Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHP) are becoming an increasingly popular technology. Society is transitioning away from fossil fuel heating systems (gas and oil-fired boilers), causing an acceleration in demand for low and zero carbon solutions.
With a GSHP system, it is important to accurately calculate the number and depth of boreholes needed. If too few boreholes are drilled, or if the boreholes are not deep enough, the system will be inefficient and won’t provide enough heat to the property.
Why is a Thermal Response Test needed?
The specification for the borehole array partly depends on the property itself (size of the property, insulation, window glazing etc). It also depends on the thermal properties of the geology. To understand these thermal properties, a Thermal Response Test can be carried out.
A Thermal Response Test (TRT) is often carried out when the geology beneath the site is not well-known, or where the heat demand for the property is expected to be especially high (large houses, schools, hospitals, etc).
How is a Thermal Response Test carried out?
A borehole will be drilled to a pre-determined depth, usually between 100 and 200 metres below ground level. Once drilled, a geothermal collector (usually 40mm polyethylene pipe with a u-bend) is installed to the depth of the borehole. The collector loop is pressure-tested after installation and the borehole is backfilled with thermal grout.
Once the drilling and installation is complete, it will then be time to run a Thermal Response Test on the geothermal borehole. This involves circulating a special fluid into the geothermal collector loop to gather data on the thermal performance of the borehole. This includes its thermal conductivity and resistance.
This data is then analysed, with recommendations for the full GSHP system presented in a summary report. These recommendations will help the designer to more accurately calculate the number and depths of boreholes required for the full GSHP system.
What should be the duration of a Thermal Response Test?
A Thermal Response Test typically runs for 48 hours, however the duration may be longer depending on the specific needs of a project.
When should a Thermal Response Test be carried out?
A Thermal Response Test is usually required early in the process, so the designer can calculate the requirements for the Ground Source Heat Pump system and boreholes.
The most cost-effective and convenient time to conduct a TRT is usually when a geotechnical ground or mining investigation is taking place on site. This is because the same drilling rig needed for these investigations can often be used to drill the geothermal borehole too. This reduces mobilisation costs, resulting in an overall saving for the client.
If a TRT is not carried out during the ground investigation, it can still be carried out later as a standalone service. In our experience it makes sense, however, to carry out the TRT earlier in the process.
Can Hydracrat carry out Thermal Response Tests?
Hydracrat can arrange for a full Thermal Response Test to be carried out. This includes the drilling, installation of the geothermal materials, on-site Thermal Response Test and provision of the TRT report.
Need help with your Ground Source Heat Pump project?
Never has access to water been more critical to certain sectors than now.
We all remember just how dry it was in 2018.
In 2021, the west of Scotland had 85% less rainfall than the average. Glasgow had its hottest summer since records began in 1884 and some parts of Scotland had their second driest summer in 160 years.
This summer is continuing in much the same vein.
SEPA produces a weekly water scarcity report during the summer months. This reports on water scarcity within each catchment area and reports on a scale of 1-5, as set out below.
- Normal Conditions
- Early Warning
- Alert
- Moderate Scarcity
- Significant Scarcity
As of 28th July 2022, most of the Eastern Scotland’s coastal catchments are categorised as having “Moderate Scarcity”. There is growing concern that Mid and North Fife will be categorised as having Significant Scarcity in the coming days.
Even in the West, parts of Ayrshire are at “Early Warning” stage, whilst Glasgow is at “Alert” stage.
Rainfall has been limited in the East over the last 6 months, especially since May when there has been significantly less than average.
It has also been noticeable how many clients have contacted us due to their once reliable spring in the hills now being much drier than it was. It can only follow that this will have an impact on river levels downstream.
How does this affect businesses?
The hotter temperatures and lack of rainfall in recent years have meant businesses need more water than they did in the past.
Coupled with climate change, there is an expectation that these weather patterns will become the norm during the summer months.
Thus, many businesses are now seeking to upgrade their water supply and storage systems. For example, a growing number of golf clubs have either recently upgraded their irrigation system, or are considering doing so.
Meanwhile, more farms are going down the path of installing new or additional rain gun systems.
These systems will need more water, and the golden question is, where will it come from?
What options do businesses have to increase their water supply?
The most obvious place to take water from is the public water mains system, however over an extended period this can be expensive.
Scottish Water are also asking households to take steps to reduce water usage, including spending less time in the shower and avoiding garden hoses. It therefore follows that those drawing large water volumes from the mains can have a positive impact by switching to an alternative water source.
Perhaps the second most obvious place to abstract water from is a surface watercourse. Many businesses have a burn or stream running through their property and have a license to abstract a limited amount of water from this source.
