out with the Solar Decathlon project because they are interested in adding geothermal to the design. They plan to design an educational design and innovation center that is on the UIC campus and would occupy the two parking lots at 1198 W Vernon Park PI Parking, Chicago, IL 60607. Soil boring/geotech information for nearby buildings could help the design. I am also mapping Cook County, so this information would also be useful for that project. Would also be interested to know if there are any major water lines in along Harrison Street or I-290. Maybe an opportunity to include wastewater heat recovery.”

     

    Thanks!

    Morgan

    --------------------------------

    Hi Morgan,

     

    Thanks for the introduction. Nice to meet you Fernando. I am going to find out from the students who they are working with at UIC.

     

    Best,

    Andy

    --------------------------

     

    Thanks, it may be Fernando (He is out of the office).

    I can pull files related to the 2009 Geothermal wells, but it might help to have a specific question to circulate. IS this accurate: Does UIC have any records of Soil boring/geotech information from past geothermal well drilling?

    Regarding water lines – best to assume every where on campus has some utilities under it.  There is likely water on Harrison and Racine,

     

    Andy Mitchell 

    -----------------------------

    Hi Andy,

     

    Thanks for getting back to me. Actually, it would be possible to get access to or copies of the soil borings for all projects on UIC campus, not just the geothermal projects. The Illinois State Geological Survey maintains a database of geological, engineering geology, and geophysical information for the entire state. Here is snapshot for part of the UIC campus with engineering test hole delineated by the red dots and labeled by the total depth of the drilling. The data can be accessed through the ISGS’ ILWATER map service https://go.illinois.edu/ilwater. Currently, only the owner, location, and soil boring logs are available for most of the engineering borings, but we plan in the near future to provide access to the engineering geology data entered from the reports and if allowed by the owner/client a pdf of the scanned documents. The boring locations were digitized from the maps included in the reports or coordinates surveyed and provided with the logs. As Morgan knows, I am working with Facilities & Services here to digitize all the soil borings on our campus and provide them through the ILWATER map service. This effort is being funded as a student project that received a grant from the UIUC Student Sustainability Committee. If you are interested in having the UIC data served in a similar manner, let’s talk some more about how this is being done at UIUC. For much of the data the ISGS on the UIC campus came from research survey geologists or UIUC CEE faculty were involved with on the campus and from consultants involved in the project. Beyond the Illinois Solar Decathlon design project, this data is being compiled for the ISGS project to map the surface and subsurface geology of Cook and DuPage counties. This mapping is being done to update work that was done in the 1940s or early. The data is used to develop the maps and models of the geology which we make available to the public. Below is one of the cross sections we made this year for west to east cross section along Roosevelt Road. We plan by 2028 to have a 3D model of the geology available for Cook County. The mapping project is being funded by the U.S. Geological Survey.

     

    Best.

    Andy

    ---------------------------

     

    Andy – this is exciting stuff and I’m confident we can share the records, once we locate them.

    I’m out of the office most of next week, and Fernando is just back and will playing catch up.

    When do you need this info by?

     

    Andy Mitchell 

    ----------------------------

    Hi Andy and Fernando,

     

    Getting back to you about the geotech soil borings. I have shared with you the Box folder with the logs found so far. The logs in the files starting with “x” have been plotted and the information is available through the ISGS borings database https://go.illinois.edu/ilwater. The logs in the files starting with “g” have not been entered yet.

     

    Best,

    Andy

    ------------------------

     

    Thanks for the nudge Andy.

    I’ll connect with our manager Dave Taeyaerts about the best way to go about getting this.

    When do you need the info by?

     

    Andy Mitchell 

  3. Status Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal at the Campus Instructional Facility (CIF)

    The following is an email conversation between Morgan White, Ahmed Hassan, and Johnathan Hasselbring.

    On Jul 6, 2023 Morgan sent the following:

    Hi Ahmed,

    Thanks for sending another email!  I meant to get back to you earlier, so thanks for the additional note.

