Aquifer thermal energy storage: theoretical and operational analysis

Abstract

Aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) systems provide a method of improving the performance of more commonly installed mono-direction groundwater heating and cooling systems. Rather than using the prevailing temperature of the abstracted groundwater, ATES systems are bidirectional, therefore allowing for the interseasonal storage of low- and higher-temperature energy. This paper provides a theoretical base for ATES and an empirical review of the performance of a typical system installed in an office building in the Netherlands. This research was carried out by engineering consultancies in the UK and the Netherlands, and a UK university. The geology and hydrogeological conditions under focus can be briefly described as a confined saturated medium sand aquifer covered by horizons of clay and fine sand. A design simulation using HSTWin, a modified version of the software package HST3D, is compared against operational data collected over a 12-month period. These data were collected following 5 years of operation. The main conclusion from the case study is that there is good agreement between the HSTWin simulation and operational findings. Furthermore, it can be inferred that active ground thermal storage strategies can offer improvements over conventional ground source energy systems.

Hydrology of the Upper Indus Basin Under Potential Climate Change Scenarios

“…The seasonal thermal energy storage (STES) systems fall back into the first category and could also be called ''long-term'' heat storage, thanks to their capability of guaranteeing a seasonal energy storage: this consists in collecting and storing the heat in the hot seasons and extracting and using it in the winter period, when the heat demand is bigger. The STES systems include several methodologies for storing the heat: these can exploit the groundwater (ATES-aquifer thermal energy storage) (Dickinson et al 2009;Paksoy et al 2000;Rosen 1999), hot water confined in steel tanks (Bauer et al 2010;Novo et al 2010) or the ground itself, being it constituted by rocks or dry or wet quaternary sediments; in this last case the connection with the ground is provided by a series of boreholes (BTES) (Fisch et al 1998). Focusing on the last type of seasonal storage, the behavior of the ground exposed to a thermal treatment is a fundamental concept.…”

Editorial: Thermal Behaviour of the Ground

“…This has the advantage, as with geotechnical structures, that the ground can be used as a heat source and heat sink. Dickinson et al (2009) describe such a system, known as the aquifer thermal energy storage system (ATES). They have compared the predicted behaviour with five years of observations from an office building in the Netherlands and found reasonable agreement.…”

Economic and Environmental Evaluations of Different Operation Alternatives of an Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage in Tehran, Iran

“…Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) systems are generally considered to be economically viable for the seasonal storage of thermal energy. In an ATES, contamination and depletion of groundwater are minimal, since the water withdrawn from aquifer is circulated through a heat exchanger and it is immediately injected back into the aquifer though injection well(s) [7][8][9].…”