Effects of different re-injection systems on the thermal affected zone (TAZ) modelling for open-loop groundwater heat pumps (GWHPs)

Russo, Stefano Lo; Taddia, Glenda; Abdin, Elena Cerino; Verda, Vittorio

doi:10.1007/s12665-015-4822-8

Cited by 10 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Indeed, the difference between the temperature of the injected water and the undisturbed temperature of the aquifer leads to the formation of thermally affected zones. These cold and hot plumes can be modeled by using analytical solutions [17,18] and coupled groundwater flow and heat transport numerical models [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30].…”

Section: Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical Modeling of the Interference of Thermally Unbalanced Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage Systems in Brussels (Belgium)

Bulté

Duren²,

Bouhon³

et al. 2021

Energies

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A numerical model was built using FEFLOW® to simulate groundwater flow and heat transport in a confined aquifer in Brussels where two Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) systems were installed. These systems are operating in adjacent buildings and exploit the same aquifer made up of mixed sandy and silty sublayers. The model was calibrated for groundwater flow and partially for heat transport. Several scenarios were considered to determine if the two ATES systems were interfering. The results showed that a significant imbalance between the injection of warm and cold water in the first installed ATES system led to the occurrence of a heat plume spreading more and more over the years. This plume eventually reached the cold wells of the same installation. The temperature, therefore, increased in warm and cold wells and the efficiency of the building’s cooling system decreased. When the second ATES system began to be operational, the simulated results showed that, even if the heat plumes of the two systems had come into contact, the influence of the second system on the first one was negligible during the first two years of joint operation. For a longer modeled period, simulated results pointed out that the joint operation of the two ATES systems was not adapted to balance, in the long term, the quantity of warm and cold water injected in the aquifer. The groundwater temperature would rise inexorably in the warm and cold wells of both systems. The heat plumes would spread more and more over the years at the expense of the efficiency of both systems, especially concerning building’s cooling with stored cold groundwater.

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Section: Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical Modeling of the Interference of Thermally Unbalanced Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage Systems in Brussels (Belgium)

Bulté

Duren²,

Bouhon³

et al. 2021

Energies

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“…In very simplified and theoretical situations, the cold and hot plumes can be calculated using analytical solutions [12,13]. The complexity of actual heterogeneous hydrogeological conditions combined with the locations of the wells makes the use of coupled groundwater flow and heat transport numerical models essential [3,[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23].…”

Section: Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling Interactions between Three Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) Systems in Brussels (Belgium)

Paoli

Duren²,

Petitclerc

et al. 2023

Applied Sciences

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Shallow open-loop geothermal systems function by creating heat and cold reserves in an aquifer, via doublets of pumping and reinjection wells. Three adjacent buildings in the center of Brussels have adopted this type of aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) system. Two of them exploit the same aquifer consisting of Cenozoic sands, and started operation in 2014 and 2017, respectively. A previous hydrogeological model developed by Bulté et al. (2021) has shown how the thermal imbalance of one of the systems jeopardizes the thermal state of this upper aquifer. Here, the interactions with a more recent third ATES system located in the deep aquifer of the Palaeozoic bedrock are studied and modelled. After being calibrated on groundwater flow conditions in both aquifers, a 3D hydrogeological model was used to simulate the cumulative effect of the three geothermal installations in the two exploited aquifers. The results of the simulations showed that although the hydraulic interactions between the two aquifers are very weak (as shown by the different observed potentiometric heads), heat exchanges occur between the two aquifers through the aquitard. Fortunately, these heat exchanges are not sufficient to have a significant impact on the efficiency of the individual geothermal systems. Additionally, this study shows clearly that adding a third system in the lower aquifer with a mean power of 286 kW for heating between October and March and an equivalent mean cooling power between April and September is efficient.

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“…This problem can be easily solved because the locations of both wells can be planned or predicted to avoid such problems, mostly through coupled hydrogeological and thermal modeling [25][26][27] and also by less known, but fully coupled thermo-hydraulic-mechanical modeling [28,29], which includes changes in the stress field. Instead of reinjection wells, other methods, such as artificial gabion draining, were also proposed to decrease thermal feedback risks [30]. To save the energy consumption of the groundwater pumps and to increase the coefficient of performance, a cyclic use of groundwater was proposed [31].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Water Temperature on the Hydrogeochemical Composition of Groundwater during Water Extraction and Reinjection with Geothermal Heat

Verbovšek

2023

Energies

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This study presents a simulation of potential changes in groundwater in three wells within a Quaternary gravel aquifer in the city of Ljubljana when groundwater cooled by about 4 °C is reinjected into it. The research focuses on the mass transport of calcite in the vicinity of boreholes. According to our results, the impact of the changes in the geochemical composition of the water is relatively small (around 1%). Although the waters are approximately in equilibrium, calcite may be dissolved and sometimes precipitated within the aquifer when cooled water is reinjected into it. The amounts of precipitated calcite always decrease with decreasing temperatures of the reinjected water, which can lead to calcite dissolution if the temperature difference is large enough and the water is only slightly oversaturated. This novel finding is significant since previously published studies have mostly focused on understanding the scaling (precipitation) of calcite and not its dissolution. The mass transfer of calcite is relatively low, but in a scenario of long-term pumping for several years, such low values could lead to a dissolved or precipitated mass of several hundreds of kilograms of calcite per year (at a pumping rate of 46 L/s).

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Effects of different re-injection systems on the thermal affected zone (TAZ) modelling for open-loop groundwater heat pumps (GWHPs)

Cited by 10 publications

References 16 publications

Numerical Modeling of the Interference of Thermally Unbalanced Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage Systems in Brussels (Belgium)

Numerical Modeling of the Interference of Thermally Unbalanced Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage Systems in Brussels (Belgium)

Modelling Interactions between Three Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) Systems in Brussels (Belgium)

The Influence of Water Temperature on the Hydrogeochemical Composition of Groundwater during Water Extraction and Reinjection with Geothermal Heat

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