Recent studies report rapid corrosion of metals and carbonation of minerals in contact with H2O-saturated (or nearly saturated) CO2. One explanation for this behavior is that addition of small amounts of H2O to CO2 leads to significant ionization within the fluid (analogous to corrosion in aqueous fluids). The extent of ionization in the bulk CO2 fluid was determined using a flow-through conductivity cell capable of analyzing very dilute solutions. Experiments were conducted from 25 to 200"C and 25 to 200 bar with H2O concentrations up to ~1650 ppmw. In all experiments, conductivities <10 nS/cm were obtained, indicating that the solution is essentially ion-free. This observation suggests that mobile ions are not present in the bulk CO2--rich fluid, and that the observed corrosion and carbonation reactions are not the result of ionization in the bulk fluid. / Master of Science

In this paper it is investigated the role that geothermal energy could play in theenergy mix, to meet new system requirements. As any other source, geothermal energy harnessing implies a number of risksmainly related to induced seismicity and landslides, together with the releaseof as greenhouse gases and metal salts. Moreover, important barriers to itsimplementation still exist, mainly concerning financial aspects and drillingoperations. As well, administrative status is uncertain and related investmentin R&amp;D negligible. However, geothermal energy presents important advantages in relation toother energy sources, as its reliability and large capacity factor, comparable tonuclear and natural gas plants. It could help to reduce both the globalwarming, whose potential is up to 5 times lower than in the case of fossilfuels, and the landuse, the lowest of any power plant. Additionally, in spite ofthe high and risky initial investment, energy produced by geothermal means is amongst the cheapest. The geothermal potential is large enough to substantially contribute to theenergy mix, through locally available resources. Economic potential in Europeby 2050 is estimated in 100 – 4 000 TWheand 880–1 050 TWhth. Nevertheless, currently available technology strongly limits the access togeothermal resources. In addition, predictions about geothermal utilizationare modest and have hardly been achieved to date. The key for the future isthe development of the Engineered Geothermal Systems.

In winter it is common with frost formation in plate heat exchangers. During defrosting, the heat recovery efficiency decreases and the heat rate requirement for post-heating increases. One way to avoid frost formation is to preheat the ventilation air with geothermal energy, a so-called GeoMVHR system. This study examines the profitability of eliminating the requirement for post-heating using geothermal energy to preheat the incoming ventilation air. The study evaluates the profitability for two locations in Sweden, Stockholm and Gothenburg. The method used is the internal rate of return. The heat rate requirement for post-heating in an MVHR system without geothermal outdoor preheating and the power for operating a GeoMVHR system that eliminates the requirement for post-heating is calculated. The internal rate of return was 5.7% for Gothenburg and 5.3% for Stockholm. The conclusion was that the GeoMVHR systems could be seen as a profitable investment.

No description available.

Ground-coupled ventilation (GCV) is a system that exchanges heat with the soil. Because ground temperatures are relatively higher during the cold season and lower during the hot season, the system takes advantage of this natural phenomenon. This research focused on designing a ground-coupled ventilation system evaluation tool of many factors that affect system performance. The tool predicts the performance of GCV system design based on the GCV system design parameters including the location of the system, pipe length, pipe depth, pipe diameter, soil type, number of pipes, volume flow rate, and bypass system. The tool uses regression equations created from many GCV system design simulation data using Autodesk Computational Fluid Dynamics software. As a result, this tool helps users choose the most suitable GCV system design by comparing multiple GCV systems' design performances and allows them to save time, money, and effort. / Doctor of Philosophy / Ground-coupled ventilation (GCV) is a system that exchanges heat with the soil. Because ground temperatures are relatively higher during the cold season and lower during the hot season, the system takes advantage of this natural phenomenon. This research focused on designing a ground-coupled ventilation system evaluation tool of many factors that affect system performance. The tool predicts the performance of GCV system design based on the GCV system design parameters including the location of the system, pipe length, pipe depth, pipe diameter, soil type, number of pipes, volume flow rate, and bypass system. The tool uses equations created from many GCV system designs’ simulation data using simulation software. As a result, this tool helps users choose the most suitable GCV system design by comparing multiple GCV system designs’ performance and allows them to save time, money, and effort.

