The application of 3D technology for fabrication of artificial porous media samples improves porous media flow studies. The geometrical characteristics of a porous media pore channel: the channel shape, size, porosity, specific surface, expansion ratio, contraction ratio, and the tortuous pathway of the channel can be controlled through advanced additive manufacturing techniques (3D printing), computed tomography imagery (CT imaging) and image analysis methods. These 3D technologies have here been applied to construct and analyze four homogeneous porous media samples with predefined geometrical properties that are otherwise impossible to construct with conventional methods. Uncertainties regarding the geometrical properties are minimized because the 3D-printed porous media samples can be evaluated with CT imaging after fabrication. It is this combination of 3D technology that improves the data acquisition and data interpretation and contributes to new insight into the phenomenon of fluid flow through porous media. The effects of the individual geometrical properties on the fluid flow are then accounted for in permeability experiments in a Hassler flow cell. The results of the experimental work are used to test the theoretical foundation of the Kozeny–Carman equation and the extended version known as the Ergun equation. These equations are developed from analogies to the Hagen–Poiseuille flow equation. Based on the results from the laboratory experiments in this study, an analytical equation based on the analytical Navier–Stokes equations is presented as an alternative to the Hagen–Poiseuille analogy for porous media channels with non-uniform channel geometries. The agreement between experiment and the new equation reveals that the dissipating losses of mechanical energy in porous media flows are not a result of frictional shear alone. The mechanical losses are also a result of pressure dissipation that arise due to the non-uniformity of the channel geometry, which induced spatial variations to the strain rate field and induce acceleration of the velocity field in the flow through the porous medium. It is this acceleration that causes a divergence from linear flow conditions as the Stokes flow criterion (Re ≪ 1) is breached and causes the convective acceleration term to affect the flow behavior. The suggested modifications of theory and the presented experiments prove that the effects of surface roughness (1) do not alter the flow behavior in the Darcy flow regime or (2) in the Forchheimer flow regime. This implies that the flow is still laminar for the Forchheimer flow velocities tested.

Fouling and clogging are some of the major water quality problems encountered in open loop ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems and aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) systems. Here we present a surveillance strategy that can detect if and identify where in the system fouling and clogging might be developing without having to shut off the heat pump. In the presented system design, the test requires a minimum of four temperature sensors and two pressure sensors to describe the performance of the four major heat source system components, namely, the production well, the injection well, the submersible pump and the groundwater heat exchanger. The surveillance procedure involves conducting a step-test with incremental increases in the groundwater flow rate while measuring the pressure and temperature responses in the system components. The performance of the newly constructed installation functions as a baseline for future tests. By conducting the test systematically during operation an altered performance of the system can indicate clogging or fouling issues. Even though the cause of the problem must be identified through other means, the surveillance procedure presented here allows the operator to plan necessary maintenance and avoid critical damage to the heat source system.

This paper presents results from video inspections of groundwater wells in Melhus and Elverum, in Norway. The method has identified iron hydroxides, bacterial growth and sand production as causes of clogging in different wells. Video inspection has proven itself a reliable, inexpensive and quick method for such investigations. The videos supply documentation for the building owner about the well condition. A video inspection should be incorporated as a standard part of the tender document and an integrated part of the maintenance routine. Finally, open loop GSHP and ATES system wells should be designed and manufactured with integrated video inspection options.This will ease the fault detection process and reduce maintenance costs of the system through the lifetime of the wells.

The utilization of groundwater heat pump systems is increasing in Norway, which are currently widely employed for heating and cooling applications in the town center of Melhus. The investigations of the Melhus installations are detecting gas exsolution as a possible trigger for precipitation reaction that causes incrustation of iron and manganese compounds in the systems. This paper discusses risks associated with gas exsolution and considers gas exsolution triggers in a typical Norwegian groundwater heat pump (GWHP) system configuration. The concept of the solubility grade line (SGL) is developed and suggested as a tool for optimizing the design. Based on SGL analysis and the intention of avoiding gas exsolution during heat production, an alternative system design in the same aquifer is presented and compared. The analyses show that the traditional system design is predisposed to gas clogging risks and prone to vacuum pressures in parts of the system. The alternative design mediates the risks by adjusting the well and piping configuration and by applying a backpressure technique. The results demonstrate how the groundwater heat pump system design can be customized according to local aquifer conditions to avoid gas exsolution during operation. It is recommended that the presented method of analysis should be utilized in dimensioning of systems and included in the monitoring scheme of the systems.

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