A newly installed research infrastructure for geothermal energy in a subsurface sedimentary reservoir for direct-use heating: The TU Delft campus geothermal project

A geothermal doublet has been installed in a sedimentary reservoir for direct-use heating on the TU Delft campus, targeted to supply around 25 MW of thermal energy at peak conditions. This contribution presents the implementation and initial data collection from the doublet, including an initial evaluation of the logging and coring campaign....

High-Temperature Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (HT-ATES) system for research development and demonstration on the TU Delft campus

At present, over half of all primary energy used in Europe is used for heating and cooling. Therefore, decarbonizing the heating supply is essential to achieve climate targets. Underground thermal energy storage is a key enabling technology for the energy transition to buffer the large seasonal mismatch between thermal energy demand and...

Optimizing Energy Quay Walls: Insights from Comprehensive Thermal Analysis and Turbulent Flow Enhancement

In recent decades, there has been a notable rise in the utilization of the subsurface as a source for heating and cooling through shallow geothermal installations. This trend is exemplified by the emergence of Energy Geostructures (EGs), an innovative technology that not only provides structural support to the ground or buildings but also...

Numerical Study of Fluid Loss into a Thief Zone overlying a Geothermal Reservoir

and boundary connected with aquifer respectively, are discussed. On the basis of these two boundary conditions, several factors that influence the fluid loss process are studied. For the thief zone with no-flow boundary, our key conclusions illustrate that once the pressure front reaches an opening in the sealing, fluid loss occurs. However,...

Aquifer thermal energy storage triplet: Moving towards self-sufficient space heating and cooling

Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) is mostly used to store heat and cold in groundwater at relatively low temperatures for heating and cooling buildings. These systems emit 3-4 times less CO2 when compared to gas heating, but still require substantial amounts of electricity to run due to the use of a heat pump ( 60%). In typical ATES systems...

Improving Geothermal and Thermal Reservoir Property Prediction of Dutch Geothermal Plays

The ambition is to significantly enhance the knowledge, mapping, and prediction of the geological character of Dutch geothermal plays, focussing on thermal and geomechanical properties. The aim is to improve fundamental understanding of the geological causes behind rock properties, the understanding and quantification of the conversion of...

Can vegetation indices predict slope (stability) conditions?

Climatic conditions and vegetation cover influence the water flux in a dike body, which affect the effective stress and self-weight, hence its stability. The vegetation is the intermediate layer between the atmosphere and the soil, and therefore this layer influences the boundary water flux by transpiration and leaf interception, so considering...

Ultimate limit state assessment of dyke reliability using the random material point method

This paper investigates embankment reliability based on the ultimate limit state (ULS). The ULS is generally not clearly defined and, especially for flood defences, the ULS is currently under discussion. According to Dutch law [1], flooding which leads to either casualties or substantial financial damage is considered as the ultimate limit state...

A case study on technical and social aspects of earth houses in rural India

Earth houses are considered sustainable and affordable as compared to houses built with concrete or fired clay bricks. Moreover, it preserves the vernacular social and spatial traditions (cultural identity) of the community. With rapid industrialization and the increase in popularity of concrete and brick constructions, a decline in earth houses...