Geothermal Open or Closed Loop?

What indication is there providing information as to a Geothermal Heat Pump System being an Open, or Closed loop?

geothermal open loop requires a well or pond
most systems are closed loop

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/tribalenergy/guide/images/photo_ghp_types.jpg

either have environmental concerns
http://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyNET.exe/7000040Q.TXT?ZyActionD=ZyDocument&Client=EPA&Index=1995+Thru+1999&Docs=&Query=&Time=&EndTime=&SearchMethod=1&TocRestrict=n&Toc=&TocEntry=&QField=&QFieldYear=&QFieldMonth=&QFieldDay=&IntQFieldOp=0&ExtQFieldOp=0&XmlQuery=&File=D%3A\zyfiles\Index%20Data\95thru99\Txt\00000019\7000040Q.txt&User=ANONYMOUS&Password=anonymous&SortMethod=h|-&MaximumDocuments=1&FuzzyDegree=0&ImageQuality=r75g8/r75g8/x150y150g16/i425&Display=p|f&DefSeekPage=x&SearchBack=ZyActionL&Back=ZyActionS&BackDesc=Results%20page&MaximumPages=1&ZyEntry=1&SeekPage=x&ZyPURL#

How can you have an open loop system?

There I put a comma in…does it read better now?!:wink:

An open system is usually piped into a well case.
Find the well case.

An open system will generally have a large strainer were a closed system may not have any.

Check the permit.
Discharge of open systems are more closely watched And files are more readily available.

What are we doing with this information?

It all started with the client asking if it was an open, or closed system. A good valid question as to which I had no answer.

I did an extensive Google search and could not find a valid answer to the question.

If you could elaborate a bit more as it’s still somewhat murky in my mind, I would sure appreciate it.
Thanks

DA is sleeping, An open system is into a private water well pump takes a suction with the water being the temp transfer medium which is then returned to the well where another temp exchange occurs.

A closed system can be one of numerous types with a basic loop buried in the ground using glycol as a temp transfer medium using a pump to move the glycol thru the loop.

My open loop system took the water from my domestic well, removed much of the heat or cold from it and dumped the water into a dry-well. They put a reducer into the water line so it ran 6 gallons/minute while operating.

Closed loops, like Charley says, can be vertical into the ground, horizontal in the ground, into a lake or pond that is deep enough , etc.

Ground water heat pumps do a good job keeping the temperature within a few degrees very inexpensively. But, a backup was installed in my home (gas commercial water heater) for when we needed heat to rise fast.

I think what he’s asking is how to tell if it’s open or closed by inspecting it, not how it’s constructed (where we can’t see it).

The only thing that I can think of is the use of a strainer in an open system which is susceptible to bringing in trash, sand or gravel.

For the most part I’ve only worked on commercial (or commercial sized residential) geothermal.

Larry do you have a strainer on your system? Or did they think your drinking water is clean enough?

Exactly…thank you

Not that I remember (I don’t remember ever cleaning/changing one) but that was 18 years ago…:slight_smile: