Greenhouse gas emissions of aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruben Stemmle ◽  
Philipp Blum ◽  
Simon Schüppler ◽  
Paul Fleuchaus ◽  
Melissa Limoges ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Storage ◽  
Regression Model ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Conventional Heating ◽  
Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Electricity Mix

<p>Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) is an open-loop geothermal system enabling seasonal storage of thermal energy in groundwater. It is a promising technology for environmentally friendly energy generation that can overcome the seasonal mismatch between demand and supply of heating and cooling and helps to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Yet, there are only few studies quantifying GHG emissions caused by ATES systems over their entire life cycle. This study presents a novel life cycle assessment (LCA) regression model focusing on the GHG emissions that is a fast alternative to conventional time-consuming LCA. Due to its parametric structure, the regression LCA model can be used to perform Monte Carlo simulations of a wide range of different ATES configurations. Accordingly, it allows the environmental evaluation of the technology as a whole.</p><p>The application of the model reveals that the median value of investigated ATES configurations is 83.2 gCO<sub>2eq</sub>/kWh<sub>th</sub> with most of the emissions resulting from electricity consumption during the operational phase. Compared to conventional heating systems based on heating oil and natural gas, this value reveals potential GHG savings of up to 74 %. In terms of cooling, ATES can save up to about 59 % of GHG emissions compared to conventional, electricity-based technologies. Specific GHG emissions from a modified LCA regression model considering a projected electricity mix for the year 2050 add up to 10.5 gCO<sub>2eq</sub>/kWh<sub>th</sub> forecasting even higher emission savings of up to 97 %. A sensitivity analysis reveals that in particular the operational time for cooling and the coefficient of performance (COP) of the heat pump should be carefully considered when planning or optimizing new systems under current conditions. In contrast, when considering the projected 2050 electricity mix, the most important system parameter is the number of wells. This reflects the decreasing importance of the electrical power necessary for ATES operation due to the much lower specific GHG emissions of the projected 2050 electricity mix.</p>

Environmental impacts of aquifer thermal energy storage investigated by field and laboratory experiments

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthijs Bonte ◽  
Boris M. Van Breukelen ◽  
Pieter J. Stuyfzand
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Temperature Effects ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Potential Temperature ◽  
Arsenic Concentration ◽  
Observation Data ◽  
Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Field Investigations

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.

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 ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Groundwater Flow ◽  
Heat Transport ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Joint Operation ◽  
Groundwater Temperature ◽  
Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage

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.

Temperature Field of Doublet-Wells Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage in Sanhejian Coal Mine

2012 ◽  
Vol 430-432 ◽  
pp. 746-749
Author(s):  
Yi Zhang ◽  
Dong Ming Guo
Keyword(s):  
Temperature Field ◽  
Energy Storage ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Coal Mine ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Water Body ◽  
Small Reduction ◽  
Irrigation Flow ◽  
Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Cold Energy

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.

A Geothermal Energy Concept based on Heat Storage in Geological Media

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rubén Vidal ◽  
Maarten W. Saaltink ◽  
Sebastià Olivella
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Ground Deformation ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Energy Deficit ◽  
Good Tool ◽  
Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Low Efficiency

<p>Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) can help to balance energy demand and supply to make better use of infrastructures and resources. ATES consists of a pair or more wells that simultaneously inject or extract thermal energy into aquifers. The aim of ATES is to store the excess of energy during summer and to reuse it during winter, when there is an energy deficit. High-temperature Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (HT-ATES) provides a good option to store water over 50°C, but it requires facing some problems, such as low efficiency recoveries and the uplift of the surface. Coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) modelling is a good tool to analyze the viability and cost effectiveness of the HT-ATES systems and understand the interaction of processes, such as heat flux, groundwater flow and ground deformation. We present the 3D THM modelling of a pilot HT-ATES system, inspired by one of the projects of HEATSTORE, which is a GEOTHERMICA ERA-NET co-funded project. The model aims to simulate the injection of hot water of 90°C in a central well and the extraction of water in four auxiliary wells during summer. In winter, the auxiliary wells inject water of 50°C and the central well extract water. The loading lasts longer than the unloading (8 months versus 4 months) and overall more heat is injected than extracted. We found that the system is more efficient in terms of energy recovery, the more years the system is operating. In the aquifer, both thermal loads and hydraulic loads have an important role in terms of displacements. At the surface, the vertical displacements are only a consequence of the hydraulic strains generated by the injection of water in the aquifer.</p>

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