Optimized Energy Recovery in Line With Balancing of an ATES

Author(s):  
Mohammadreza Behi ◽  
Seyed Aliakbar Mirmohammadi ◽  
Alexander B. Suma ◽  
Björn E. Palm

The present study explores the potential imbalance problem of the Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) system at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) campus, Eindhoven. This ATES is one of the largest European aquifer thermal energy storage systems, and has a seasonal imbalance problem. Reasons for this issue may be the high cooling demand from laboratories, office buildings and the direct ATES cooling system. Annually, cooling towers use on average 250 MWh electricity for the removal of about 5 GWh of excess heat from the ATES to the surroundings. In addition, the TU/e uses a large amount of natural gas for heating purposes and especially for peak supplies. Recovering the surplus heat of the ATES, a CO2 Trans-critical Heat Pump (HP) system to cover particularly peak demands and total heating demand is proposed, modeled and optimized. The model is validated using data from International Energy Agency. Based on simulation results, 708294 nm3 of natural gas are saved where two different scenarios were considered for the ATES efficiency, cost saving and green house gas reduction. In scenario I, the COP of the ATES increased up to 50% by which K€ 303.3 energy cost and 1288.5 ton CO2 are saved annually. On the other hand, it will be shown that the ATES COP in Scenario II will improve up to 20%. In addition, the proposed energy recovery system results in a 606 ton CO2 -reduction and K€152.7 energy cost saving for the university each year.

1988 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 75-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Iihola ◽  
T. Ala-Peijari ◽  
H. Seppänen

The rapid changes and crises in the field of energy during the 1970s and 1980s have forced us to examine the use of energy more critically and to look for new ideas. Seasonal aquifer thermal energy storage (T < 100°C) on a large scale is one of the grey areas which have not yet been extensively explored. However, projects are currently underway in a dozen countries. In Finland there have been three demonstration projects from 1974 to 1987. International co-operation under the auspices of the International Energy Agency, Annex VI, ‘Environmental and Chemical Aspects of Thermal Energy Storage in Aquifers and Research and Development of Water Treatment Methods' started in 1987. The research being undertaken in 8 countries includes several elements fundamental to hydrochemistry and biochemistry.


1985 ◽  
Vol 107 (4) ◽  
pp. 322-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. G. Melville ◽  
F. J. Molz ◽  
O. Gu¨ven

Large scale field experiments in aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) were conducted between September, 1976, and November, 1982. Volumes of 7,700 m3, 54,800 m3, 58,000 m3, 24,400 m3, 58,000 m3, and 58,680 m3 were injected at average temperatures of 35.0° C, 55.0° C, 55.0° C, 58.5° C, 81.0° C, and 79.0° C, respectively, in an aquifer with ambient temperature of 20.0° C. Based on recovery volumes equal to the injection volumes, the respective energy recovery efficiencies were 69, 65, 74, 56, 45, and 42 percent. Primary factors in reduction of efficiency were aquifer nonhomogeneity and especially convection due to buoyancy of the injection volumes.


2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthijs Bonte ◽  
Boris M. Van Breukelen ◽  
Pieter J. Stuyfzand

Aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) uses groundwater to store energy for heating or cooling purposes in the built environment. This paper presents field and laboratory results aiming to elucidate the effects that ATES operation may have on chemical groundwater quality. Field data from an ATES site in the south of the Netherlands show that ATES results in chemical quality perturbations due to homogenisation of the initially present vertical water quality gradient. We tested this hypothesis by numerical modelling of groundwater flow and coupled SO4 transport during extraction and injection of groundwater by the ATES system. The modelling results confirm that extracting groundwater from an aquifer with a natural quality stratification, mixing this water in the ATES system, and subsequent injection in the second ATES well can adequately describe the observation data. This mixing effect masks any potential temperature effects in typical low temperature ATES systems (<25 °C) which was the reason to complement the field investigations with laboratory experiments focusing on temperature effects. The laboratory experiments indicated that temperature effects until 25 °C are limited; most interestingly was an increase in arsenic concentration. At 60 °C, carbonate precipitation, mobilisation of dissolved oxygen concentration, K and Li, and desorption of trace metals like As can occur.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rhys Jacob ◽  
Martin Belusko ◽  
Ming Liu ◽  
Wasim Saman ◽  
Frank Bruno

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (19) ◽  
pp. 6241
Author(s):  
Manon Bulté ◽  
Thierry Duren ◽  
Olivier Bouhon ◽  
Estelle Petitclerc ◽  
Mathieu Agniel ◽  
...  

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.


2012 ◽  
Vol 430-432 ◽  
pp. 746-749
Author(s):  
Yi Zhang ◽  
Dong Ming Guo

Utilizating of tube-well irrigation, the technology of aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) store rich cold energy in winter and cheap warm energy in summar into aquifers seasonally. In this paper, taking Sanhejian Coal Mine as an example, we discuss that with the same pumping and irrigation flow in doublet wells, distribution and change of temperature field in aquifers both at the end of energy storage and after the period of no pumping and no irrigation. The simulation results of aquifer temperature field show that 2~10°C water body of aquifers is decreasing in the period of no pumping and no irrigation, but it is only a small reduction with a stable trend. And after the period of no pumping and no irrigation, about 11°C water body of aquifers stores steadily in the aquifer, so the selected aquifers is suitable and its effect of energy storage is good.


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