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Mine water geothermal heat production and storage can provide a decarbonised source of energy for space heating and cooling, however the large resource potential has yet to be exploited widely. Besides economic, regulatory and licensing barriers, geoscientific uncertainties such as detailed understanding of thermal and hydrogeological subsurface processes, resource sustainability and potential environmental impacts remain.
The UK Geoenergy Observatory in Glasgow is a research infrastructure for investigating shallow, low-temperature coal mine water heat energy resources available in abandoned and flooded mine workings at depths of around 50-90 m. It is an at-scale ‘underground laboratory’ of 12 boreholes, surface monitoring equipment and open data. The Glasgow Observatory is accepting requests for researchers and innovators to undertake their own experiments, test sensors and methods to increase the scientific evidence base and reduce uncertainty for this shallow geothermal technology.
Alison Monaghan; Vanessa Starcher; Hugh Barron; Fiona Fordyce; Helen Taylor-Curran; Richard Luckett; Kirsty Shorter; Kyle Walker-Verkuil; Jack Elsome; Oliver Kuras; Corinna Abesser; David Boon; Barbara Palumbo-Roe; Rachel Dearden; Michael Spence. Mine water heat and heat storage research opportunities at the UK Geoenergy Observatory in Glasgow, UK. 2021, 1 .
AMA StyleAlison Monaghan, Vanessa Starcher, Hugh Barron, Fiona Fordyce, Helen Taylor-Curran, Richard Luckett, Kirsty Shorter, Kyle Walker-Verkuil, Jack Elsome, Oliver Kuras, Corinna Abesser, David Boon, Barbara Palumbo-Roe, Rachel Dearden, Michael Spence. Mine water heat and heat storage research opportunities at the UK Geoenergy Observatory in Glasgow, UK. . 2021; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAlison Monaghan; Vanessa Starcher; Hugh Barron; Fiona Fordyce; Helen Taylor-Curran; Richard Luckett; Kirsty Shorter; Kyle Walker-Verkuil; Jack Elsome; Oliver Kuras; Corinna Abesser; David Boon; Barbara Palumbo-Roe; Rachel Dearden; Michael Spence. 2021. "Mine water heat and heat storage research opportunities at the UK Geoenergy Observatory in Glasgow, UK." , no. : 1.
Global demands for energy efficient heating and cooling systems coupled with rising commitments toward net zero emissions is resulting in wide deployment of shallow geothermal systems, typically installed to a depth of 100 to 200m, and in the continued growth of the global ground source heat pump (GSHP) market. Ground coupled heat pump (GCHP) systems take up to 85% of the global GSHP market. With increasing deployment of GCHP systems in urban areas coping with limited regulations, there is growing potential and risk for these systems to impact the subsurface thermal regime and to interact with each other or with nearby heat‐sensitive subsurface infrastructures. In this paper, we present three numerical modelling case studies, from the UK and Canada, which examine GCHP systems’ response to perturbation of the wider hydrogeological and thermal regimes. The studies demonstrate how GCHP systems can be impacted by external influences and perturbations arising from subsurface activities that change the thermal and hydraulic regimes in the area surrounding these systems. Additional subsurface heat loads near existing schemes are found to have varied impacts on system efficiency with reduction ranging from <1 % to 8 %, while changes in groundwater flow rates (due to a nearby groundwater abstraction) reduced the effective thermal conductivity at the study site by 13%. The findings support the argument in favour of regulation of GCHP systems or, to a minimum, their registration with records of locations and approximate heat pump capacity – even though these systems do not abstract / inject groundwater. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Corinna Abesser; Robert A. Schincariol; Jasmin Raymond; Alejandro García‐Gil; Ronan Drysdale; Alex Piatek; Nicolò Giordano; Nehed Jaziri; John Molson. Case Studies of Geothermal System Response to Perturbations in Groundwater Flow and Thermal Regimes. Groundwater 2021, 1 .
AMA StyleCorinna Abesser, Robert A. Schincariol, Jasmin Raymond, Alejandro García‐Gil, Ronan Drysdale, Alex Piatek, Nicolò Giordano, Nehed Jaziri, John Molson. Case Studies of Geothermal System Response to Perturbations in Groundwater Flow and Thermal Regimes. Groundwater. 2021; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCorinna Abesser; Robert A. Schincariol; Jasmin Raymond; Alejandro García‐Gil; Ronan Drysdale; Alex Piatek; Nicolò Giordano; Nehed Jaziri; John Molson. 2021. "Case Studies of Geothermal System Response to Perturbations in Groundwater Flow and Thermal Regimes." Groundwater , no. : 1.
