
15-03-2005
Sustainable Concept Combines the Use of Both Rain Water and Ground Source Heat
By combining a rain water soak-away and a ground source heat pump it is possible to avoid the cost charges for rainwater drainage which have already been introduced in some areas in Germany and at the same time provide heating for buildings built on small plots of land.
The idea exploits the fact that moist earth conducts heat more readily than dry substrates. Based on this principle, rain or surface water is fed into the basin of a soak-away in which an ELWA “AquaGeo” collector has been laid and the earth around the collector field is kept permanently moist. Depending on the amount of moisture penetration around the collector, levels of heat retrieval of 40 W/m² are achieved, irrespective of the type of ground. This means that the surface area requirements for the collector are improved by up to 75% and that installation on small plots and under sealed off surface areas of ground is now possible.
The ground source collector consists of horizontally laid polyethylene (PE) collector pipes, which are set between 1.2 and 1.5 metres deep with a distance of 0.4 metres between the pipes. Depending on heating requirements, several collector circuits are connected to the heat pump via a distribution unit.
The regeneration of the collector and a constant water level in the collector basin are assured by the relatively warm rainwater filtering through, any surplus rainwater runs over the edge of the collector basin and disperses into the surrounding earth or, if necessary, is channelled away via drainage pipes.
Because of the limited seasonal temperature variations underground, the downstream heat pump achieves an almost constant, high output level. Even at times of limited rainfall the collector functions reliably.
According to Wavin cost savings of up to 65% over the use of traditional fossil fuels as well as a reduction of around 50% in emissions can be obtained through application of this new system. www.elwa.de
Reader enquiries
Wavin B.V.
Stationsplein 3,
P.O. Box 173
8000 AD Zwolle
Netherlands
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About Wavin
Wavin, headquartered in Zwolle, the Netherlands, is a leading supplier of plastic pipe system solutions. As a major player in the Building, Civils and Utility business segments, Wavin has sales of over EUR 1 billion. The company is present in 27 European countries with its own facilities and employs over 5000 people. Outside Europe, Wavin has a global network of more than 90 agents, licensees and distributors. Wavin aims to be the leading European supplier of plastic pipe systems in terms of product range, innovation, logistical services and geographical presence. Wavin has its own internationally recognised R&D centre and allocates considerable sums to the development of new products and processes.
For further details about the service and product portfolio of the Wavin Group, visit www.wavin.com.
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Annika Brouwer
Corporate Communication Manager
Wavin B.V.
Folke Markestein
EMG
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