The subsurface urban heat island in Milan (Italy) - A modeling approach covering present and future thermal effects on groundwater regimes

Previati, Alberto; Epting, Jannis; Crosta, Giovanni B.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152119

Cited by 16 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Ref. [58] presented a holistic city-scale 3D FEM model to introduce possible thermal management applications in the Milan metropolitan area, such as: (1) understanding the hydrothermal regime of the urban aquifer by disentangling the thermal contributions of natural and anthropogenic heat sources, (2) quantifying the geothermal potential, and (3) investigating the effects of urbanization and CC scenarios.…”

Section: Gwhp Systems: Technological Potential and Environmental Limitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of Groundwater Heat Pump Systems in the Italian Framework: Technological Potential and Environmental Limits

et al. 2023

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For new buildings in densely urbanised cities, groundwater heat pump systems (GWHPs) represent a concrete, effective solution for decarbonising existing energy systems. Environmental factors must be considered to limit the GWHP system’s impact on the subsurface. Particular attention must be given to the long-term sustainability of groundwater abstraction modalities and the development of a thermally affected zone around re-injection wells. Simplified solutions and numerical models have been applied to predict subsurface heat transport mechanisms; these simulations allow researchers to consider site-specific geological conditions, transient heat and groundwater flow regimes, and anisotropies in the subsurface media. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the current research on GWHPs and discusses the benefits and limitations of their diffusion in Italy. The sources used provide information on and examples of the correct methodological approaches for depicting the induced variations while avoiding the overestimation or underestimation of the impact that GWHPs have on exploited aquifers.

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Section: Gwhp Systems: Technological Potential and Environmental Limitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of Groundwater Heat Pump Systems in the Italian Framework: Technological Potential and Environmental Limits

et al. 2023

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“…Furthermore, simple dimensionless analytical solutions are easy to understand and fast to evaluate while being sufficiently accurate, which makes them useful for governance and policymaking (Marazuela et al., 2022; Pophillat, Attard, et al., 2020; Regnier et al., 2023; Serianz et al., 2022). Such analytical solutions may also be used to replace or complement computationally intensive numerical simulations, or to rapidly identify meaningful regions of parameter space for more detailed numerical investigation, especially in urban settings where multiple ATES systems are located within a small area, which is a scenario that might otherwise require highly complex numerical models (Attard et al., 2020; Burns et al., 2020; Lyden et al., 2022; Previati et al., 2022; Walch et al., 2021). Simple analytical solutions are also useful for interpreting (thermal) tracer tests to characterize aquifer properties (Del Val et al., 2021; Park & Lee, 2021; Schroth & Istok, 2005; Tang & van der Zee, 2021a), as the alternatives of solving inverse problems with numerical models or exact analytical solutions with integral transforms, are highly computationally intensive (Jung & Pruess, 2012; Regnier et al., 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dimensionless Thermal Efficiency Analysis for Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage

Tang,

Rijnaarts

2023

Water Resources Research

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Seasonal warm and cold water storage in groundwater aquifers is a cost‐effective renewable energy technology for indoor heating and cooling. Simple dimensionless analytical solutions for the thermal recovery efficiency of Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) systems are derived, subject to heat losses caused by thermal diffusion and mechanical dispersion. The analytical solutions pertain to transient pumping rates and storage durations, and multiple cycles of operation, and are applicable to various well configurations and thermal plume geometries. Heat losses to confining layers, its implications for optimizing plume geometries and aspect ratios, and heat spreading due to free convection are also discussed. This provides a general tool for broad and rapid assessment of aquifers and ATES systems. We show that if heat exchange with the confining layers is negligible, the thermal recovery efficiency of thermal plumes with cylindrical geometry is independent of the aquifer porosity and heat capacity C0. Therefore, if mechanical dispersion is negligible as is often the case, the only aquifer property that affects the recovery efficiency is the aquifer thermal conductivity. The field‐scale aquifer thermal conductivity λ can therefore be inferred from the recovery efficiency of a push‐pull heat recovery test. Remarkably, an increase in C0 could either increase, decrease, or not affect the recovery efficiency, depending on the thermal plume geometry. Hence, the analytical solutions reveal that the recovery efficiency is affected by complex interactions between the thermal plume geometry and aquifer properties. Approximate analytical solutions for subsurface temperature profiles over an entire ATES cycle are also derived.

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“…Consequently, subsurface temperatures, which are typically measured in shallow groundwater, are elevated under urban heat islands and in most places affected by human activity 11 – 13 . Due to their sheer number and ubiquity, heat lost from buildings and heat from sealed surfaces warmed by solar radiation are the main contributors to large-scale subsurface warming in a stable climate 14 – 17 . While less ubiquitous, even a single component of buried infrastructure can elevate ambient ground temperatures by several degrees Celsius 18 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shallow subsurface heat recycling is a sustainable global space heating alternative

et al. 2022

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Despite the global interest in green energy alternatives, little attention has focused on the large-scale viability of recycling the ground heat accumulated due to urbanization, industrialization and climate change. Here we show this theoretical heat potential at a multi-continental scale by first leveraging datasets of groundwater temperature and lithology to assess the distribution of subsurface thermal pollution. We then evaluate subsurface heat recycling for three scenarios: a status quo scenario representing present-day accumulated heat, a recycled scenario with ground temperatures returned to background values, and a climate change scenario representing projected warming impacts. Our analyses reveal that over 50% of sites show recyclable underground heat pollution in the status quo, 25% of locations would be feasible for long-term heat recycling for the recycled scenario, and at least 83% for the climate change scenario. Results highlight that subsurface heat recycling warrants consideration in the move to a low-carbon economy in a warmer world.

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The subsurface urban heat island in Milan (Italy) - A modeling approach covering present and future thermal effects on groundwater regimes

Cited by 16 publications

References 28 publications

A Review of Groundwater Heat Pump Systems in the Italian Framework: Technological Potential and Environmental Limits

A Review of Groundwater Heat Pump Systems in the Italian Framework: Technological Potential and Environmental Limits

Dimensionless Thermal Efficiency Analysis for Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage

Shallow subsurface heat recycling is a sustainable global space heating alternative

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