The long-term sustainability of shallow geothermal systems in dense urbanized areas can be potentially compromised by the existence of thermal interfaces. Thermal interferences between systems have to be avoided to prevent the loss of system performance. Nevertheless, in this work we provide evidence of a positive feedback from thermal interferences in certain controlled situations. Two real groundwater heat pump systems were investigated using real exploitation data sets to estimate the thermal energy demand bias and, by extrapolation, to assess the nature of thermal interferences between the systems. To do that, thermal interferences were modelled by means of a calibrated and validated 3D city-scale numerical model reproducing groundwater flow and heat transport. Results obtained showed a 39% (522 MWh·yr-1) energy imbalance towards cooling for one of the systems, which generated a hot thermal plume towards the downgradient and second system investigated. The nested system in the hot thermal plume only used groundwater for heating, thus establishing a positive symbiotic relationship between them. Considering the energy balance of both systems together, a reduced 9% imbalance was found, hence ensuring the long-term sustainability and renewability of the shallow geothermal resource exploited. The nested geothermal systems described illustrate the possibilities of a new management strategy in shallow geothermal energy governance.
Alejandro García-Gil; Miguel Mejías Moreno; Eduardo Garrido Schneider; Miguel Ángel Marazuela; Corinna Abesser; Jesús Mateo Lázaro; José Ángel Sánchez Navarro. Nested Shallow Geothermal Systems. Sustainability 2020, 12, 5152 .
AMA StyleAlejandro García-Gil, Miguel Mejías Moreno, Eduardo Garrido Schneider, Miguel Ángel Marazuela, Corinna Abesser, Jesús Mateo Lázaro, José Ángel Sánchez Navarro. Nested Shallow Geothermal Systems. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (12):5152.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAlejandro García-Gil; Miguel Mejías Moreno; Eduardo Garrido Schneider; Miguel Ángel Marazuela; Corinna Abesser; Jesús Mateo Lázaro; José Ángel Sánchez Navarro. 2020. "Nested Shallow Geothermal Systems." Sustainability 12, no. 12: 5152.
Reaching Net Zero CO2 emissions by 2050 will require rapid and wide-scale deployment of renewable heating technologies in rural and urban areas, including open and closed loop type production wells and borehole heat exchangers, supplying individual, shared, and centralised heat pumps as part of wider district heating and cooling grids. Ground and groundwater conditions are naturally variable and are a key factor in system viability, capital cost and long-term performance. Engineering approaches for heating and cooling of buildings should be optimised for the local thermo-geological conditions to avoid system interference and thermal degradation. Sustainable use of shallow geothermal systems can be achieved by adopting an environmental stewardship approach, integrating geological information within energy master plans, taking full advantage of subsurface data visualisation technology and integrated planning and modelling tools.
We present a method for creating a digital shallow geothermal opportunities map - mostly aimed at moderate- to expert-skill level geoenvironmetal and energy consultants, planners and civil engineers. The output is a digital 1:50 000 scale equivalent thematic map, that provides a synthesis of available technical information by combining data such as 3D superficial geological model data - delimiting aquifer and non-aquifer boundaries, groundwater levels and temperatures, aquifer thickness, flow direction, possibly with inset tables summarising groundwater chemistry and key physical properties of the main geological units such typical thermal conductivity. Built infrastructure that could constrain drilling locations, as well as potential water discharge points and open water heat source and storage opportunities, such as sewers, rivers, canals, docks, and lakes, might also be included in the map. Local development plans and heat demand mapping data could then be integrated with the opportunities map to identify and prioritise districts that would benefit from more detailed viability studies for conversion of fossil fuel heating systems to low carbon heating and cooling technologies.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s H2020 research and innovation programme under the GeoERA MUSE project – Managing Urban Shallow Geothermal Energy.
