Challenges with Ground Source Precooling

One of the main changes from mainstream geothermal use in the technology that we plan to use at HCC are the temperatures that we are trying to reach for the interior of the Precooling area.

Geothermal or ground source heat pumps are typically used to condition room air for the comfort of its inhabitants. This temperature is always near 70 degrees. In order to bring a crop to a ideal temperature for storage the room temperature of the precooling area needs to be much less then 70 degrees.

There are several things that will contribute to the interior temperature of the Precooling area before it is conditioned.  The walls must also be super insulated to maintain the temperatures we are trying to reach. The crop that is brought into the area will be at the exterior temperature. Large quantities of product will certainly add to the load for the cooling equipment. This temperature will be near 80 degrees or higher for most of the crops that are harvested in the summer months.

Bringing large quantities of 80 degree crop to 40 degrees demands quite a lot from the cooling equipment.

If the gray building is the Precooling Room we are much better to draw temperature change from the ground temperature than from the air temperature.
The high air temperature (80)during harvest time for most WNC crops would certainly be more costly to cool than the constant ground temperature(57).