In many cases, however, these watercourses are consistently running at a lower water level during summer or are completely drying up in extreme cases. It’s therefore up to these businesses to consider the feasibility of relying on this source of water in the long-term.
Initial or supplementary water boreholes are therefore often considered a more reliable and cost-effective option.
What is a water well?
A water borehole or water well is constructed with specialist drilling machinery to drill into the bedrock beneath our feet.
This bedrock is often saturated in freshwater which can be pumped to the surface to be used for various purposes. This water can provide a clean, reliable supply at a relatively low cost over the course of its lifespan.
The exact volume and flow of groundwater depends on many factors but generally most places can access a groundwater supply.
Why are many businesses choosing a water well?
Whilst there is an initial cost to install a water borehole, this is seen as an investment in an asset which can provide a payback over the medium-term.
This is because abstracting water from a well is generally cheaper than other alternatives, such as paying for mains water based on how many cubic meters (m³) of water were used each month.
On top of this, SEPA is currently recommending steps that can be taken to tackle water scarcity, one of which is to switch to alternative supplies, such as water boreholes. Indeed, we’re aware of instances where those abstracting from a stream or pond have been encouraged to install a water borehole instead.
Many businesses are also working towards becoming self-sufficient, hence a supply from a water well helps work towards that objective.
As already mentioned, the bedrock beneath our feet is generally saturated in water and is usually suitable for use. Whilst groundwater levels do fluctuate during the seasons, these variations are generally much less drastic than with surface watercourses. As we all know, rivers can be overflowing in the winter and then be very dry during the summer.
As a result, a borehole is generally considered a more reliable source and an “insurance policy” for when conditions are particularly dry, helping to take away some of the stress for those who need water the most.
It’s for these reasons, coupled with the expectation that more challenging summers lie in wait, that many are quickly moving towards water boreholes.
How can Hydracrat help?
We are experienced borehole drilling contractors and have installed thousands of water wells since we were established in 1960.
Frequent clients include farms, golf clubs, distilleries, breweries, factories and homeowners.
If you’d like to speak with us about installing a water well, please do get in touch – we’ll be delighted to help.
Robert W Hill – rwh@hydracrat.scot
Hydracrat’s 3-Stage Process to Establish Water Wells has helped thousands of clients since our inception back in 1960.
Ground Source Heat Pump boreholes are the most common method for extracting heat from the ground to warm properties.
As you’ll probably have noticed, heat pumps have been making an increasing number of headlines in the run-up to the COP26 UN summit in Glasgow. Our team decided, therefore, that it was time to help answer some of the key borehole-related questions!
Can’t see your question on the list, or want some advice about the potential for a GSHP on your property? Contact us.
There are two types of Ground Source Heat Pump boreholes, known as “closed-loop” and “open-loop.”
Closed-Loop boreholes are designed to harness heat from the ground by circulating thermal transfer fluid within plastic pipes which are installed in boreholes.
The plastic pipes, known as ‘collector loops’, are fitted with a u-bend.
The thermal transfer fluid will be relatively cold as it enters the borehole but is warmed by the ground temperature as it circulates to the u-bend at depth and back up towards the surface.
When the fluid exits the borehole it is circulated towards the heat pump, which effectively extracts the heat from the fluid. The fluid, now cooler, is circulated back towards the borehole again where it repeats the cycle.
Hence the term “closed-loop”!
Our example demonstrates the typical design of a closed-loop borehole.
Open-Loop boreholes are designed to harness heat through the abstraction of groundwater from aquifers or underground mine workings. The differences between closed-loop and open-loop boreholes are explored in a dedicated section on this page.
Closed-loop boreholes are the more common solution but Open-loop systems can be especially viable on developments with an especially high demand for heat. This can include district heating schemes or industrial warehouses and factories.
Boreholes for a Ground Source Heat Pump are drilled and installed by a specialist drilling contractor, such as Hydracrat.
The drilling contractor is typically commissioned by an engineer, installer or designer to carry out these works on a sub-contract basis.
The drilling contractor will set up the drilling rig at each of the borehole locations and drill vertically into the ground until the target depth is reached. Depending on the heat requirements of the property, each borehole will likely be between 100 and 150 metres deep.
The drilling contractor will typically supply the materials to be installed within the boreholes, including the collector loops.
These loops shall be pressure-tested before installation and subsequently installed within the borehole to the final depth. The loops are then pressure-tested once more, to ensure that the pipes have not been damaged during the installation.
The borehole will then be backfilled with grout to protect the loops and enhance thermal potential.
Closed-Loop Boreholes
- Boreholes usually drilled to depths of between 100 and 150 metres below ground level.
