WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2009
by Mark ThomtonChicago -> KaneA $266-million hospital project would be ambitious enough in today's economy, yet officials at
Sherman Health are not only tackling this, but also committing to develop what will be the largest lake-loop geothermal heating system of any new healthcare facility in the nation.
"To do something like this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," says Tom Caplis, project manager for
Walsh Construction, the general contractor for the new Sherman Hospital being built in Elgin. "This is rather unique for a facility this size to do a project like this."
December 15 will usher in a new era for Sherman Health, the Kane County health care provider that first opened its doors in 1888 in downtown Elgin. The firm will open the doors to its new 645,273-square-foot hospital on Randall Road, with 255 patient beds, a 103,815-square-foot medical office building, a cancer care center, and a trauma one level emergency room.
However, some of the most startling features may not be noticeable to patients and visitors upon first look. Adjacent to the hospital, a 17-acre lake surrounded by native prairie land may serve as an aesthetically appealing view, but submerged in the water rests 150 miles of plastic pipeline that acts as a $7 million heating and cooling system.
Officials at Sherman Health were determined to make geo-thermal heating a part of their new hospital. While a geo-thermal heating system is not very complex in theory, the implementation and construction of such a feature is more costly than fossil fuel-based systems. As with most green features the up-front cost is considerable, but the long-term outlook is one of significant savings. For an entity like Sherman Health that already has more than 100 years of practice behind it, it is probably safe to assume that it will reap the benefits.
Some projections have the facility saving on operations costs to the tune of $1 million annually.
"There is a $7 million premium for implementing the system, but the projection is that the hospital will make that money back within five-to-six years," says Caplis.
Sherman officials based the idea on a healthcare project that was completed in West Burlington, Iowa in 2001. The Great River Medical Center developed a 15-acre lake with 82-miles of tubing to create what was at the time the nation's largest water-source geothermal system.
That system resulted in $400,000 in annual savings, or, $0.81 per square foot - 65 percent less than the average for other hospitals. The monetary savings alone might be enough to justify the system, but from an altruistic viewpoint, the environmental benefits demonstrate a commitment to green practices. The annual energy savings result in the reduction of 5,000,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity and 17,000 therms of natural gas each year.
Geothermal heating operates on the principle that the Earth's ground temperature remains at a constant throughout the year. The temperature of the Earth a few feet below the surface is 55 degrees at the Elgin site. In this case, the project uses a lake for access. In warmer months, a liquid known as methanol circulates throughout the building and absorbs the existing heat. The pipes then carry the liquid to the lake via a loop where the heat is absorbed throughout the Earth, resulting in a cooling process of the liquid. That liquid is then fed back into the facility where it can be transferred into cooler air and dispersed. In colder months, the process is reversed and the facility draws upon warmer temperatures from the lake. The heat from the liquid is then extracted by a heat exchanger, which does use electricity. However, this assures that a significant portion of heat is generated from alternative sources than if electricity had been used alone.
The process may be the "oldest form of heating and cooling" known, but the implementation of such a system is no easy task.
"You have to allocate more time for planning and coordination when installing a geo-thermal system," says Caplis. "In a traditional system you typically have one large piece of mechanical equipment on each floor. In a geothermal system you can have 70 small heat pumps on one floor. It takes a difficult situation and makes it even tougher, but the energy savings will pay off in the end."
The entire system is pressurized and if any pump is operating at below optimal levels, the hospital staff will know promptly. The gauge will indicate which pump is the problem and maintenance can then inflate the proper raft to raise the pump for repair.
The decision to return the remaining acreage on the site to a native prairie also demonstrated a strong commitment to green practices, says Caplis.
"They (Sherman) could have chosen to put more facilities on that land," says Caplis. "They could have used it to create more revenue, but Sherman was committed to a green initiative."
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