Collocated geothermal resources of the South of Western Siberia (Russia) and prospects of their use

Abstract

Low-temperature geothermal resources are widely distributed in the sedimentary cover of Western Siberia. In the southern part of the region the aquifer of the Pokur formation (K1-2), with temperatures up to 47° C at well heads, has the best prospects for direct heating. The energy extracted from this kind of geothermal resources must be used near the reservoir, that’s why collocation of the resource and a user is required. A new approach to the issue of using this energy potential is integrated use of existing water wells, drilled for domestic and drinking purposes, for heating of premises (including hot water supply) and water supply at rural communities in the south of Western Siberia. The research was aimed at the estimation of effectiveness of ground-source heat pump (GSHP) systems for extraction of energy from low-temperature groundwater, and their use for space heating of commercial buildings under the climatic conditions of the region. The computations were made by using NIBE AB (Sweden) software. It states that GSHP systems are very competitive with coal boilers, mostly used for hot water supply and space heating at domestic communities. The use of GSHP systems will also improve the ecological situation in the region.