In the area of geothermal energy mapping, scientists have used physics-based models and bottom-hole temperature measurements from oil and gas wells to generate heat flow and temperature-at-depth maps. Given the uncertainties and simplifying assumptions associated with the current state of physics-based models used in this field, this thesis explores an alternate approach for locating geothermally active regions using machine learning methods coupled with physics knowledge of geothermal energy problems, in the emerging field of physics-guided machine learning. There are two primary contributions of this thesis. First, we present a thorough analysis of using state-of-the-art machine learning models to predict a subsurface geothermal parameter, temperature-at-depth, using a rich geo-spatial dataset across the Appalachian Basin. Specifically, we explore a suite of machine learning algorithms such as neural networks (DNN), Ridge regression (R-reg) models, and decision-tree-based models (e.g., XGBoost and Random Forest). We found that XGBoost and Random Forests result in the highest accuracy for subsurface temperature prediction. We also ran our model on a fine spatial grid to provide 2D continuous temperature maps at three different depths using the XGBoost model, which can be used to locate prospective geothermally active regions. Second, we develop a physics-guided machine learning model for predicting subsurface temperatures that not only uses surface temperature, thermal conductivity coefficient, and depth as input parameters, but also the heat-flux parameter that is known to be a potent indicator of temperature-at-depth values according to physics knowledge of geothermal energy problems. Since, there is no independent easy-to-use method for observing heat-flux directly or inferring it from other observed variables. We develop an innovative approach to take into account heat-flux parameters through a physics-guided clustering-regression model. Specifically, the bottom-hole temperature data is initially clustered into multiple groups based on the heat-flux parameter using Gaussian mixture model (GMM). This is followed by training neural network regression models using the data within each constant heat-flux region. Finally, a KNN classifier is trained for cluster membership prediction. Our preliminary results indicate that our proposed approach results in lower errors as the number of clusters increases because the heat-flux parameter is indirectly accounted for in the machine learning model. / Master of Science / Machine learning and artificial intelligence have transformed many research fields and industries. In this thesis, we investigate the applicability of machine learning and data-driven approaches in the field of geothermal energy exploration. Given the uncertainties and simplifying assumptions associated with the current state of physics-based models, we show that machine learning can provide viable alternative solutions for geothermal energy mapping. First, we explore a suite of machine learning algorithms such as neural networks (DNN), Ridge regression (R-reg) models, and decision-tree based models (e.g., XGBoost and Random Forest). We find that XGBoost and Random Forests result in the highest accuracy for subsurface temperature prediction. Accuracy measures show that machine learning models are at par with physics-based models and can even outperform the thermal conductivity model. Second, we incorporate the thermal conductivity theory with machine learning and propose an innovative clustering-regression approach in the emerging area of physics-guided machine learning that results in a smaller error than black-box machine learning methods.

In the past two decades, a growing interest in alternative energy resources as a replacement to the non-renewable resources used now days. These alternatives include geothermal energy which can be used to generate power and reduce the demands on energy used to heat and cool buildings. Ground-coupled ventilation system is one of the many applications of the geothermal energy that have a lot of attention in the early 80's and 90's but all designs of the system where based on single case situations. On the other hand, computational fluid dynamics tools are used to simulate heat and fluid flow in any real life situation. They start to develop rapidly with the fast development of computers and processors. These tools provide a great opportunity to simulate and predict the outcome of most problems with minimum loss and better way to develop new designs. By using these CFD tools in GCV systems designing procedure, energy can be conserved and designs going to be improved. The main objective of this study is to find and develop a CFD modeling strategy for GCV systems. To accomplish this objective, a case study must be selected, a proper CFD tool chosen, modeling and meshing method determined, and finally running simulations and analyzing results. All factors that affect the performance of GCV should be taken under consideration in that process such as soil, backfill, and pipes thermal properties. Multiple methods of simulation were proposed and compared to determine the best modeling approach. / Master of Science

