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A new course on geothermal installation.
July 6, 2012 By Benjamin HÉnault
Starting this fall, the Canadian GeoExchange Coalition (CGC) will offer a new course in geothermal loop installation. This three-day comprehensive workshop is designed for all contractors involved in the outdoor component of geothermal loop installations.
Starting this fall, the Canadian GeoExchange Coalition (CGC) will offer a new course in geothermal loop installation. This three-day comprehensive workshop is designed for all contractors involved in the outdoor component of geothermal loop installations.
This training is part of an ongoing market transformation initiative started by the CGC in 2001, and aimed at creating a unified and strong Canadian geoexchange industry. It is an integral part of the CGC’s Global Quality Geo-Exchange Program.
Starting in spring 2013, all drilling companies will be required to have accredited geothermal loop installers on staff in order to renew their company qualification. Thus, this course becomes a new requirement for CGC system certification and applies to both residential and commercial installations.
The new geothermal loop installation course differs from the installer course, which covers building systems and basic technical aspects of geothermal installations (heat pumps, circulation pumps, building site evaluations, distribution systems, system commissioning, etc.). Even though the installer course touches on basic installation principles, certain important notions are not covered in great detail.
The geothermal loop installation course covers important concepts, such as:
- loop insertion into the borehole
- placement of horizontal loops, open loop systems and lake loops
- manufacturing of secondary headers
- mixing and injection of geothermal grout
- thermal fusion of HDPE joints
- purging of exterior networks
- hydrostatic pressure tests
- hydrodynamic pressure tests
- connecting of the pipes into the building
- pros and cons of geothermal vaults
- trenching and excavation (for vertical and horizontal loops)
- underground insulation and markers
- preparation and injection of heat transfer fluids
- submerged loop preparation and installation
- installation of transition HDPE to inside piping
- final site report
Course participants must successfully pass an examination in order to receive a CGC training certificate. This certificate is the prerequisite to apply for CGC’s geothermal loop installer accreditation.
Accreditation will help you open new markets and offer your customers an increased level of confidence, knowing their system was installed by a qualified installer according to Canadian standards, regulations and geology.
Visit www.geo-exchange.ca for more information.
Benjamin Hénault is a professional engineer and a graduate of École de technologie supérieure. He is the technical advisor at the Canadian GeoExchange Coalition and is studying in geothermal research for his masters degree at École Polytechnique de Montéal.
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