    Jon, can you provide information to Ahmed about the current status of the geothermal system at CIF, or connect him with the appropriate people?

    Ahmed, please use this info to request the energy data access:

    The Energy Billing System (EBS) is a web-based software application that offers utility cost and consumption by month, building, and meter. It allows users to view current and historic information, compare buildings, and see trends over time. It requires Blue-Stem authorization and users must request access from F&S.

    Thanks!

    Morgan

    ------------

    Dear Morgan, 

    Thank you very much for the prompt response. Your contribution is highly appreciated. 

    Best Regards 

    Ahmed 

    -------------

    Hi Ahmed,

    The geothermal system is in operation and coupled with a heat recovery chiller and radiant heating panels.

    Geothermal provides about 75% of the heating and cooling needs for the building, with the heat recovery chiller and radiant panels supplementing the remaining 25%.

    Please let me know what questions you might have, and I will gladly connect you with more members of the team.

    Thanks,

    Jon

  4. WPP Building 1258 geothermal metering system installation request

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal at WPP

    Good morning,

    Here is what I found.

    Al

     

    --------------------

    Hi Robbie,

     

    Here are the engineering documents and pictures of the heat pumps. There are 5 heat pumps.

     

    Andy

    -------------------

    Team,

     

    Here's another geothermal system needing to be metered. It appears to need both ST, RT temperature RTD, and flow meter installation and tied into alpha controller and programming. 

     

    Thanks.

     

    Robbie Bauer

    ----------------------------

    Andrew,

     

    The team surveyed it this week and a meter is planned to be installed shortly.  I’ll keep you updated.

    -----------------------------

    Hi Yu-Feng,

     

    Robbie Bauer from F&S is finishing the meter install on the last geothermal system on campus. So going forward we will have access to data from all the systems. At the very least, inlet and outlet temperature, flow rate, and energy going into the borefield will be collected. Robbie is interested in calculating the annual energy avoidance for each system.

     

    Best,

    Andy

    ----------------------

    Thanks for the update.

     

    Yu-Feng

  5. Professor Yu-Feng Lin Featured on 'Wired' Article

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal Battery at Energy Farm

    UIUC's Yu-Feng Lin was featured on a "wired" article. Andrew Stumpf explains, "The authors did a simulation for a residential district in Chicago. They don’t provide much detail about the geology and hydrogeology that is the basis for the geotechnical model. In Chicago, aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) has yet to be used because groundwater is pretty scarce in the shallow subsurface and one would need to tap aquifers deeper in the bedrock. In the northern and western suburbs, the subsurface conditions in the glacial deposits is much better and I believe Kane County is looking into using the aquifers for a geothermal resource."

    The article can be found at: https://www.wired.com/story/the-massive-batteries-hidden-beneath-your-fe...

    UIUC newsletter: https://emails.illinois.edu/newsletter/32/64507332.html 

    The referenced article is attached.

    Attached Files: 

  6. Data from CIF Geothermal

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal at the Campus Instructional Facility (CIF)

    Hi Morgan and Andy, I hope all is well.  I am going to give a presentation to Professor Abelson’s ENG 571 class next week and was wondering if you have any data regarding the geothermal system at the campus instructional facility?  Maybe it is on a website and apologies if that is the case.  Professor Abelson said the students might like some data and I think I have some data from Chuck on one of the Marine Corps base sites but having some data for CIF would be great too.

     

    Thank you,

    frank

    -----------------------------

    Hi Robbie,

     

    I would like to introduce you to my colleague Frank Holcomb who is a Senior Researcher at CERL and a PhD candidate in CEE. He is giving a lecturer in Prof. Abelson’s class next week and asking if he could get access to data from the geoexchange system at CIF.

     

    Thanks,

    Andy

     

    ---------------------

    David,

     

    Please work with Andrew Stumpf's group and allow access to DDC Data for CIF's geothermal system. See points descriptions below. 