David Boon; Gareth Farr; Laura Williams; Stephen Thorpe; Ashley Patton; Rhian Kendall; Alan Holden; Johanna Scheidegger; Suzanne Self; Corinna Abesser; Gareth Harcombe. Concept for shallow geothermal opportunity mapping. 2020, 1 .
AMA StyleDavid Boon, Gareth Farr, Laura Williams, Stephen Thorpe, Ashley Patton, Rhian Kendall, Alan Holden, Johanna Scheidegger, Suzanne Self, Corinna Abesser, Gareth Harcombe. Concept for shallow geothermal opportunity mapping. . 2020; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDavid Boon; Gareth Farr; Laura Williams; Stephen Thorpe; Ashley Patton; Rhian Kendall; Alan Holden; Johanna Scheidegger; Suzanne Self; Corinna Abesser; Gareth Harcombe. 2020. "Concept for shallow geothermal opportunity mapping." , no. : 1.
Mine water geothermal heat production and storage can provide a decarbonised source of energy for space heating and cooling, however the large resource potential has yet to be exploited widely. Besides economic, regulatory and licensing barriers, the geoscientific uncertainties remain significant. A lack of detailed understanding of thermal and hydrogeological subsurface conditions and processes, resource sustainability, and the potential impacts on the subsurface-to-surface environmental impacts have so far hampered a more widespread development of this resource.
The British Geological Survey (BGS) is in the final stages of constructing the Glasgow Geothermal Energy Research Field Site on behalf of the Natural Environment Research Council with UK Government funding. As one of the two new UK Geoenergy Observatories, the Glasgow site will facilitate collaborative research to improve our understanding of subsurface processes and change. It will provide scientific infrastructure for investigating the shallow, low-temperature coal mine water geothermal energy resources available in abandoned and flooded mine workings at depths of around 50-90 m below the eastern parts of the city.
The Glasgow site was chosen due to its commonalities with other parts of the UK and beyond in terms of its coal mining history, geology and legacy of industrial land use. Mine water geothermal resources in these settings could provide sufficient heat for community-scale district heating networks.
The research infrastructure comprises arrays of mine water and environmental baseline boreholes for characterisation and monitoring, and the boreholes are instrumented with permanent geophysical sensors. Here we report on interim results from drilling the environmental baseline and mine water boreholes, and opportunities for research and innovation.
Continuous monitoring and regular sampling data will be provided for the science community to examine a dynamic subsurface geo-, hydro- and bio-sphere. The facility will also provide opportunities for researchers to undertake their own experiments, with the aim of producing high-quality scientific evidence to reduce uncertainty on mine heat energy systems and understand their environmental impacts, for schemes across the UK and beyond.
Alison Monaghan; Vanessa Starcher; Hugh Barron; Corinna Abesser; Brighid O Dochartaigh; Fiona Fordyce; Oliver Kuras; Sean Burke; Helen Taylor-Curran; Richard Luckett. The UK Geoenergy Observatory in Glasgow, Scotland: a New Facility for Mine Water Geothermal Research. 2020, 1 .
AMA StyleAlison Monaghan, Vanessa Starcher, Hugh Barron, Corinna Abesser, Brighid O Dochartaigh, Fiona Fordyce, Oliver Kuras, Sean Burke, Helen Taylor-Curran, Richard Luckett. The UK Geoenergy Observatory in Glasgow, Scotland: a New Facility for Mine Water Geothermal Research. . 2020; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAlison Monaghan; Vanessa Starcher; Hugh Barron; Corinna Abesser; Brighid O Dochartaigh; Fiona Fordyce; Oliver Kuras; Sean Burke; Helen Taylor-Curran; Richard Luckett. 2020. "The UK Geoenergy Observatory in Glasgow, Scotland: a New Facility for Mine Water Geothermal Research." , no. : 1.
Urban environments often have highly variable and evolving hydrogeology. Coastal cities present even greater challenges to hydraulic and thermal conceptualisation and parameter estimation due to their complex dynamics and the heterogeneity of ocean-influenced hydraulic processes. Traditional methods of investigation (e.g. pump tests, invasive sampling) are time consuming, expensive, represent a snapshot in time and are difficult to conduct in built-up areas, yet properties derived from them are crucial for constructing models and forecasting urban groundwater evolution.