- Boreholes typically drilled in 120mm (4 ¾ inches) diameter.
- Polyethylene collector pipe installed to depth of borehole. Pipe usually either 32mm or 40mm in diameter with u-bend at the final depth of the borehole.
- Boreholes backfilled with grout to surface (backfill specification determined by designer and/or installer).
Open-Loop Boreholes
- Boreholes drilled to target productive aquifer, usually to depths of between 60m and 200 metres below ground level. Boreholes sometimes drilled to greater depths to target abandoned coal mine workings.
- Boreholes drilled in larger diameters to 300mm (12 inches) or greater. This can help to maximise the water abstraction potential.
- Liner installed within the borehole to final depth, to restrict sediment infiltration.
- Submersible water pump, electric cabling, riser pipe and other equipment installed within borehole. This equipment will be specified based on a target rate of groundwater abstraction.
- Separate borehole(s) will be required to re-inject the (cooler) water back into the same aquifer.
An average sized house in Scotland will usually need 2-4 boreholes each drilled to depths of between 100m and 150m below ground level.
The number of boreholes and the depths of these boreholes are specific to each property and depend on many different factors. The most critical factors are:
Size of the Heat Pump
The load of the heat pump (expressed in kilowatts or kW) is clearly a critical factor.
This will be determined based on the estimated “heat loss” of the property based on factors such as the room sizes, volume/quality of insulation and the type of windows.
Generally the larger the property, the higher the heat pump load needs to be in order to meet the heat demands of that property, but this is not always the case.
Thermal Conductivity of the Geology
The Scottish geology is incredibly complex and can vary significantly between the different regions.
Each type of rock offers a different level of thermal conductivity. In layman’s terms, that’s the capacity of the rock to store and transfer heat to the collector loop within the borehole. Geology which offers better thermal potential may not require boreholes to be quite as deep, compared to boreholes in areas where the geology is less favourable.
The thermal properties of the ground in the context of designing boreholes for a GSHP are often calculated and expressed in Watts per metre (W/m) of borehole length.
An average sized house will usually require a 10-15kW Heat Pump. This in turn will typically require 2-4 boreholes each drilled to a depth of around 100-150 metres.
Your drilling contractor and installer will be able to carry out an exercise to calculate the number and depth of the boreholes, whilst providing you with the budget price for the installation works.
It’s important not to take shortcuts when it comes to defining the requirements of a Heat Pump and the borehole array. Proper consideration will help avoid mistakes and costly rectification works later.
A closed-loop borehole may offer anything from 3-7kW but this depends on many factors including the depth of the borehole, materials installed within the borehole and the thermal conductivity of the surrounding rock.
It’s important to determine the required load for the GSHP first, as this will then help dictate what the specification of the borehole(s) should be.
A qualified designer/installer (alongside the drilling contractor) will be able to carry out the heat loss calculations to establish the required load of the GSHP. In turn, this will inform the project team how much drilling will be required.
The cost to drill and install the boreholes varies from project-to-project.
The cost of these works are determined based on a number of factors, including:
- Cost of transporting drilling rig, equipment and crew to site.
- Target depth of the borehole.
- Depth of superficial deposits which are overlying the bedrock (essentially the depth of the topsoil, sands, gravels, clays or made ground which sits above the natural bedrock).
- Type of bedrock (some rock may be harder and thus slower to drill). The geology in Scotland varies significantly and as such, so do the drilling costs.
- Type of installations and materials required within the borehole.
- Other factors such as the potential for drilling through disused coal mine workings and the expected groundwater conditions will also have an impact.
Contact us if you’d like to know more about the likely costs of a GSHP with boreholes at your property.
This is an important factor when considering whether a Ground Source Heat Pump is suitable for your property. A few of the key considerations are:
Space for Drilling Rig / Crew
It’s important to make sure that there is sufficient space for the drilling rig to access the drilling location. This basically means making sure that any gates, paths or driveways are wide enough for the drilling rig to be moved safely into position.
The drilling contractor will also need to confirm there is sufficient space to store equipment on site and whether there is enough safe working space for the crew.
Borehole Spacing
Your property will require a total length of collector pipe. To achieve the total collector pipe length, the pipes are usually split into collector loops, which are installed within the vertical boreholes.
Where more than one borehole is required, each borehole will need to be spaced sufficiently apart from each other (usually 6-8 metres) so that heat extraction from the collector loop in each borehole won’t negatively affect the performance of the others.
Your installer / designer will need to make sure that adequate borehole spacing can be achieved within your property.
Services
Boreholes will also need to be located in areas which are free of any underground services such as electric cables, gas or water pipes.
