Abstract
Geothermal energy can be useful after extraction from geothermal wells, borehole heat exchangers and/or natural sources. Types of geothermal boreholes are geothermal wells (for geothermal water production and injection) and borehole heat exchangers (for heat exchange with the ground without mass transfer). The purpose of geothermal production wells is to harvest the geothermal water present in the aquifer. They often involve a pumping chamber. Geothermal injection wells are used for injecting back the produced geothermal water into the aquifer, having harvested the energy contained within. The paper presents the parameters of geothermal boreholes in Poland (geothermal wells and borehole heat exchangers). The definitions of geothermal boreholes, geothermal wells and borehole heat exchangers were ordered. The dates of construction, depth, purposes, spatial orientation, materials used in the construction of geothermal boreholes for casing pipes, method of water production and type of closure for the boreholes are presented. Additionally, production boreholes are presented along with their efficiency and the temperature of produced water measured at the head. Borehole heat exchangers of different designs are presented in the paper. Only 19 boreholes were created at the Laboratory of Geoenergetics at the Faculty of Drilling, Oil and Gas, AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow; however, it is a globally unique collection of borehole heat exchangers, each of which has a different design for identical geological conditions: heat exchanger pipe configuration, seal/filling and shank spacing are variable. Using these boreholes, the operating parameters for different designs are tested. The laboratory system is also used to provide heat and cold for two university buildings. Two coefficients, which separately characterize geothermal boreholes (wells and borehole heat exchangers) are described in the paper.
Highlights
Renewable energy sources are increasingly used around the world. These include geothermal energy, which is exploited by geothermal boreholes
The construction of the first geothermal borehole must take into account detailed specialist tests, including geophysical and hydrogeological research of the aquifer with geothermal water or thermal response tests in the case of borehole heat exchangers (BHE) [1]
We present the materials most commonly used in borehole heat exchangers, as well as the innovative constructions of BHE at AGH UST in Krakow
Summary
Renewable energy sources are increasingly used around the world. These include geothermal energy, which is exploited by geothermal boreholes. Two types of boreholes are used: geothermal wells (production and injection) and borehole heat exchangers (BHE). New solutions in drilling and borehole engineering can often be adapted to suit geothermal solutions.Examples include drilling using pads (shale gas/oil), and horizontal drilling, which are becoming some of the most influential innovations in the oil and gas industry of recent years. Those methods have become the standard for increasingly efficient exploitation, and it is expected that they will become more widespread. Previously exploited oil wells can be adapted for geothermal purposes, e.g., as deep borehole heat exchangers
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