Pagrindinės šiame darbe sprendžiamos problemos yra susijusios su efektyviu ilgalaikiu šilumos siurblių eksploatavimu. Šilumos siurblio sistemos kintamuoju priimamas gruntinis šilumokaitis. Tai reiškia, kad šilumos siurblio efektyvumas priklausys nuo šilumnešio temperatūros gruntiniame šilumokaityje. Pirmoje darbo dalyje pateikiama informacija apie geoterminę energiją bei jos naudojimo būdus. Apibrėžiama seklioji geoterminė energija. Pateikiamos šilumos siurblių šilumokaičių schemos. Praktinėje darbo dalyje pateikiama gruntinių šilumokaičių modeliavimo metodų analizė bei pasirenkamas metodas tolimesniam modeliavimui. Modeliuojami trijų skirtingų tipų vertikalūs gruntiniai šilumokaičiai. Modeliavimo rezultatas: šilumnešio vidutinės mėnesinės temperatūros 25 metų laikotarpiui. Pagal temperatūras nustatomas šilumos siurblio vidutinis mėnesinis efektyvumo koeficientas. Naudojant efektyvumo koeficientus apskaičiuojamas elektros energijos poreikis. Atliekama ekonominė analizė. Analizės rezultatai parodė, kad efektyviausias vertikalus gruntinis šilumokaitis, prie darbe priimtų modeliavimo sąlygų, yra viengubas gruntinis šilumokaitis su dviem U-formos vamzdžiais. / The main problems that are solved in this thesis are tailored with heat pumps longtime efficiency. The borehole heat exchanger was selected as a variable of a heat pump system. This means that efficiency of the heat pump depends from the temperature of heat carrier inside soil heat exchanger. First part of this thesis represents information about geothermal energy and ways of using it. Definition about shallow geothermal energy is made. The examples of heat pump heat exchangers are given. The practical part of the thesis contains analysis of the simulation models for soil heat exchangers. According to this analysis, selection of the simulation tool is made for further modeling. The simulations of three different heat exchangers types are made. Modeling results show heat carrier’s mean monthly temperatures during time period of 25 years. Using these temperatures the heat pump’s mean monthly coefficient of performance is defined. Using coefficients of performance the calculation of electric power demand is made. Economic analysis is made. The analysis results showed that the most efficient vertical borehole heat exchanger is one heat exchanger with two U-pipes, in terms of conditions that had been used in this thesis.