     

    9k=

    • Please use the PPCL programs to determine the following values requested. I’m unable to get via Desigo so need DDC team assistance.
    • Temperature at inlet and outlet of the geothermal heat pumps
    • Flow rate in the geothermal loop
    • Heating or cooling load extracted from or ejected to the ground-side circulating liquid    


    Kate,

    Please work with Frank Holcomb in email below and allow access to all geothermal meters for Campus Instructional Facility. 

     

    CHW/HW production of the geothermal and HRC systems for #1545 below. 

    CHW/HW production of the geothermal and HRC systems

    1545-CHW3 CHW cooling added to HRC systems from GEO

    1545-HW2 HW heating added to HRC systems from GEO

     

     

    Thanks.

     

    Robbie Bauer

    ---------------------------------

    Bob/Shane,

     

    Is it possible to provide read only access to Mr. Holcomb for CIF BAS even though he is at CERL? It looks like he also has a UofI email address.

     

    Thanks

    David Hardin

     

  7. SCILL SSC application

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal on Campus
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    All,

     

    Just my opinion, but the application tends to vilify Abbott Power Plant by stating that geothermal will “exceed” iCAP goals by “reducing dependance on the Abbott Power Plant”.

     

    Also stated in the application, “The project builds on a new paradigm established with the Campus Instructional Facility, expanding the network of deep green infrastructure and drastically reducing energy reliance on the Abbott Power Plant.”

     

    With the acceptance of Abbott Power Plant into the International Test Center Network for Carbon Capture (ITCN) early this morning in London, England, I think it is important to note that Abbott is involved in other carbon reduction technology development efforts.

     

    To continue to develop negative connotations regarding Abbott Power Plant with the campus community is counterproductive to the resilience of the Universities efforts and mission. I support the impact that geo-thermal can have to help us reach carbon neutrality, but I also support the fact that we still need Abbott to achieve the core mission of the University, and we need to continue to find ecological solutions that support our invested physical plant assets.

     

    Please continue to declare success regarding carbon reduction, but don’t make Abbott Power Plant the bad actor.

     

    Again, just my opinion.

     

    Respectfully,

    Rob

    Attached Files: 

  8. latest on geothermal at scill?

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal on Campus

    Hi Jon,

     

    I heard they are maybe cancelling the geothermal at SCILL.  Is that accurate?

     

    Thx,

    Morgan

    ---------------------

    Hi Morgan,

     

    I have not heard anything about cancelling geothermal. It’s been developed to 90% CD’s as the building’s main source for heating and cooling.  

     

    I would be shocked if it was removed.

     

    Thanks,

    Jon

    --------------------

    Hiya,

    A little birdy said you two thought the geothermal in the military axis might be cancelled… very unlikely. 

     

    :-)  Morgan

    --------------------

    That’s what I heard from Stacey.  If they build the geothermal field, they still have to connect to chilled water AND pay the full fees right?  That’s what I heard.  Curious how that works. 

  9. Considerations for clean thermal energy

    Associated Project(s): 
    Use Clean Thermal Energy
    Solar Thermal at ARC
    Biomass Boiler at the Energy Farm
    Geothermal on Campus
    Grind2Energy

    There are a few examples of clean thermal energy in use on campus at this time. These include:

    • the solar thermal panels on the Activities Rec Center, heating the three swimming pools
    • the biomass boiler at the Energy Farm, heating the two story greenhouse on south Race Street
    • geothermal installations providing heating and cooling at the Fruit Farm Admin Building, the RIPE greenhouse, the Campus Instructional Facility, a few buildings at Allerton Park, the solar decathlon Gable Home at the Energy Farm, and a few rooms in the Hydrosystems Building
    • a wood-fired stove heating some maintenance buildings at Allerton Park

    We could expand these types of energy systems...

    • Additional geothermal installations are being planned for various places around campus, including a geothermal battery system at the Energy Farm.  The other geothermal locations in planning discussions now include the South Campus Center for Interdisciplinary Learning, a future greenhouse for CABBI, and the Doris Christopher Kelley Illinois Extension Building in the Arboretum.
    • The biomass boiler at the Energy Farm was designed with the anticipation of future expansion.
    • Solar thermal is a great option for our area of the planet, but it is not easy to integrate it in our existing energy enterprise.

