Estimating Limits for the Geothermal Energy Potential of Abandoned Underground Coal Mines: A Simple Methodology

Díez, Rafael Rodríguez; Díaz-Aguado, María B.

doi:10.3390/en7074241

Cited by 21 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…It is also advisable to determine the geothermal potential of abandoned underground mines. The procedure was developed by [19] additionally specifying the level of reduction of CO 2 emissions related to the use of mines instead of conventional heating technologies.…”

Section: Mine Waters As a Source Of Energymentioning

confidence: 99%

Possibilities for using mine waters in the context of the construction of heat energy clusters in Poland

Woźniak

Pactwa

2019

Energ Sustain Soc

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Background: Non-renewable energy continues to remain the main link in energy production in Poland. At the end of 2016, fossil fuels (hard coal and lignite) accounted for around 82% of gross domestic energy production. Reducing the share of fossil fuels in renewable energy sources in the overall energy mix is a long-term process. An example of solutions for the use of renewable energy sources as one of the key elements of sustainable development, ensuring rational, economical, ecological and social effects is the application of heat from mine waters for the production of thermal energy. The work estimates the current national energy balance in the country and describes the role of fossil fuels in the context of the issue of low emissions. Political transformation and accession to the European Union (EU) have contributed to greater care for natural environment. Poland, while being obliged to comply with the European guidelines, monitors the state of atmospheric air pollution and takes measures to improve its condition. Research issues presented in the article are addressed in the socio-environmental context. Methods: The method of reviewing scientific articles on the subject was used in the course of research task implementation (leading to the creation of a sustainable energy node or the idea of use of mine water). In addition, an analysis was carried out of the existing energy clusters in order to catch up with the standards of the European Union. Results: The analysis of world and national literature shows potential of using energy from the mining waters of active and closed mining plants. The authors propose the introduction of a precise term regarding mining potential as a thermal energy cluster. The opportunity to change the image of mines as polluters consists in using their potential beyond their main activity profile. Furthermore, the use of the hidden potential of mines signifies prolonging the life of an enterprise and thus, as its consequence, sustaining jobs and developing the region. Conclusions: The analyses presented in the article indicate the possibility of thermal energy production from mine waters not as an alternative but as an addition to the existing solutions, especially for the local needs.

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Section: Mine Waters As a Source Of Energymentioning

confidence: 99%

Possibilities for using mine waters in the context of the construction of heat energy clusters in Poland

Woźniak

Pactwa

2019

Energ Sustain Soc

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“…These mines are E3S Web of Conferences 51, 01003 (2018) https://doi.org/10.1051/e3scconf/20185101003 ICACER 2018 located in the Rhenish Massif (Essen and Sachsen) where a total number of five projects have been implemented between the late 1980s and 2007. It has been estimated that 3000 MWt heat energy is available in the waters of flooded coalfields of Europe [6]. Nevertheless, the use of mine water as a renewable heating source has been also appealing out of Europe, there are notorious facilities in USA and Canada such as a flooded lead mine in Park Hills, Missouri, where water is extracted from workings between 11 and 133 m below ground level and has been used to heat and cool a Municipal Building (area 753 m2) since 1995 [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of Laciana Valley District mine water as geothermal resource

Matas

García-Carro²,

Loredo

2018

E3S Web Conf.

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Laciana Valley District is a coal mining region located in northern Spain. This region counts with several mining facilities, among them: eight underground mines (six mountain mines and two mine shafts) and three open pit mines. Nowadays, all the mining facilities have been closed down and are flooded. The water found inside them could be used as a geothermal resource due to its thermal properties and the proximity to population. The aim of the study is to analyze the water of the facilities located in Laciana Valley and determine its potential to be used as a geothermal resource for a district heating system. In order to achieve this goal an extensive field work has been performed, nine different mine water discharges have been chosen and several water characteristics have been selected for analysis. The parameters measured have been pH, conductivity, hardness, temperature, turbidity and alkalinity. The results have been evaluated in order to determine the fluctuations of the physico-chemical parameters throughout a hydrological year and the mining facilities have been compared between each other regarding their mine water quality. The analysis of all the information gathered in the study shows a noteworthy thermal potential in the water of the abandoned mines of the region.

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“…Research on mine water geothermal has mainly concentrated on resource characterization (Ferket et al 2011;Jardon et al 2013;Díez & Díaz 2014;Loredo et al 2017) and operational performance (Verhoeven et al 2014;Banks et al 2019) of systems from mine workings at hundreds of metres below the surface. Modelling studies have so far focused on heat extraction and flow transfer in mines, ranging from analytical solutions (Rodríguez & Díaz 2009) to 3D numerical models of heat and fluid flow (Malolepszy 2003;Renz et al 2009;Hamm & Bazargan Sabet 2010).…”

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confidence: 99%

Coupled hydraulic and mechanical model of surface uplift due to mine water rebound: implications for mine water heating and cooling schemes

Todd

McDermott

Harris

et al. 2019

SJG

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In order to establish sustainable heat loading (heat removal and storage) in abandoned flooded mine workings it is important to understand the geomechanical impact of the cyclical heat loading caused by fluid injection and extraction. This is particularly important where significantly more thermal loading is planned than naturally occurs. A simple calculation shows that the sustainable geothermal heat flux from abandoned coal mines can provide less than a tenth of Scotland's annual domestic heating demand. Any heat removal greater than the natural heat flux will lead to heat mining unless heat storage options are also considered.As a first step, a steady-state, fully saturated, 2D coupled hydromechanical model of a generalized section of pillar-and-stall workings has been created. Mine water rebound was modelled by increasing the hydrostatic pressure sequentially, in line with monitored mine water-level data from Midlothian, Scotland. The modelled uplift to water-level rise ratio of 1.4 mm m −1 is of the same order of magnitude (1 mm m −1 ) as that observed through interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data in the coalfield due to mine water rebound. The modelled magnitude of shear stress at the pillar corners, as a result of horizontal and vertical displacement, is shown to increase linearly with water level. Mine heat systems are expected to cause smaller changes in pressure than those modelled but the results provide initial implications on the potential geomechanical impacts of mine water heat schemes which abstract or inject water and heat into pillar-and-stall coal mine workings.

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Estimating Limits for the Geothermal Energy Potential of Abandoned Underground Coal Mines: A Simple Methodology

Cited by 21 publications

References 18 publications

Possibilities for using mine waters in the context of the construction of heat energy clusters in Poland

Possibilities for using mine waters in the context of the construction of heat energy clusters in Poland

Characterization of Laciana Valley District mine water as geothermal resource

Coupled hydraulic and mechanical model of surface uplift due to mine water rebound: implications for mine water heating and cooling schemes

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