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A 15-Acre Liquid Asset
Mechanical Inc. has a solid track record of successful hospital and green
building projects, and that combination made them the mechanical contractor
of choice
for Sherman Hospital’s $310 million replacement hospital in Elgin, IL.
Scheduled to open in late 2009, the hospital will be mainly heated and cooled
by geothermal energy from a 15-acre artificial lake next to the facility.
“
The geothermal lake was a wise choice, both economically and ecologically,” said
Brian Helm, President of Mechanical, Inc. in Freeport, IL. “The lake is
projected to decrease Sherman’s gas and electric costs by nearly $1 million
annually.”
Helm added that Mechanical, Inc. is installing the hospital’s intricate
heating and cooling system, including 275,000 feet of two-inch piping in the
geothermal heat exchanger - a component which uses the lake’s natural
geothermal properties to heat and cool the hospital. Mechanical, Inc. is also
installing
the medical gas piping and the plumbing in the facility.
Mechanical, Inc. is working with Walsh Construction Co., the Construction
Manager for the replacement hospital. Project Executive Larry Voss is overseeing
the
project for Mechanical, Inc.
“
Sherman Hospital will be the first hospital in Illinois to build a geothermal
lake,” said Selena Worster of Mechanical, Inc., Project Manager for the
geothermal lake. “This lake will also be the largest of its kind in the
nation.”
According to Worster, solar energy is absorbed by the surface layer of the
17-ft. deep geothermal lake, resulting in a natural thermocline and a relatively
consistent
temperature at the bottom of the lake.
The lake will have a natural clay liner and be filled with rainwater. Water
and methanol-bearing coils of piping, or heat exchanger rafts, are stationed
at the
lake’s floor. The steady temperature at the bottom of the lake will be
the heating and cooling source for the solution passing through the coils.
This solution, in turn, is circulated by a lake loop heat-pump system.
When the circulating solution reaches the water source heat pumps, the energy
is converted to warm or cool air to regulate the temperature of the majority
of the hospital’s rooms. The emergency room and surgical suites will
employ a traditional heating and cooling system, since they require cooler
temperatures.
Worster brings considerable training and expertise to her role as Project
Manager for the Sherman Hospital geothermal lake. She has a master’s
degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois, is a U.S. Green
Building
Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional,
and holds
a Green Contractor certification for the City of Chicago.
Selena advises businesses to do their homework when selecting a contractor
for a green building project.
Worster sees this project as the beginning of a greener future for the Midwest,
and ultimately the nation. “More and more businesses are embracing green
building,” she said. “Hopefully this project will inspire other
businesses to pursue their own green solutions.”
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