At Multifilm, we
use a relatively large amount of cooling capacity in our extruders
and printing presses, and in late 2008, we realized that our
chillers were in need of replacement. Environmental responsibility
is important to Multifilm, and we decided to explore using
geothermal energy for our machinery cooling needs, as well as
heating and air-conditioning our plant. About two years later,
we ended up with is a CFC-free, one-of-a-kind process cooling and
HVAC system that drastically reduced our energy consumption, as well
as our carbon footprint.
The concept is
fairly simple; use groundwater from an underground reservoir or
aquifer, which is always at a constant temperature of around 53F
to cool our plant in the summer and cool the machinery all year
round, and use the waste heat from our processes to heat the plant
in winter. We pump water from the ground to power our AC system and
cool our cast film extrusion lines and CI drums for our presses.
The system was
dedicated on September 3rd, 2010, and
below is a "photo-blog" of the
progress on the installation of the geothermal system. Click on any
image to download a hi-res version.
Click
here to download PDF version of a detailed article about our
geothermal process cooling and HVAC system.
Click
here
to read the case study done by ComEd.
Clive Maidment, our project manager and
energy consultant presents the finalized
plan to our team in April 2009.
Clive is a consultant that
specializes in energy-saving projects. He can be reached
via email at clive@maidment.eu
Well drilling commenced in May 2009.
We will use water from seven separate wells in two locations.
Close-up of the drilling. The well is 360
feet deep at we hit water at 280 feet. Our proximity to the Great Lakes
and the Fox River makes this location ideal.
Supply and rejection lines are piped in
under the floor.
Supply and rejection lines are brought into
the building in October 2009.
The heat exchangers and the control panel
will go in the space to the left.
Halfway done! The three supply lines from
the wells are in place.
January 2010, the copper piping arrives that
will distribute the water throughout the plant.
Hundreds of yards of copper pipes to
transport the water around the plant are mounted in
the ceiling by our contactor team.
The pipes connect to air-handlers that are
lined with coils and fans that will blow cold or hot air around the
plant.
February 2010, rejection
and supply lines are in place and the floor is filled back up.
Pressure valves are
temporary placed on the supply lines to make sure we have enough water
flow to handle our needs.
February 18, 2010, the
pump motors arrived today...
...as did the heat
exchangers!
Now starts the real
challenge: connecting
the giant puzzle of pipes, pumps, heat-
exchangers and controllers!
March 4th, the first copper pipes are
attached.
Slowly making progress.
March 10th, the pumps are
connected.
Mid-March, the control
panel has arrived and is put in place.
March 19, Sayre Kos,
Senior Editor at Flexible Packaging Magazines, stops by to do a feature
on our green energy efforts.
Sayre capturing some of the work in
progress. The feature is in the April
issue, available
here.
March 26, additional,
back-up supply and rejection wells are drilled.
Getting closer and closer! The heat
exchangers are connected in early April.
Connecting the first
set of pumps.
The stainless steel tanks are filters to
remove sediments from the lines.
April 13, getting very close!
The system will be
turned on, tested, and checked for leaks this week.
April 19, electric wiring
of the controls starting this week...
...and is expected to take
most of the week.
April 26. Water is
pumped through the
system to check for leaks. Note the condensation on the pipes.
Of course, a few small
leaks were found, but very few. Note the high-tech water collection
system.
April 30th, one of our
castlines has been connected to the system and we produced our first
roll!
The film looked great and was approved
by QC Manager Dan Acevedo (left) and operator Clemente Nevarez.
Dave Rohrschneider (COO)
and Chris Rogers (VP Sales) coordinate the control system with Tony
Ellis, our maintenance manager.
Perhaps the most amazing
thing about this system is that this room-sized 340 ton chiller has been
replaced by...
...this suitcase-sized
heat exchanger!
Mid-May: The metallizer is connected to the
system. Note the old pipes fitted to the new geo-pipes.
June 1st, all our
extruders are
connected to the system.
Early June, the
presses are connected and the system is running in full "Auto Mode".
Of course, plenty of tweaking still to do.
June 2nd, Ed Schock, Mayor
of Elgin, comes to visit our plant and view the progress.
Olle and the Mayor
discussing the enormous potential of geothermal energy in our area. The
Mayor is very supportive of small businesses, and promised to help
promote our efforts. We greatly appreciate the support!
June 9th: Horizontal
drilling! Rather than running piping from the 3rd supply well to the
heat exchangers through the building, we simply drilled under it!
Note the angled drill above right. To the right, the horizontal pipe
is being connected to the well.
This saved us both time
and money.
With the help of
various adapters, we were able to re-use most of the existing piping
from our old chiller system.
July 2010: the system is complete!
Close-up of the supply lines.
Close-up of the ground water supply going in to
one of the heat exchangers.
One set of pumps and heat
exchangers in the background.
September 3rd: the Grand
Opening. CEO Olle Mannertorp welcoming guests.
Over 50 guests
attended the event, including customers, suppliers, local
politicians and members of the press.
Dave Rohrschneider,
Multifilm COO explaining how the system works.
The ribbon cutting! From
left to right: Rafal Kozlowski (system designer),
Congressman Bill Foster, Olle Mannertorp (Multifilm CEO), Mayor Ed Schock
Congressman Foster
pushes the button to start the system.
Congressman Foster gets a
guided tour of the system's interface.
Mannertorp, Foster, and Schock take a closer
look at the system.
This schematic shows how the system
works. Click the image to download a large PDF for easier viewing.
Intrigued by
what you see? We are happy to share our learning experience with anyone
who's interested in reducing their carbon footprint and clean up their
process. Contact our office and we're more than happy to help you out.
In December 2010 Multifilm received an energy savings award. Every
year the U.S. Department of Energy awards the Superior Energy
Performance Certification & Energy Savings Achievement Awards.
Multifilm was one of three companies to
receive the Save Energy Now award. Chris Rogers (CSO) was in
Washington D.C. to accept the award.
ComEd visited Multifilm in March, 2011 to
present the ComEd Smart Ideas check. Above Olle Mannertorp (CEO)
explaining the brain behind the geothermal system.
Olle Mannertorp (CEO) telling ComEd
representative how the geothermal system was connected to each
machine one by one.
ComEd representatives presenting the ComEd
Smart Ideas check to Multifilm Management.
Video of the Grand Opening from
Elgin Today, a local TV show.