Mine workings
Properties in some areas of Scotland may be sitting above abandoned underground coal/shale mine workings. These mine workings may exist at sufficiently shallow depth that any proposed boreholes could intercept them.
Mine workings can have an impact on the design and installation costs of installing closed-loop boreholes for GSHPs, so it’s important to understand the risks in advance.
Your installer, designer or drilling contractor will be able to help indicate if boreholes at your property are likely to encounter potential mine workings.
Need some advice on the prospect of drilling boreholes at your property? Contact us
Hydracrat recommends that boreholes are drilled no closer than 10 metres from existing buildings, where space permits.
If less space is available, a preliminary site visit should be carried out to assess feasibility of drilling.
We also recommend boreholes are spaced at least 3 metres from any boundary with a neighbouring property.
The installer will generally stipulate boreholes must be spaced at least 6-8 metres apart from each other.
This is to prevent possible thermal breakthrough which could impact performance of the GSHP.
For larger systems requiring more boreholes, it may be necessary to have greater spacing.
A properly installed borehole should last for several decades and can last significantly longer, potentially up to 100 years.
It is important to ensure that the drilling contractor employed to carry out the works is reliable and experienced in the field.
Hydracrat are proud members of the Ground Source Heat Pump Association, who have developed a series of standards for the installation of vertical boreholes.
Yes, Ground Source Heat Pumps are becoming increasing popular in Scotland.
GSHPs are an extremely efficient technology and offer the potential for some of the greatest reductions in carbon emissions compared to gas boilers.
All kinds of properties are now adopting GSHPs, from private residences and social housing developments to large commercial buildings, warehouses and factories.
District Heating Systems using GSHPs which have the potential to heat hundreds of homes are also being assessed in many regions of the country.
Installing a Ground Source Heat Pump can bring significant benefits to the property owner.
Consistent Temperatures
In very cold weather, when heating is most needed, a GSHP using a borehole has access to warmer temperatures from the rock in the ground than an Air Source Heat Pump has from ambient air.
The temperature of the bedrock tends to be approximately 10-12 degrees and varies very little, regardless of the time of day or year.
By comparison an Air Source Heat Pump is less efficient, particularly during the Scottish winter when the outdoor temperature s lower and the air is damper.
Heat (and Cool) Storage
GSHP systems, uniquely amongst renewable energy technologies, offer the opportunity to recycle heat energy. Heat energy can be captured when it is freely available in the summer, stored in the ground over the autumn, and released to heat buildings in winter. This singular merit is attributable to use of the ground for Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage, which is an integral part of ground source energy.
By contrast, it is much more difficult and expensive to store heat extracted from the air.
Heat at night for cheaper electricity
The Thermal Energy Storage capacity of the rock surrounding the borehole allows GSHPs to be used efficiently at all hours of day and night – this provides the opportunity to use GSHPs at night when electricity is much cheaper using an economy 10 tariff or similar.
This is not possible with an ASHP, as the temperature is at its lowest during the night.
Less Maintenance
All of the equipment for a Ground Source Heat Pump is either housed inside the property or in the case of the boreholes, underground. The system therefore isn’t exposed to outside elements such as wind, rain, freezing temperatures and debris such as branches or leaves.
On the other hand, ASHPs require regular checks to the air inlet and evaporator, to ensure they are free of leaves or other debris. Plants or weeds growing within the proximity of the inlet can also compromise the unit, if left unchecked.
Reliable Supply of Heat
GSHPs do not suffer the problems of “intermittency” that affect renewable energy from wind turbines, photovoltaic cells or solar thermal panels.
Indeed the Thermal Energy Storage capacity of the rock surrounding the borehole can be used to compensate for the intermittent supply of energy from other renewable sources.
A Long-Term Investment
Although ground source energy generally requires a higher level of investment upfront, the reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases are sizeable and the system is likely to last much longer than other low-carbon systems.
The boreholes, for example, can be expected to last for over 50 years. The GSHPs themselves are very reliable pieces of equipment with a long life.
GSHPs are also generally more efficient than their Air Source equivalent, so are likely to bring savings on running costs in the long-term.
Energy Security
At present, a significant number of Scottish homeowners live in houses which are heated using some form of fossil fuel. This is commonly with a gas boiler.
A hot topic in recent times has been the volatile cost of gas, much of which is imported from overseas. It is therefore a national challenge to try and control the cost of gas to ensure consumers receive a fair price.
Ground Source Heat Pumps, on the other hand, use electricity. As of 2021, 97% of Scotland’s electricity is generated from renewable sources (wind, hydro, solar) right here in Scotland. Thus in theory, consumers are likely to experience less volatility in the cost of running a GSHP compared to a gas boiler.
