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Geothermal Drilling
As the costs of fossil fuels and electricity increases for building heating and cooling, the popularity of geothermal heat pump systems is increasing, and increasing requests are being received for geothermal heat source wells. Geothermal heat pump systems are able to transfer heat to and from the earth with minimal power consumption for both heating and cooling. The capital costs of these systems can be amortized over a number of years due to lower operating costs. Two popular types require well drilling to access the huge heat sump provided by the earth just a few feet below the frost line. The closed loop vertical type requires a deep well or wells drilled to provide sufficient heat transfer to and from the earth. The open loop system requires a water well to provide heat transfer to a heat exchanger, and a system for water disposal. Typically these latter wells have been completed in overburden as described previously. Cascade’s well logs are all entered into a computer database dating back to 1982 which provides rapid retrieval and access for well planning.
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