Abstract
A conceptual model is presented of two MW-scale low enthalpy mine water geothermal heat pump schemes that are being developed in Tyneside, UK. The Abbotsford Road scheme (54.955° N 1.556° W) is operating (as of May 2021) at 20–30 L/s, abstracting groundwater (and heat) from an unmined Coal Measures Upper Aquifer System (UAS) and reinjecting to the deeper High Main Aquifer System (HMAS), associated with the High Main (E) coal workings and the overlying High Main Post sandstone. A similar scheme, 700 m away at Nest Road (54.959° N 1.564° W), abstracts at 40 L/s from the HMAS, recovers heat from the mine water and reinjects the thermally spent water to deeper workings associated with the Hutton (L), Harvey-Beaumont (N) (and possibly other) coal seams, termed the Deep Mined Aquifer System (DMAS). The three aquifer systems are vertically discontinuous and possess different hydraulic (storage, transmissivity and continuity) properties that would have been near-impossible to predict in advance of drilling. At the sites, 10 boreholes were drilled to obtain five usable production/reinjection boreholes. Development of mine water geothermal energy schemes thus carries a significant project risk, and also a potential ongoing maintenance burden related to iron hydroxide scaling. These do not preclude mine water geothermal as a useful low carbon heating and cooling technology, but the involvement of skilled hydrogeologists, hydrochemists, mining and groundwater engineers is a pre-requisite.
Highlights
The abstraction-reinjection borehole systems at Nest Road (54.959◦ N 1.564◦ W) and Abbotsford Road (54.955◦ N 1.556◦ W), Gateshead, are the first large-scale examples of Mine water Geothermal Energy Schemes (MGES) operating in the UK (Figures 1 and 2)
MGES are a widely discussed, but relatively seldom implemented, means of delivering low-carbon space-heating and cooling [1,2]. They typically use mine water pumped from flooded mine voids, which is passed through a heat exchanger, coupled to a heat pump
Operational testing and reporting to the Environment Agency are ongoing to secure long-term abstraction licensing at Nest Road. While these works and testing may have been partially completed by the date of publication, this paper summarises the history and conceptual understanding of the sites as of May 2021
Summary
The abstraction-reinjection borehole systems at Nest Road (54.959◦ N 1.564◦ W) and Abbotsford Road (54.955◦ N 1.556◦ W), Gateshead, are the first large-scale examples of Mine water Geothermal Energy Schemes (MGES) operating in the UK (Figures 1 and 2). 700 m to the north-west of Abbotsford Road and installed with 1.2 MW of heat pump capacity It contains one abstraction well (BH04) drilled to 131 m, one reinjection well (BH02) drilled to 280 m and two observation wells. While these works and testing may have been partially completed by the date of publication, this paper summarises the history and conceptual understanding of the sites as of May 2021.
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