When you look at the Computer-Aided Design (CAD) drawing for the Princeton Circuit Maker vault, you don't need to be an expert on high-density polyethylene (HDPE), fabrication, or geothermal energy to see that this item is different. That’s why it is the largest pre-fabricated HDPE geothermal vault ever constructed.

What is a Geothermal Vault?

For context - a vault is akin to a mechanical room that houses the manifold for a geothermal field and is buried underground.  A manhole is installed at the top, allowing the operator to access the interior works. This geothermal energy solution is critical for efficient energy distribution.

Princeton University’s Sustainable Energy Initiative

The Princeton in the name of the HDPE fabricated monster is not one of the 27 municipalities in the U.S. and Canada, but rather Princeton University.  The historic Ivy League school has been on the cutting edge of converting to sustainable energy as it makes a sincere and calculated movement toward a Net-Zero campus.  ISCO has already produced a smaller geothermal vault for the New Jersey campus.

Would you expect anything less from a school that produced Bruce Wayne and Doogie Howser?

Easy, Tigers - I kid.  Brooke Shields, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Eugene O'Neill, Jeff Bezos, Aaron Burr and two U.S. Presidents can't be wrong (even though Woodrow Wilson is one of them).  And Mary from There's Something About Mary.

CAD Drawing and Parts List

Back to the vault.

On the CAD drawing, there is a parts list. Almost like a small Excel spreadsheet of ingredients for a recipe.  The second line of the list calls for 31.5 feet of 120" Spirolite which was initially two pieces. That's as big as my first apartment.

It doesn’t stop there. There are 557 individual components that make up the finished product, including 194 feet of pipe in addition to the Spirolite, that will build the manifold inside the geothermal vault.

Intricate Fabrication

When you get a jigsaw puzzle over 500 pieces, you must LOVE puzzles.

Just to be clear, this is not an Amazon fulfillment center in Pewaukee, Wisconsin where they nudge over to a shelf, grab the vault, and drop it into a box to ship off to New Jersey.  Nor does it build itself.

Concept to CAD to Construction

The genesis of the two-to-three-year process was working with Allied Wells and determining what will be required on site at Poe Field to run the 358 wells and the ground-source geothermal network.

Then the CAD team works their magic, turning notes, concepts, and ideas into a tangible blueprint for the plant to construct.

Fabrication Journey: Texas to West Virginia

In this case, the Spirolite was created at ISCO's Corsicana, Texas plant and shipped to ISCO's Martinsburg, West Virginia location where Harvey Rodriguez acted as lead fabricator on the HDPE geothermal vault. The Spirolite arrived in mid-March and the folks in Martinsburg began the intricate fabrication process.

Building the Vault

It started with a "doughnut" made out of 1" sheet stock that was fused to the end of the pipe, allowing it to be hung from a crane like a Christmas tree ornament that would challenge even General Sherman. When that was complete, the second piece was brought in and the 31.5-foot canvas upon which the build would occur was born.

No word whether or not the fabricators have extensive background in Legos or Tinker Toys as a kid, but if they did, this was the Millennium Falcon on steroids (or the Galaxy Explorer if you are of a certain age).

Dedication and Expertise

Rodriguez spent more than 450 hours on the vault - the equivalent of 56 eight-hour days. That's 11-plus 40-hour weeks. Almost three months. And he kept his focus on this project exclusively until completion.

The Largest Geothermal Vault

The sheer size of the geothermal vault created a buzz in Martinsburg, and the scope was not limited to the size of the Spirolite that housed the works or the number of parts. Typical geothermal vaults operate with six or eight-inch mains. The Princeton vault has an 18-inch main. It is approximately 200 percent bigger than the typical vault.

There are 20 circuits and 40 outlets comprised of a six-inch HDPE pipe. It features a 36-inch manhole. INSIDE the vault is an 11-foot ladder.

Transportation and Installation

Getting it out of the shop in Martinsburg was no stroll through the mall. Once it was outside, a special crane was utilized to load the 35,000-pound beauty onto a flatbed truck. And then, like a high school graduate, it made its way up the road three or four hours to college.  You know - far enough away to have some distance and close enough to do laundry on weekends.

The following sunny June morning, another crane awaited the arrival and gently guided the HDPE geothermal vault into its new home. As a spitting image of the CAD drawing conceived years prior, 17 tons of historic HDPE artistry was tucked in, ready to provide 100 or more years of green energy.

Conclusion

The Princeton Circuit Maker vault is a testament to innovative engineering, meticulous craftsmanship, and a commitment to sustainable energy solutions. It is a landmark project that not only serves a functional purpose but also showcases the potential of HDPE in large-scale geothermal applications.

Learn more about partnering with ISCO on your next geothermal project by speaking with one of our knowledgeable representatives.