• Energy Research

Abstract Shallow geothermal systems such as open and closed geothermal heat pump (GHP) systems are considered to be an efficient and renewable energy technology for cooling and heating of buildings and other facilities. The numbers of installed ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems, for example, is continuously increasing worldwide. The objective of the current study is not only to discuss the net energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions or savings by GHP operation, but also to fully examine environmental burdens and benefits related to applications of such shallow geothermal systems by employing a state-of the-art life cycle assessment (LCA). The latter enables us to assess the entire energy flows and resources use for any product or service that is involved in the life cycle of such a technology. The applied life cycle impact assessment methodology (ReCiPe 2008) shows the relative contributions of resources depletion (34%), human health (43%) and ecosystem quality (23%) of such GSHP systems to the overall environmental damage. Climate change, as one impact category among 18 others, contributes 55.4% to the total environmental impacts. The life cycle impact assessment also demonstrates that the supplied electricity for the operation of the heat pump is the primary contributor to the environmental impact of GSHP systems, followed by the heat pump refrigerant, production of the heat pump, transport, heat carrier liquid, borehole and borehole heat exchanger (BHE). GHG emissions related to the use of such GSHP systems are carefully reviewed; an average of 63 t CO 2 equivalent emissions is calculated for a life cycle of 20 years using the Continental European electricity mix with 0.599 kg CO 2 eq/kWh. However, resulting CO 2 eq savings for Europe, which are between −31% and 88% in comparison to conventional heating systems such as oil fired boilers and gas furnaces, largely depend on the primary resource of the supplied electricity for the heat pump, the climatic conditions and the inclusion of passive cooling capabilities. Factors such as degradation of coefficient of performance, as well as total leakage of the heat carrier fluid into the soil and aquifer are also carefully assessed, but show only minor environmental impacts.

Abstract Many cities leave a considerable thermal footprint in the subsurface. This is caused mainly by accelerated heat fluxes from warmed basements, pavements and buried infrastructures. Even though rough estimations of the theoretical heat content in urban ground exist, there is no insight available on the technical potential of such subsurface urban heat islands. By considering borehole heat exchangers (BHEs) for geothermal exploitation, new opportunities arise for planning sustainable systems within cities through utilization of accelerated ground heat input from urban structures. This is feasible at moderate heat extraction rates even without any active (seasonal) recharging of the BHEs. For typical conditions in central Europe and a given system’s life time, each additional degree of urban ground heating could save around 4 m of the borehole length for the same heating power supply. We inspect implications for a single BHE as well as complete coverage of cities, which is approximated by an infinite field of BHEs. The results show that shallower systems favour renewable operation, and urban technical potential of geothermal use increases by up to 40% when compared to rural conditions.

Abstract The growing interest in shallow geothermal resources leads to dense installation areas, where interference and decrease in efficiency might occur. To optimize geothermal use in cities which prevents interference between neighbouring and future installations, we present a novel concept relying on the definition of thermal protection perimeters (TPP) around geothermal installations. These perimeters are determined by quantifying the thermal probability of capture around closed- and open-loop geothermal systems. Then, the maximal acceptable power that can be exploited in the vicinity of the installations can be continuously mapped. Existing analytical heat transport models are adapted to calculate these thermal capture probabilities. Two applications are illustrated in Lyon (France). The first application shows that adapted analytical models can help to manage multiple geothermal installations already in place in sectors of few square kilometres. In the second application, a numerical deterministic model is used to determine the TPP of one open-loop system at a local scale. The numerical approach applied for this case allows to account for flow disturbances caused by underground constructions, and thus offers a refined representativeness of the probability of capture. The presented methodology facilitates compatibility assessments between existing and planned new geothermal installations, which is otherwise not feasible by only mapping thermal plumes caused by existing installations, as done in common practice.

Abstract The objective of the present study is to analyse the economic and environmental performance of ATES for a new building complex of the municipal hospital in Karlsruhe, Germany. The studied ATES has a cooling capacity of 3.0 MW and a heating capacity of 1.8 MW. To meet the heating and cooling demand of the studied building, an overall pumping rate of 963 m3/h is required. A Monte Carlo Simulation provides a probability distribution of the capital costs of the ATES with a mean value of 1.3 ± (0.1) million €. The underground part of the ATES system requires about 60% of the capital costs and therefore forms the major cost factor. In addition, the ATES is compared with the presently installed supply technology of the hospital, which consists of compression chillers for cooling and district heating. Despite the 50% higher capital costs of the ATES system, an average payback time of about 3 years is achieved due to lower demand-related costs. The most efficient supply option is direct cooling by the ATES resulting in an electricity cost reduction of 80%. Compared to the reference system, the ATES achieves CO2 savings of about 600 tons per year, hence clearly demonstrating the potential economic and environmental benefits of ATES in Germany.