Here we present a novel approach to use passive sampling of groundwater head data to understand subsurface processes and derive hydraulic and geotechnical properties in an urban-coastal setting. This is illustrated using twenty years of high frequency (hourly) time-series data from an existing groundwater monitoring network comprising 234 boreholes distributed across Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, UK. We have applied Tidal Subsurface Analysis (TSA) to Earth, Atmospheric and Oceanic signals in groundwater time-series in the frequency domain, and also generated Barometric Response Functions in the time domain. By also observing the damping and attenuation of the response to ocean tides with distance from the coast and tidal rivers, this combination of analyses has enabled us to disentangle the influence of the different tidal components and estimate spatially distributed aquifer processes and parameters.
The data cover a period pre and post construction of a barrage across the coastline, impounding the city’s rivers. We were therefore able to observe a huge decrease in the subsurface ocean tide signal propagation following this human intervention, through the coastal and tidal river boundaries. These changes reveal variations in hydraulic responses and values of hydraulic diffusivity between different lithologies, notably with made-ground deposits being much less sensitive to ocean tides than the underlying sand and gravel aquifer. By being able to map the spatial variations in hydraulic response and barometric efficiency for the first time (and therefore formation compressibility and extent of aquifer confinement) we have been able to refine interpretations (and in some cases overcome misconceptions) derived from previous inferences made solely from borehole logs. We anticipate that linking the improved hydraulic characterisation, enabled by the new methodology, will also help better characterisation of the subsurface thermal regime, and management of shallow geothermal energy resources in coastal urban aquifers.
Ashley M Patton; Gabriel C Rau; Corinna Abesser; David R James; Peter J Cleall; Mark O Cuthbert. Characterising hydrodynamic controls on groundwater in a coastal urban aquifer using time and frequency domain responses at multiple spatiotemporal scales. 2020, 1 .
AMA StyleAshley M Patton, Gabriel C Rau, Corinna Abesser, David R James, Peter J Cleall, Mark O Cuthbert. Characterising hydrodynamic controls on groundwater in a coastal urban aquifer using time and frequency domain responses at multiple spatiotemporal scales. . 2020; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAshley M Patton; Gabriel C Rau; Corinna Abesser; David R James; Peter J Cleall; Mark O Cuthbert. 2020. "Characterising hydrodynamic controls on groundwater in a coastal urban aquifer using time and frequency domain responses at multiple spatiotemporal scales." , no. : 1.
Global demands for energy efficient heating and cooling systems coupled with rising commitments toward net zero emissions building infrastructure have resulted in wide deployment of shallow geothermal systems and in the continued growth in the global geothermal heat pump (GHP) market. With increasing deployment of these systems in urban areas, there is growing potential and risk for these systems to impact the subsurface thermal regime and to interact with each other or with nearby heat-sensitive subsurface infrastructures.
GHP systems have been studied in urban environments with respect to their effects on the subsurface thermal regime, and various modelling studies have investigated the sensitivity of their performance to key (hydro)geological and operational parameters. The focus of these studies has been on isolated systems, where flow conditions and background subsurface temperatures are assumed to be constant, impacted only by the modelled system itself during its operation. However, less attention has been paid to the effects on GHPs functional efficiency from perturbations in the wider hydrogeological and thermal regime, e.g. due to urbanization, multiple BHEs within tight (residential) clusters or competing subsurface uses requiring pumping of groundwater.
In this paper, we present three numerical modelling case studies, from the UK and Canada, which examine GHP systems response to perturbation of the wider hydrogeological and thermal regime. We investigate the influence of key parameters and different model realisations, e.g. relating to system design, unbalanced thermal ground loads and environmental conditions, on the modelled GHP system efficiencies and thermal interference. We highlight findings that are relevant from an economic point of view but also for regulations. Findings are discussed within the context of the contrasting design and operational pattern typical for the UK / Europe and Canada/ North America.
Corinna Abesser; Robert Schincariol; Jasmin Raymond; Alejandro Garcia Gil; Jonathan Busby; Ronan Drysdale; Al Piatek; Nicolo Giordano; Nehed Jaziri; John Molson. Observations from shallow geothermal modelling case studies in Canada and the UK. 2020, 1 .
