scholarly journals Evaluating thermal losses and storage capacity in high-temperature aquifer thermal energy storage (HT-ATES) systems with well operating limits: insights from a study-case in the Greater Geneva Basin, Switzerland

Geothermics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 85 ◽  
pp. 101773 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marine Collignon ◽  
Øystein Strengehagen Klemetsdal ◽  
Olav Møyner ◽  
Marion Alcanié ◽  
Antonio Pio Rinaldi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Energy Storage ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Storage Capacity ◽  
Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Operating Limits ◽  
Study Case ◽  
And Storage

scholarly journals The feasibility of high-temperature aquifer thermal energy storage in Denmark: the Gassum Formation in the Stenlille structure

2020 ◽  
Vol 68 ◽  
pp. 133-154
Author(s):  
Lisa Pasquinelli ◽  
Marita Felder ◽  
Mats Lundh Gulbrandsen ◽  
Thomas Mejer Hansen ◽  
Jun-Seo Jeon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Energy Storage ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Storage Capacity ◽  
Heat Storage ◽  
Recovery Efficiency ◽  
Breakthrough Time ◽  
Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Thermal Breakthrough

Heat storage in the Danish subsurface is gaining increasing interest for optimizing the use of energy resources, but no deep heat storage facilities have yet been established. As an analogue we study the Gassum Formation in the Stenlille structure that is presently used for gas storage. This allows us to discuss geological and technical characteristics of an aquifer relevant for heat storage in Denmark. We develop a 3D model for a high-temperature aquifer thermal energy storage system using analysis of geological core data, sedimentological description, geophysical data including well logs and seismic lines, as well as a finite difference model to calculate the recovery efficiency, heat storage capacity and thermal breakthrough time. Based on geostatistical methods we made three realisations and found similar results for the three cases. In accordance with results from published simplified models we found a high recovery efficiency of 70% after 4 years and 69% after 20 years, a high heat storage capacity of 1.8×1018 J, and a long thermal breakthrough time of 66–77 years. These results reflect the excellent reservoir properties of the Gassum Formation in Stenlille, characterised by a uniformly layered sand/shale sedimentology, a high average porosity of 25% and a high permeability of 1000 to 10 000 mD of sandstone intervals.

scholarly journals Evaluating thermal losses and storage capacity in high-temperature aquifer thermal energy storage (HT-ATES) systems with well operating limits: insights from a study-case in the Greater Geneva Basin, Switzerland

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marine Collignon ◽  
Øystein Klemetsdal ◽  
Olav Møyner ◽  
Marion Alcanié ◽  
Antonio Rinaldi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Energy Storage ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Waste To Energy ◽  
Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Energy Plant ◽  
Operating Limits ◽  
Efficient Code ◽  
User Friendly

<p>High temperature aquifer thermal energy storage (HT-ATES) can play a key role for a sustainable interplay between different energy sources and in the overall reduction of CO<sub>2</sub>emission. In this study, we numerically investigate the thermo-hydraulic processes of an HT-ATES in the Greater Geneva Basin (Switzerland). The main objective is to investigate how to handle the yearly excess of heat produced by a nearby waste-to-energy plant. We consider potential aquifers located in different stratigraphic units and design the model from available geological and geophysical data. Aquifer properties, flow conditions and well strategies are successively tested to evaluate their influence on the HT-ATES economic performance and environmental impact. This was achieved using a new open-access, user-friendly and efficient code that we also introduce here as a possible tool for geothermal applications.</p><p> </p><p>The results highlight the importance of thorough numerical simulations based on more realistic exploitation when designing HT-ATES systems. We show that relations between thermal performance and the shape of the injected thermal volume are generally hard to derive when complex well schedules are imposed because the injected/produced volumes may not be equal. Despite more complex storage strategies to comply with legal regulations, the shallower group of investigated aquifers in this study remains economically more suitable for storage up to 90ºC. In average four well doublets will be required to store the yearly excess of energy. The deeper group of investigated aquifers, however, become interesting for storage at higher temperatures.</p>

Numerical investigation of induced thermal impacts from high-temperature thermal energy storage in porous aquifers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Wang ◽  
Jens-Olaf Delfs ◽  
Christof Beyer ◽  
Sebastian Bauer
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Energy Storage ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Storage Capacity ◽  
Storage Temperature ◽  
Thermal Recovery ◽  
Pumping Rate ◽  
Background Temperature ◽  
C 30

<p>High-temperature aquifer thermal energy storage (HT-ATES) in the geological subsurface will affect the temperature distribution in and close to the storage site, with potential impacts on groundwater flow and biogeochemistry. Quantification of the subsurface space affected by a HT-ATES operation is thus required as one basis for urban subsurface space planning, which would allow to address potential competitive and conflicting uses of the urban subsurface. Therefore, this study shows a quantitative evaluation of induced thermal impacts and subsurface space required for a synthetic ATES operated at varying temperature levels.</p><p>A hypothetic seasonal HT-ATES operation is simulated using the coupled groundwater flow and heat transport code OpenGeoSys. A well doublet system consisting of fully screened “warm” and “cold” wells 500 m apart is used for the storage operation. A sandy aquifer typical for the North German Basin at a depth of 110 m and with a thickness of 20 m in between two confining impermeable layers is used as storage formation. Seasonal cyclic storage is simulated for 20 years, assuming charging and discharging for six months each. During charging, water with the aquifer background temperature of 13°C is extracted at the "cold" well, heated to 70°C and reinjected at the “warm” well using a pumping rate of 30 m³/h. During discharging, the stored hot water is retrieved at the "warm" well using the same pumping rate and reinjected at the “cold” well after heat extraction at aquifer background temperature.</p><p>The simulation results show that during a single storage cycle using a storage temperature of 70°C 7.51 GWh of thermal energy is injected, of which 4.79 GWh can be retrieved. This corresponds to a thermal recovery factor of 63.8% and thus an effective storage capacity of 0.43 kWh/m<sup>3</sup>/K can be deduced in relation to the heat capacity of the storage medium. For storage temperatures of 18°C, 30°C and 50°C, the effective storage capacity is 0.56 kWh/m<sup>3</sup>/K, 0.55 kWh/m<sup>3</sup>/K and 0.49 kWh/m<sup>3</sup>/K, respectively. By delineating the subsurface volume with a temperature increase larger than 1°C, the subsurface space used for and affected by the storage operation at the storage temperature of 70 °C is determined to be 10.56 million m³. In relation to the retrieved thermal energy, a subsurface volume of 2.2 m<sup>3 </sup>is thus required to retrieve one kWh of heat energy at 70 °C injection temperature. At lower temperatures of 18°C, 30°C and 50°C, the subsurface space required is 1.77 m<sup>3</sup>/kWh, 1.54 m<sup>3</sup>/kWh and 1.76 m<sup>3</sup>/kWh, respectively. The lower effective storage capacity and the relatively larger required space, which correspond to a lower thermal recovery factor, are caused by induced thermal convection and higher heat losses by conduction at higher temperatures.</p>

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