This paper is part of the Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Urban Regeneration and Sustainability (Sustainable City 2015). http://www.witconferences.com Densely urbanized areas are characterized by special microclimatic conditions with typically elevated temperatures in comparison with the rural surrounding. This phenomenon is known as the urban heat island (UHI) effect, but not restricted exclusively to the atmosphere. We also find significant warming of the urban subsurface and shallow groundwater bodies. Here, main sources of heat are elevated ground surface temperatures, direct thermal exploitation of aquifers and heat losses from buildings and other infrastructure. By measuring the shallow groundwater temperature in several European cities, we identify that heat sources and associated transport processes interact at multiple spatial and temporal scales. The intensity of a subsurface UHI can reach the values of above 4 K in city centres with hotspots featuring temperatures up to +20°C. In comparison with atmospheric UHIs, subsurface UHIs represent long-term accumulations of heat in a relatively sluggish environment. This potentially impairs urban groundwater quality and permanently influences subsurface ecosystems. From another point of view, however, these thermal anomalies can also be seen as hidden large-scale batteries that constitute a source of shallow geothermal energy. Based on our measurements, data surveys and estimated physical ground properties, it is possible to estimate the theoretical geothermal potential of the urban groundwater bodies beneath the studied cities. For instance, by decreasing the elevated temperature of the shallow aquifer in Cologne, Germany, by only 2 K, the obtained energy could supply the space-heating demand of the entire city for at least 2.5 years. In the city of Karlsruhe, it is estimated that about 30% of annual heating demand could be sustainably supplied by tapping the anthropogenic heat loss in the urban aquifer. These results reveal the attractive potential of heated urban ground as energy reservoir and storage, which is in place at many places worldwide but so far not integrated in any city energy plans. This work was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) under grant number 200021L 144288, and the German Research Foundation (DFG), under grant number BL 1015/4-1.

ZusammenfassungDer saisonale Versatz von Angebot und Nachfrage im Wärmesektor kann über Speicherlösungen ausgeglichen werden. Für die jahreszeitliche Speicherung von Wärme und Kälte sind Aquiferspeicher (ATES) als vielversprechende Lösung vermehrt in den Fokus gerückt. Mit derzeit jeweils nur einem betriebenen Niedrigtemperatur- (NT) und Hochtemperaturspeicher (HT) fristet die Technologie in Deutschland allerdings noch immer ein Nischendasein. Diese Studie liefert einen Überblick über die aktuelle Entwicklung der Aquiferspeicherung in Deutschland und diskutiert Stärken und Schwächen sowie Chancen und Risiken. Trotz eines großen Nutzungspotenzials wird der Markteinstieg in Deutschland durch fehlende Anreizprogramme, mangelnde Kenntnisse sowie nicht vorhandene Pilotanlagen erschwert. Die Speichertemperaturen von HT-ATES (> 50 °C) erhöhen dessen Nutzungsmöglichkeiten, haben aber verstärkte technische und legislative Risiken zur Folge. Eine kommerzielle ATES-Nutzung in Deutschland ist daher nur möglich durch die Anpassung genehmigungsrechtlicher Anforderungen, die Schaffung von Fördermaßnahmen, die Umsetzung von Demonstrationsanlagen und die Darlegung von deren wirtschaftlichen und ökologischen Vorteilen.

Abstract The standard thermal response tests (TRT) provide integral and effective thermal parameters of the ground in the vicinity of borehole heat exchangers (BHE). However, typical ground properties are heterogeneously distributed. As a result, advanced TRT such as distributed and enhanced TRT are growing in popularity as they provide more spatial information of the thermal properties. Thus, the objective of this study is to compare various instruments to measure the depth-dependent temperatures using standard Pt100-sensors, fiber optical thermometers and novel instruments such as Geowire, Geoball and GEOsniff®. The investigations are carried out in a 30 m length test borehole. The results showed an excellent agreement between both the Geowire and GEOsniff® in comparison with Pt100-sensors with a root mean squared error of 0.10 and 0.09 K, respectively. The results also suggest that the novel instruments have various advantages over the standard sensors and fiber optics. For example, with the novel instruments comparable, accurate, inexpensive, instantaneous and higher spatial resolution temperature measurements are obtained. Finally, the outcome of this study provides a guide for choosing the adequate temperature measurement along a BHE thus generally improving the evaluation of advanced TRT, while potentially increasing efficiency and economic viability of ground-source heat pump systems.