Field Testing of a Novel Drilling Technique to Expand Well Diameters at Depth in Unconsolidated Formations

Larger well diameters allow higher groundwater abstraction rates. But particularly for the construction of wells at greater depth, it may be more cost-efficient to only expand the borehole in the target aquifer. However, current drilling techniques for unconsolidated formations are limited by their expansion factors (<2) and diameters (&lt...

Maximizing the use of aquifer thermal energy storage systems in urban areas: effects on individual system primary energy use and overall GHG emissions

Low temperature (<25 °C) Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) systems have a world-wide potential to provide low-carbon space heating and cooling for buildings by using heat pumps combined with the seasonal subsurface storage and recovery of heated and cooled groundwater. ATES systems increasingly utilize aquifer space, decreasing the...

Improving the Efficiency of District Heating and Cooling Using a Geothermal Technology: Underground Thermal Energy Storage (UTES)

For efficient operation of heating and cooling grids, underground thermal energy storage (UTES) can be a key element. This is due to its ability to seasonally store heat or cold addressing the large mismatch between supply and demand. This technology is already available and there are many operational examples, both within and outside a...

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...

Towards Sustainable Heat Supply with Decentralized Multi-Energy Systems by Integration of Subsurface Seasonal Heat Storage

In the energy transition, multi-energy systems are crucial to reduce the temporal, spatial and functional mismatch between sustainable energy supply and demand. Technologies as power-to-heat (PtH) allow flexible and effective utilisation of available surplus green electricity when integrated with seasonal heat storage options. However, insights...

ATES systems performance in practice: analysis of operational data from ATES systems in the province of Utrecht, The Netherlands

Energy consumption for space heating and cooling of buildings can be decreased by 40-80% by use of Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES). ATES is a proven technique, however, it is not known how efficient currently operating systems are recovering stored energy from the subsurface and how this can be determined with available data. Recent...

Transforming ATES to HT-ATES

Transforming Ates To Ht-Ates, Insights From Dutch Pilot Project

Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) systems combined with a heat pump save energy for space heating and cooling of buildings. In most countries the temperature of the stored heat is allowed up to 25-30°C. However, when heat is available at higher temperatures (e.g. waste heat, solar heat), it is more efficient to store higher temperatures...

Analysis of the impact of storage conditions on the thermal recovery efficiency of low-temperature ATES systems

Aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) is a technology with worldwide potential to provide sustainable space heating and cooling using groundwater stored at different temperatures. The thermal recovery efficiency is one of the main parameters that determines the overall energy savings of ATES systems and is affected by storage specifics and site...

Water quality considerations on the rise as the use of managed aquifer recharge systems widens

Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) is a promising method of increasing water availability in water stressed areas by subsurface infiltration and storage, to overcome periods of drought, and to stabilize or even reverse salinization of coastal aquifers. Moreover, MAR could be a key technique in making alternative water resources available, such as...

Observations and prediction of recovered quality of desalinated seawater in the strategic ASR project in Liwa, Abu Dhabi

To be able to overcome water shortages, Abu Dhabi Emirate started an Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) project with desalinated seawater (DSW) as source water near Liwa. It is the largest DSW-ASR project in the world (stored volume ~10 Mm³/year), and should recover potable water for direct use. DSW is infiltrated into a desert...