Geothermal energy is the energy naturally present inside the earth crust. When a large volume of hot water and steam is trapped in subsurface porous and permeable rock structure and a convective circulating current is set up, it forms a geothermal reservoir. A geothermal system can be defined as - convective water in the upper crust of earth, which transfers heat from a heat source (in the reservoir) to a heat sink, usually the free surface. A geothermal system is made up of three main elements: a heat source, a reservoir and a fluid, which is the carrier that transfers the heat. As an alternative source of energy geothermal energy has been under attention of the researchers for quite some time. The reason behind this is the existence of several benefits like clean and renewable source of energy which has considerable environmental advantage, with no chemical pollutants or wastes are generated due to geothermal emissions, and the reliability of the power resource. Hence research has been directed in several directions like exploration of geothermal resources, modeling the characteristics of different types of geothermal reservoirs and technologies to extract energy from them. The target of these models has been the prediction of the production of the hot water and steam and thus the estimation of the electricity generating potential of a geothermal reservoir in future years. In a geothermal power plant reinjection of the heat depleted water extracted from the geothermal reservoir has been a common practice for quite some time. This started for safe wastewater disposal and later on the technology was employed to obtain higher efficiency of heat and energy extraction. In most of the cases a very small fraction of the thermal energy present in the reservoir can be recovered without the reinjection of geothermal fluid. Also maintaining the reservoir pressure is essential which gradually reduces due to continuous extraction of reservoir fluid without reinjection, especially for reservoirs with low permeabilities. Although reinjection of cold-water has several benefits, the possibility of premature breakthrough of the cold-water front, from injection well zone to production well zone, reduces the efficiency of the reservoir operation drastically. Hence for maintaining the reservoir efficiency and longer life of the reservoir, the injectionproduction well scheme is to be properly designed and injection and extraction rates are to be properly fixed. Modeling of flow and heat transport in a geothermal reservoir due to reinjection of coldwater has been attempted by several researchers analytically, numerically and experimentally. The analytical models which exist in this field deal mostly with a single injection well model injecting cold-water into a confined homogeneous porous-fractured geothermal reservoir. Often the thermal conductivity is neglected in the analytical study considering it to be negligible which is not always so, as proved in this study. Moreover heterogeneity in the reservoir is also a major factor which has not been considered in any such analytical study. In the field of numerical modeling there also exists a need of a general coupled three-dimensional thermo-hydrogeological model including all the modes of heat transport (advection and conduction), the heat loss to the confining rocks, the regional groundwater flow and the geothermal gradient. No study existing so far reported such a numerical model including those mentioned above. The present study is concerned about modeling the non-isothermal flow and heat transport in a geothermal reservoir due to reinjection of heat depleted water into a geothermal reservoir. Analytical and numerical models are developed here for the transient temperature distributions and advancement of the thermal front in a geothermal reservoir which is generated due to the cold-water injection. First homogeneous geothermal aquifers are considered and later heterogeneities of different kinds are brought into picture. Threedimensional numerical models are developed using a software code DuMux which solves flow and heat transport problems in porous media and can handle both single and multiphase flows. The results derived by the numerical models have been validated using the results from the analytical models derived in this study. Chapter 1 of the thesis gives a brief introduction about different types of geothermal reservoirs, followed by discussion on the governing differential equations, the conceptual model of a geothermal reservoir system, the efficiency of geothermal reservoirs, the modeling and simulation concepts (models construction, boundary conditions, model calibration etc.). Some problems related with geothermal reservoirs and geothermal power is also discussed. The scenario of India in the context having a huge geothermal power potential is described and different potential geothermal sites have been pointed out. In Chapter 2, the concept of reinjection of the heat depleted (cold) water into the geothermal reservoir is introduced. Starting with a brief history of the geothermal reinjection, the chapter describes the purpose and the need of reinjection of geothermal fluid giving examples of different geothermal fields over the world where reinjection has been in practice and benefitted by that. The chapter further discusses on the problems and obstacles faced by the geothermal projects resulting from the geothermal reinjection, most important of which is the thermal-breakthrough and cooling of production wells. Lastly the problem of this thesis is discussed which is to model the transient temperature distribution and the movement of the cold-water thermal front generated due to the reinjection. The need of this modeling is elaborated which represents the motivation of taking up the problem of the thesis. Chapter 3 describes an analytical model developed for the transient temperature in a porous geothermal reservoir due to injection of cold-water. The reservoir is composed of a confined aquifer, sandwiched between rocks of different thermo-geological properties. The heat transport processes considered are advection, longitudinal conduction in the geothermal aquifer, and the conductive heat transfer to the underlying and overlying rocks of different geological properties. The one-dimensional heat transfer equation has been solved using the Laplace transform with the assumption of constant density and thermal properties of both rock and fluid. Two simple solutions are derived afterwards, first neglecting the longitudinal conductive heat transport and then heat transport to confining rocks. The analytical solutions represent the transient temperature distribution in the geothermal aquifer and the confining rocks and model the movement of the cold-water thermal front in them. The results show that the heat transport to the confining rocks plays an influential role in the transient heat transport here. The influence of some parameters, e.g. the volumetric injection rate, the longitudinal thermal conductivity and the porosity of the porous media, on the transient heat transport phenomenon is judged by observing the variation of the transient temperature distribution with different values of the parameters. The effects of injection rate and thermal conductivity have been found to be high on the results. Chapter 4 represents another analytical model for transient temperature distribution in a heterogeneous geothermal reservoir underlain and overlain by impermeable rocks due to injection of cold-water. The heterogeneity of the porous medium is expressed by the spatial variation of the flow velocity and the longitudinal effective thermal conductivity of the medium. Simpler solutions are also derived afterwards first neglecting the longitudinal conduction, then the heat loss to the confining rocks depending on the situation where the contribution of them to the transient heat transport phenomenon in the porous media is negligible. Solution for a homogeneous aquifer with constant values of the rock and fluid parameters is also derived with an aim to compare the results with that of the heterogeneous one. The effect of heat loss to the confining rocks in this case is also determined and the influence of some of the parameters involved, on the transient heat transport phenomenon is assessed by observing the variation of the results with different magnitudes of those parameters. Results show that the heterogeneity plays a major role in controlling the cold-water thermal front movement. The transient temperature distribution in the geothermal reservoir depends on the type of heterogeneity. The heat loss to the confining rocks of the geothermal aquifer also has influence on the heat transport phenomenon. In Chapter 5 another analytical model is derived for a heterogeneous reservoir where the heterogeneous geothermal aquifer considered is a confined aquifer consisted of homogeneous layers of finite length and overlain and underlain by impermeable rock media. All the different layers in the aquifer and the overlying and underlying rocks are of different thermo-hydrogeological properties. Results show that the advancement of the cold-water thermal front is highly influenced by the layered heterogeneity of the aquifer. As the cold-water thermal front encounters layers of different thermo-hydrogeological properties the movement of it changes accordingly. The analytical solution derived here has been compared with a numerical model developed by the multiphysics software code COMSOL which shows excellent agreement with each other. Lastly it is shown that approximation of the properties of a geothermal aquifer by taking mean of the properties of all the layers present will lead to erroneous estimation of the temperature distribution. Chapter 6 represents a coupled three-dimensional thermo-hydrogeological numerical model for transient temperature distribution in a confined porous geothermal aquifer due to cold-water injection. This 3D numerical model is developed for solving more practical problems which eliminate the assumptions taken into account in analytical models. The numerical modeling is performed using a software code DuMux as mentioned before. Besides modeling the three-dimensional transient temperature distribution in the model domain, the chapter investigates the regional groundwater flow has been found to be a very important parameter to consider. The movement of the thermal front accelerates or decelerates depending on the direction of the flow. Influence of a few parameters involved in the study on the transient heat transport phenomenon in the geothermal reservoir domain, namely the injection rate, the permeability of the confining rocks and the thermal conductivity of the geothermal aquifer is also evaluated in this chapter. The models have been validated using analytical solutions derived in this thesis. The results are in very good agreement with each other. In Chapter 7 the main conclusions drawn from the study have been enlisted and the scope of further research is also pointed out.

