Nashville International Airport Project

Aerial view of an airport showing multiple airplanes parked at gates, the terminal building with illuminated sections, and the runway area extending into a scenic landscape with trees and water in the background during dusk.

This extensive mega project comprised of a total of Eleven Slim Jim® assemblies, each containing multiple Slim Jim® plates, designed and installed specifically for the Nashville International Airport.

2016 Environmental Achievement Award by Industry Association

Conserves 30 Million Gallons of Potable Water Annually

Blue piggy bank with a coin featuring a dollar sign being inserted into it.
Graphic icon with a map of North America inside a location marker, in dark blue and light blue colors.
A graphic of a blue water droplet held by a hand inside a dark blue circle.
Illustration of a blue award ribbon with a leaf icon in the center.

Largest Geothermal Pond Loop in North America

Reduces Overall Energy Cost by $430,000 Annually

Slim Jim® assemblies were moved by crane and submerged in the Hoover Rock Quarry. The Quarry has a surface area of approximately 43 acres with an average depth of 150 feet, containing approximately 1.5 billion gallons of water. The Quarry has a constant year-round temperature of approximately 50° Fahrenheit.

The assemblies were also piped in parallel allowing a compact design forming a boxlike structure. Eleven yellow marker buoys mark the location of the individual lake plate assemblies that are submerged in the quarry.

This project takes advantage of the year-round cool temperature of the Quarry water using a closed water recirculation loop.The condenser water from the airport central plant is circulated through the lake plates were where the warm water is cooled by rejecting the waters energy to the cooler water of the quarry. The cooler water is returned to the airport terminal’s central plant chillers providing the cooling for the entire terminal. This eliminates the need for cooling towers and the enormous amount of potable water consumed in their operation.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Construction site near a coiled pipe, with a large body of water in the background. There is an inset map of Nashville International Airport with the airport layout visible.

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