    Another option for clean thermal energy is biogas, which UIUC contributes to locally through the Grind2Energy system, which takes food waste from the dining halls to the Urbana-Champaign Sanitary District (UCSD).  UCSD puts it through their anaerobic digester which captures the methane (a very strong greenhouse gas).  Currently, that captured methane is used to run an electrical generator, which provides power to the UCSD facility.  An alternative would be to upgrade the methane to pipeline quality and use the biogas a Abbott Power Plant on campus.  This is an expensive option that would require a lot of coordination and funding.

    Another strong option is a micronuclear reactor, which is being studies by the Grainger College of Engineering faculty and researchers.  This system could be integrated with the existing steam distribution system and provide ghg-free energy to campus.

     

  10. Finalized Geothermal UTB press release attached

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal Urbana-Champaign

    Hi everyone,

    Thank you all for your efforts putting this press release together. (See attached) I’ve scheduled this to publish on PRI’s website on Monday, Mar. 20th at 8:00 a.m.

    You can find drilling images here. Please give photo credit to Travis Tate.

    Please let me know if you have any questions.

    Thanks again,

     

    Tiffany

     

    Attached Files: 

  11. Update on drilling

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal Battery at Energy Farm

    From: Stumpf, Andrew J 
    Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2023 7:37 PM
    To: Rubin, Joshua ; Mies, Tim ; Lamb, Jeremy ; Klein, Bradley Dean 
    Cc: Lin, Yu-Feng ; Weckle, Amy Lorraine; White, Morgan 
    Subject: UTB at the Energy Farm

     

    Hi folks,

     

    Here is an update. Dom and Todd worked to get half of the hole grouted today and now wait until tomorrow morning to see if the battery floats, or not. Theoretically it should not, but we will see. They will start up again at 8 am if anyone is over that way. Xiaobing and Tony have gone back to Tennessee.

     

    Best,

    Andy

  12. Invitation to collaborate on a presentation

    Associated Project(s): 
    Illinois Geothermal Coalition

     

    I was contact by some colleagues withy Future Earth – Taipei (https://futureearth.org/about/who-we-are/international-offices/taipei-global-hub/) for a potential webinar series.  I suggested them to think about campus sustainability actions as a living laboratory and they are very intrigued by this idea.  They asked me to suggest speakers and I am thinking about Jack, Morgan and Andy.  So, I would like to ask if you are interested.  Some of their previous talk can be found at https://www.facebook.com/futureearth.org/.  All the communications and activities will be between 6pm-11pm CST due to time difference.  I am happy to have more discussion if you are interested.

     

    Presenters:

     

    Ms. Morgan White, https://fs.illinois.edu/resources/newsroom/2021/10/14/white-named-acting-director-of-the-f-s-capital-programs-division

    Mr. Jack Reicherts, https://studentengagement.illinois.edu/student-sustainability/ssc/team/reicherts/

    Dr. Andrew Stumpf, https://directory.illinois.edu/detail?userId=astumpf@illinois.edu&widgetId=15

    Dr. Ping-Yu Change, https://scholars.ncu.edu.tw/en/persons/ping-yu-chang

    Dr. Jui-Pin (Rubin) Tsai, https://www.bse.ntu.edu.tw/member?teacher_id=48&page=1

    Dr. Yu-Feng Forrrest Lin, https://directory.illinois.edu/detail?userId=yflin@illinois.edu&widgetId=15

     

    Cheers,

     

    Yu-Feng F. Lin

    Director

        Illinois Water Resources Center

    Principal Research Hydrogeologist

        Illinois State Geological Survey

    Clinical Professor

        Civil and Environmental Engineering

    Research Professor

        Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  13. Invitation to collaborate on a presentation

    Associated Project(s): 
    Illinois Geothermal Coalition

     

    I was contact by some colleagues withy Future Earth – Taipei (https://futureearth.org/about/who-we-are/international-offices/taipei-global-hub/) for a potential webinar series.  I suggested them to think about campus sustainability actions as a living laboratory and they are very intrigued by this idea.  They asked me to suggest speakers and I am thinking about Jack, Morgan and Andy.  So, I would like to ask if you are interested.  Some of their previous talk can be found at https://www.facebook.com/futureearth.org/.  All the communications and activities will be between 6pm-11pm CST due to time difference.  I am happy to have more discussion if you are interested.

