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

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.

2010 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. W. Bridger ◽  
D. M. Allen

A modelling study was carried out to evaluate the influence of aquifer heterogeneity, as represented by geologic layering, on heat transport and storage in an aquifer used for aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES). An existing ATES system in Agassiz, British Columbia, Canada, was used as a case study. The system consists of four production wells completed in an unconfined heterogeneous aquifer consisting of interbedded sands and gravels. An additional dump well was installed to provide for heat dissipation during the peak cooling periods. Three monitoring wells and the production wells were logged for temperature periodically within the first 1.5 years of operation. A three-dimensional groundwater flow and heat transport model was developed using FEFLOW. Simulation results indicate that heat and (or) cold energy moved preferentially in discrete zones within the aquifer or at least entered the wells over discrete intervals. Monitoring data support model results, but show that thermal storage was successfully achieved despite a significant cooling operation during the first year.


2011 ◽  
Vol 138-139 ◽  
pp. 442-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Zhang ◽  
Dong Ming Guo

When production needs, the technology of aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) can achieve cooling or heating by running the “underground cold water reservoir” or the “underground heat water reservoir”. In this paper, taking Sanhejian Coal Mine as an example, we discuss that with the same pumping and irrigation flow in multi-wells, distribution and change of temperature field in aquifers when energy storage system runs. The simulation results of aquifer temperature field show that any cold water well running can make temperature around the centerlin rise, and the rate rose from 0.4 °C to 6 °C as time increases. Any cold water well running can make the lowest temperature of other cold water wells around it rise 0.4°C or 0.5°C, the temperature of the aquifer whose temperature is below 15°C rises about 1°C or 2°C. It proves that the distance of wells is reasonable. When the whole system runs, the temperature field of 2°C to 10°C change greatly, the temperature field of 10°C to 15°C is stable, which is less affected by heat energy consumption in cold water well.


2015 ◽  
Vol 138 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah A. AlZahrani ◽  
Ibrahim Dincer

This study presents energy and exergy analyses of aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) integrated with a building heating and cooling system. In this regard, a typical bidirectional ATES integrated with a heat pump (HP) is considered in the provision of required heating and cooling demands. The different ATES components and the operating principle are described. Furthermore, energy and exergy models are formulated for three subprocesses: charging, storing, and discharging, to track changes in energy and exergy quantities with discharging time. The energetic and exergetic efficiencies are then evaluated for both operating cases. The limitation of the use of energy efficiency for ATES performance assessment is elaborated. In contrast, the importance of exergy analysis as a practical and temperature sensitive tool is considered as a quantitative and a qualitative measure of the ATES performance. Additionally, a comparison between energetic and exergetic efficiencies is presented where energy efficiency involves some ambiguities, especially when energy recovered from ATES is at a low temperature rather than at an ambient temperature.


2013 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 263-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. T. Sommer ◽  
P. J. Doornenbal ◽  
B. C. Drijver ◽  
P. F. M. van Gaans ◽  
I. Leusbrock ◽  
...  

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