Need advice? Our team at Hydracrat will be delighted to help.
The extremely dry weather in Scotland this summer has been welcome amongst our drill crews, to say the least. The heat can bring its own challenges but generally things are just that bit easier during the summer months.
We are fast approaching the autumn and winter months, however, when conditions become wetter and ground conditions particularly soft.
One of the challenges on a Ground Investigation project can be in figuring out how to get all the drilling equipment across site. There’s the rig itself, plus the compressor, rods, drillbits, casing, core boxes, core barrel…and not forgetting the drill crews.
Moving the crew / equipment around site and setting up at each position can take time, especially on larger sites. Add soft, boggy conditions into the equation and it becomes a whole new challenge.
At Hydracrat, our HYCAT rotary drilling rigs were built with these conditions in mind. They offer practical solutions to many of the most common headaches and frustrations.
1) Low Ground Pressure -: Each rotary drilling rig is fitted with soft, wide tracks. These tracks help to reduce the ground pressure, enhancing the prospects of being able to track across soft, boggy or uneven terrain compared to standard tracked rigs.
2) Significant additional storage space -: Each rotary rig offers a high volume of onboard storage space for our regular drilling equipment, such as 6 metre drill rods, drill bits, core barrels, core boxes. This additional storage helps to reduce the number of return trips for equipment between borehole positions and the need to mobilise additional support vehicles is reduced.
3) Onboard compressor -: Most rotary drilling rigs typically utilise an air compressor which is separate to the drilling rig and towed around site. Where site conditions are soft, compressors would usually need to be transported separately using additional support vehicle.
Each of Hydracrat’s HYCAT drilling rigs, however, have a high-pressure compressor housed onboard, which helps to reduce moving and set up times further and enables drill crews to maximise productivity.
So as we move towards the winter months (and the more challenging conditions that the season invariably brings), Hydracrat are ready to offer our pragmatic approach and unique low ground pressure drill plant to help meet our client’s objectives on Ground Investigation projects.
To learn more about the services Hydracrat offers for Ground Investigations across Scotland, click here.
To learn more about Hydracrat’s drilling fleet solutions, click here.
Water. Clean, fresh water. It’s the world’s single most important resource but one that many of us may take for granted.
…but not by the farmer who needs a guaranteed supply to produce their fruit and veg.
…not the greenkeeper whose fairways and greens get extremely thirsty during the summer months.
They, along with distilleries, factories and recycling plants (to name a few more) need water, and lots of it. But from where?
Public mains water is an option, but for larger consumers that can mean expensive water bills and heavy usage of a sometimes already stretched mains network.
Many instead seek to use the groundwater stored in the bedrock, beneath ground level on their property. This groundwater can be accessed via a borehole drilled into the bedrock, with a water pump near the bottom to continuously push groundwater to the surface.
This is a simple concept but there is more to it than initially meets the eye, especially for those who need large volumes of water. Before pressing ahead, it’s important to establish the answers to some key questions.
Is there water in the ground beneath my property?
How deep will the drilling contractor need to drill to find the water?
Is there sufficient ground water to meet my needs?
Is the water suitable? The groundwater needs to be fresh…salt water is of little to no use (NB: drilling beside the sea doesn’t automatically mean the groundwater will be saltwater…in our many years drilling for links golf courses by the sea, many of them have had successful boreholes installed producing large volumes of fresh water)
Is there a steady, continuous supply of groundwater from the bedrock or will it quickly run dry?
There are a few common approaches to answering these questions.
Some choose to engage a water diviner.
Our first step is usually to commission a chartered geologist to assess the ground conditions beneath the site. This helps to judge the potential likelihood of a water supply beneath the site and recommends areas within the site offering the best water potential for drilling.
No matter the initial methodology, the truth is that the only way you will gain certainty on the answers to the key questions, is to drill into the ground to check.
That’s where a probe borehole comes in.
The probe borehole involves one of our rig and crew drilling a small diameter borehole into the ground, and then to flush the water up to the surface with high-pressure air.
It also helps to inform us of the required specification of the equipment for the final production borehole, like the water pump. Water samples can also be collected for subsequent testing, helping to confirm that the water is clean and safe.
Simply put, commissioning a full production borehole without knowing the answers can often be a potentially expensive gamble, especially for those who require a larger supply.
The probe is about de-risking the project. It’s about certainty. It’s about not taking the answers for granted.
Hydracrat offers a 3-Stage Process to Establish Water Wells. The process puts the probe borehole at its heart and has helped thousands of clients since 1960.