Large amounts of energy from heat sources such as waste-eat and geothermal energy are available worldwide but their potential for useful power-generation is largely untapped. This is because they are relatively low temperature difference (LTD) sources, in the range from 100 to 200 °C, and it is thermodynamically diffcult, for theoretical and practical reasons, to extract useful work at these temperatures. This work explores the suitability of a Stirling engine (SE) to exploit these heat sources. Elsewhere much work has been done to optimise Stirling engines for high temperature heat sources, but little is known about suitable engine layouts, and their optimal design and operational aspects at lower temperature differences. With the reduced temperature difference, changes from conventional engine designs become necessary and robust solutions for this novel application have to be identified. This has been achieved in four major steps: identification of a suitable engine type; thermodynamic optimisation of operating and engine parameters; optimisation of mechanical efficiency; and the development of conceptual designs for the engine and its components informed by the preceding analysis. For the optimisation of engine and operating parameters a model was set up in the commercial Stirling software package, Sage, which also has been validated in this thesis; suitable parameter combinations have been identified. This work makes key contributions in several areas. This first is the identification of methods for better simulating the thermodynamic behaviour of these engines. At low temperature differences the performance of Stirling engines is very sensitive to losses by fluid friction (and thus frequency), adiabatic temperature rise during compression, and the heat transfer from and to the surroundings. Consequently the usual isothermal analytical approaches produce results that can be misleading. It is necessary to use a non-isothermal approach, and the work shows how this may be achieved. A second contribution is the identification of the important design variables and their causal effects on system performance. The primary design variable is engine layout. For an engine having inherently low efficiency due to the low temperature difference it is important to choose the engine layout that provides the highest power density possible in order to minimise engine size and to save costs. From this analysis the double-acting alpha-type configuration has been identified as being the most suitable, as opposed to the beta or gamma configurations. An-other key design variable is working fluid, and the results identify helium and hydrogen as suitable, and air and nitrogen as unsuitable. Frequency and phase angle are other design variables, and the work identifies favourable values. A sensitivity analysis identifies the phase angle, regenerator porosity, and temperature levels as the most sensitive parameters for power and efficiency. It has also been shown that the compression work in low-temperature difference Stirling engines is of similar magnitude as the expansion work. By compounding suitable working spaces on one piston the net forces on the piston rod can be reduced significantly. In double-acting alpha-engines this can be achieved by choosing the Siemens as opposed to the Franchot arrangement. As a result friction and piston seal leakage which are two important loss mechanisms are reduced significantly and longevity and mechanical efficiency is enhanced. Design implications are identified for various components, including pistons, seals, heat exchangers, regenerator, power extraction, and crankcase. The peculiarities of the heat source are also taken into account in these design recommendations. A third key contribution is the extraction of novel insights from the modelling process. For the heat exchangers it has been shown that the hot and cold heat exchangers can be identical in their design without any negative impact on performance for the low-temperature difference situation. In comparison the high temperature applications invariably require different materials and designs for the two heat exchangers. Also, frequency and phase angle are found to be quite different (lower frequency and higher phase angle) from the optimum parameters found in high temperature engines. Contrary to common belief the role of dead volume has been found to play a crucial and not necessary detrimental role at low temperature differentials. Taken together, the work is positioned at the intersection of thermodynamic analysis and engineering design, for the challenging area of Stirling engines at low temperature differences. The work extracts thermodynamic insights and extends these into design implications. Together these help create a robust theoretical and design foundation for further research and development in the important area of energy recovery.