Evaluating MT3DMS for Heat Transport Simulation of Closed Geothermal Systems

Hecht-Méndez, Jozsef; Molina-Giraldo, Nelson; Blum, Philipp; Bayer, Peter

doi:10.1111/j.1745-6584.2010.00678.x

Cited by 132 publications

(78 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Finally the temperature influences the heat capacity and thermal conductivity (Clauser, 2003;Holzbecher, 1998). However even for larger differences (up to 60°C), the error in the heat transport simulation is less than 3% (Hecht-Mendez et al, 2010).…”

Section: Diffusion and Dispersion Coefficientsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In order to optimize the design and operation of GWHP systems, it is usually necessary to predict groundwater and heat flow and evaluate system performance comprehensively. The temperature distribution in the aquifer will affect the heat pump efficiency if the perturbed area reaches the extraction well (or that of other heat pumps installed in the surrounding areas) (Hecht-Mendez et al, 2010;Lo Russo and Civita, 2009;Nam and Ooka, 2010). In these situations, it is important to understand the effect of the heat on the groundwater system and to be able to predict consequences such as the accelerated precipitation of dissolved substances, or changes in the biological regimes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To this aim several simulation models have been intensively developed with different reliability of results. Although in several studies models were successfully applied for simulating heat transport within the aquifers, experimental studies which provided field data concerning heat transfer phenomena are not so diffuse (Hecht-Mendez et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Advective Heat Transport in an Unconfined Aquifer Induced by the Field Injection of an Open-Loop Groundwater Heat Pump

Russo¹

2010

American Journal of Environmental Sciences

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Problem statement:The increasing diffusion of low-enthalpy geothermal open-loop Groundwater Heat Pumps (GWHP) providing buildings air conditioning requires a careful assessment of the overall effects on groundwater system, especially in the urban areas. The impact on the groundwater temperature in the surrounding area of the re-injection well is directly linked to the aquifer properties. Physical processes affecting heat transport within an aquifer include advection (or convection) and hydrodynamic thermodispersion (diffusion and mechanical dispersion). If the groundwater flows, the advective components tend to dominate the heat transfer process within the aquifer and the diffusion can be considered negligible. This study illustrates the experimental results derived from the groundwater monitoring in the surrounding area of an injection well connected to an open-loop GWHP plant which has been installed in the "Politecnico di Torino" (NW Italy) for cooling some of the university buildings. Groundwater pumping and injection interfere only with the upper unconfined aquifer. Approach: After the description of the hydrogeological setting the authors examined the data deriving from multiparameter probes installed inside the pumping well (P2), the injection well (P4) and a downgradient piezometer (S2). Data refers to the summer 2009. To control the aquifer thermal stratification some multi-temporal temperature logs have been performed in the S2. Results: After the injection of warm water in P4 the plume arrived after 30 days in the S2. That delay is compatible with the calculated plume migration velocity (1.27 m d −1 ) and their respective distance (35 m). The natural temperature in the aquifer due to the switching-off of the GWHP plant has been reached after two month. The Electrical Conductivity (EC) values tend to vary out of phase with the temperature. The temperature logs in the S2 highlighted a thermal stratification in the aquifer due to a low vertical dispersion of the injected warm water. Conclusion: Experimental evidences seem to confirm the prevalence of heat advective transport component respect the dispersive phenomena. This hypothesis appears validated by the following evidences: (i) the calculated advective migration velocities are compatible with the calculated retardation factor and the temperature revealed in the S2, (ii) both the groundwater and the heat tend to flow horizontally due to the different values of horizontal and vertical hydraulic conductivity in the Unit 1 (thermal stratification) and (iii) the flowing water highlighted different geochemical characteristics during the time.

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Section: Diffusion and Dispersion Coefficientsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Advective Heat Transport in an Unconfined Aquifer Induced by the Field Injection of an Open-Loop Groundwater Heat Pump

Russo¹

2010

American Journal of Environmental Sciences

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“…SEAWAT (Langevin et al, 2003) not only dynamically couples MODFLOW (Harbaugh et al, 2000) and MT3DMS (Zheng and Wang, 1999) that is flow and transport (Hecht-Mendez et al, 2010;Langevin et al, 2010), but adds viscosity and density effects coupled to temperature and salt concentration. To gain insight in these intertwined mechanisms, a SEAWAT model of ATES systems in salinity stratified aquifers was set up, without neighboring wells and ambient groundwater flow.…”

Section: Numerical Modeling Of Density and Temperaturementioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of a density gradient in groundwater on ATES system efficiency and subsurface space use

Bloemendal

Olsthoorn

2018

Adv. Geosci.

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Abstract. A heat pump combined with Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) has high potential in efficiently and sustainably providing thermal energy for space heating and cooling. This makes the subsurface, including its groundwater, of crucial importance for primary energy savings. ATES systems are often placed in aquifers in which salinity increases with depth. This is the case in coastal areas where also the demand for ATES application is high due to high degrees of urbanization in those areas. The seasonally alternating extraction and re-injection between ATES wells disturbs the preexisting ambient salinity gradient causing horizontal density gradients, which trigger buoyancy flow, which in turn affects the recovery efficiency of the stored thermal energy.This section uses analytical and numerical methods to understand and explain the impact of buoyancy flow on the efficiency of ATES in such situations, and to quantify the magnitude of this impact relative to other thermal energy losses. The results of this research show that losses due to buoyancy flow may become considerable at (a relatively large) ambient density gradients of over 0.5 kg m −3 m −1 in combination with a vertical hydraulic conductivity of more than 5 m day −1 . Monowell systems suffer more from buoyancy losses than do doublet systems under similar conditions.

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“…15 see Kangas and Lund (1994) and Hecht-Méndez et al (2010). In the following we will use the convention ρ m c m for (ρc) m .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Analytical and Numerical Solutions of Radially Symmetric Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage Problems

Birhanu

Kitterød

Krogstad³

et al. 2017

Preprint

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Abstract. The paper discusses analytical and numerical radial solutions of the differential equations for heat transport in water-saturated porous media. In particular, a similarity solution is obtained for a 2D-horizontal confined aquifer with constant radial flow. Numerical solutions are derived using a high-resolution Lagrangian approach suppressing spurious oscillations and artificial dispersion. There is a good correspondence between numerical and analytical solutions.The primary purpose of the investigation has been to calculate the recovery factor of an Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage 5 (ATES) system with a cyclic repetition of injection and pumping. Solutions covering both instantaneous and delayed heat transfer between fluid and solid, as well as time varying water flow, are derived and applied to a one-well test case.In hydrological terms, these solutions are relevant for a wide range of problems where groundwater reservoirs are utilized for extraction and storage (viz. irrigation; water supply; geothermal extraction).

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Evaluating MT3DMS for Heat Transport Simulation of Closed Geothermal Systems

Cited by 132 publications

References 37 publications

Advective Heat Transport in an Unconfined Aquifer Induced by the Field Injection of an Open-Loop Groundwater Heat Pump

Advective Heat Transport in an Unconfined Aquifer Induced by the Field Injection of an Open-Loop Groundwater Heat Pump

The effect of a density gradient in groundwater on ATES system efficiency and subsurface space use

Analytical and Numerical Solutions of Radially Symmetric Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage Problems

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