     

    Presenters:

     

    Ms. Morgan White, https://fs.illinois.edu/resources/newsroom/2021/10/14/white-named-acting-director-of-the-f-s-capital-programs-division

    Mr. Jack Reicherts, https://studentengagement.illinois.edu/student-sustainability/ssc/team/reicherts/

    Dr. Andrew Stumpf, https://directory.illinois.edu/detail?userId=astumpf@illinois.edu&widgetId=15

    Dr. Ping-Yu Change, https://scholars.ncu.edu.tw/en/persons/ping-yu-chang

    Dr. Jui-Pin (Rubin) Tsai, https://www.bse.ntu.edu.tw/member?teacher_id=48&page=1

    Dr. Yu-Feng Forrrest Lin, https://directory.illinois.edu/detail?userId=yflin@illinois.edu&widgetId=15

     

    Cheers,

     

    Yu-Feng F. Lin

    Director

        Illinois Water Resources Center

    Principal Research Hydrogeologist

        Illinois State Geological Survey

    Clinical Professor

        Civil and Environmental Engineering

    Research Professor

        Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  14. Project Announcement for UTB Installation

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal Battery at Energy Farm

    Below is a message from Andrew Stumpf regarding the installation of the underground thermal battery at the UIUC Energy Farm:

    Dear colleagues,

     

    It is with great excitement that I can announce the project to install Underground Thermal Battery (UTB) system developed by Dr. Xiaobing Liu’s team at Oakridge National Laboratory at UIUC Energy Farm will begin next week. This will be a several weeks project that includes installing the UTB, associated geothermal boreholes, geothermal heat pump, HVAC upgrades and control center. On Monday the UTB will be placed in the ground. Skinner Drilling will be installing the UTB with assistance from Durbin Geothermal. All the other work will follow over the coming weeks. I expect drilling will start between 8:00 and 8:30 and take about 1 hour, and then the battery will be lowered into the ground and be done before noon.

     

    You're most welcome to visit.

     

    Best,

    Andy

     

  18. CIF Geothermal Exchange Borefield Information Resources

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal at the Campus Instructional Facility (CIF)

    Below is an email from Andrew Stumpf regarding the CIF's Geothermal Exhange Borefield.

    From: Stumpf, Andrew J <astumpf at illinois.edu>
    Sent: Monday, October 24, 2022 9:39 AM
    Subject: Re: CEE190 Instructor meeting

     

    Hi Eric,

     

    Yes. The report is available on IDEALS https://hdl.handle.net/2142/111796, so publicly available. Correct, John has been doing further study on the CIF building. He has been working with me on the research… his PhD exam is next Monday, so pretty busy. I’ve only had a brief tour of the mechanicals when it was first built, so I can’t really comment about the system inside. Dr. Tugce Baser in CEE tbaser at illinois.edu I believe received a more detailed tour, so you might want to reach out to her. Here is some information about the mechanicals published for an ASHRAE award the building received.

     

    Best,

    Andy

     

    Attached Files: 

  20. Geothermal Urbana-Champaign Project Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal Urbana-Champaign

    Geothermal Urbana-Champaign Project updates:

    • Geothermal Urbana-Champaign is an ongoing project with no end deadline.
    • John Freitag is the Project Consultant.
    • So far, 11 geothermal contracts have been signed for 47 tons of capacity.
    • During the first year of the Geothermal Program, the Midwest Renewable Energy Association MREA was involved in helping to start and run the program. 

    The marketing resources document of the project is attached.

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