AMA StyleCorinna Abesser, Robert Schincariol, Jasmin Raymond, Alejandro Garcia Gil, Jonathan Busby, Ronan Drysdale, Al Piatek, Nicolo Giordano, Nehed Jaziri, John Molson. Observations from shallow geothermal modelling case studies in Canada and the UK. . 2020; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCorinna Abesser; Robert Schincariol; Jasmin Raymond; Alejandro Garcia Gil; Jonathan Busby; Ronan Drysdale; Al Piatek; Nicolo Giordano; Nehed Jaziri; John Molson. 2020. "Observations from shallow geothermal modelling case studies in Canada and the UK." , no. : 1.
Fibre optic distributed temperature sensing (DTS) is used increasingly for environmental monitoring and subsurface characterization. Combined with heating of metal elements embedded within the fibre optic cable, the temperature response of the soil provides valuable information from which soil parameters such as thermal conductivity and soil moisture can be derived at high spatial and temporal resolution, and over long distances.We present a novel active distributed temperature sensing (A-DTS) system and its application to characterize spatial and temporal dynamics in soil thermal conductivity along a recently forested hillslope in Central England, UK. Compared with conventional techniques (needle probe surveys), A-DTS provided values with a similar spread although lower on average. The larger number of measurement points that A-DTS provides at higher spatial and temporal resolutions and the ability to repeat surveys under different meteorological or hydrological conditions allow for a more detailed examination of the spatial and temporal variability of thermal conductivities at the study site. Although system deployment time and costs are higher than with needle probes, A-DTS can be extremely appealing for applications requiring long-term monitoring, at high temporal repeatability, over long (kilometres) distances and with minimum soil disturbance, compared with one-off spatial surveys.Thematic collection: This article is part of the Measurement and monitoring collection available at: https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/measurement-and-monitoring
Corinna Abesser; Francesco Ciocca; John Findlay; David Hannah; Philip Blaen; Athena Chalari; Michael Mondanos; Stefan Krause. A distributed heat pulse sensor network for thermo-hydraulic monitoring of the soil subsurface. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology 2020, 53, 352 -365.
AMA StyleCorinna Abesser, Francesco Ciocca, John Findlay, David Hannah, Philip Blaen, Athena Chalari, Michael Mondanos, Stefan Krause. A distributed heat pulse sensor network for thermo-hydraulic monitoring of the soil subsurface. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology. 2020; 53 (3):352-365.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCorinna Abesser; Francesco Ciocca; John Findlay; David Hannah; Philip Blaen; Athena Chalari; Michael Mondanos; Stefan Krause. 2020. "A distributed heat pulse sensor network for thermo-hydraulic monitoring of the soil subsurface." Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology 53, no. 3: 352-365.
Coastal dunes are delicate systems that are under threat from a variety of human and natural influences. Groundwater modelling can provide a better understanding of how these systems operate and can be a useful tool towards the effective management of a coastal dune system, e.g. by identifying strategically important locations for flora and fauna and guiding the planning of management operations through predicting impacts from climatic change, sea level rise and land use management. Most dune systems are small, typically of the size 10–100 km2, compared with inland groundwater systems. Applying conventional groundwater modelling approaches to these small systems presents a number of challenges due to the local scale of the system and the fact that the system boundaries (sea, drains, ponds etc.) are close to the main body of the aquifer. In this paper, two case studies will be presented using different modelling approaches to understand the groundwater balance in two dune systems in the UK. The studies demonstrate that, although conventional hydraulic models can describe the general system behaviour, a fuller understanding of the recharge mechanisms and system boundaries is needed to represent adequately system dynamics of small groundwater systems.
Corinna Abesser; Derek Clarke; Andrew Hughes; Nick S. Robins. Modelling small groundwater systems: experiences from the Braunton Burrows and Ainsdale coastal dune systems, UK. Journal of Coastal Conservation 2017, 21, 595 -614.
AMA StyleCorinna Abesser, Derek Clarke, Andrew Hughes, Nick S. Robins. Modelling small groundwater systems: experiences from the Braunton Burrows and Ainsdale coastal dune systems, UK. Journal of Coastal Conservation. 2017; 21 (5):595-614.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCorinna Abesser; Derek Clarke; Andrew Hughes; Nick S. Robins. 2017. "Modelling small groundwater systems: experiences from the Braunton Burrows and Ainsdale coastal dune systems, UK." Journal of Coastal Conservation 21, no. 5: 595-614.