| Title | Adventures in the Life of a Small Geothermal District Heating Project (The Little Project That Did) Part III |
|---|---|
| Authors | Merrick, Dale |
| Year | 2006 |
| Conference | Geothermal Resources Council Transactions |
| Keywords | Direct Use; Direct-Use, district heating, granulated activated carbon (GAC), submersible pumps, mercury, arsenic, cascaded system |
| Abstract | A geothermal district heating system was developed in the small town of Canby, CA with assistance from the US Department of Energy to drill a geothermal well; the California Energy Commission for materials for a district heating system and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for project engineering and installation. The system has been in operation since December 2003. The geothermal effluent from the new well was problematic in that mercury and arsenic concentrations were in excess of EPA and California Toxic Rule standards, thus extending environmental permitting. Granulated activated carbon (GAC) was found to be effective for removing mercury, allowing discharge to a local river under an NPDES discharge permit. Part I and II in this series of technical papers addressed all the ups and downs involved in permitting and installing a geothermal district heating system in today’s world. This paper shares the experience of operating a contemporary geothermal district heating system in a mixed residential setting. |