Abstract
Thermal–hydraulic analysis was conducted to examine the propagation of temperature anomalies under different climatic, subsurface and operation conditions. A series of scenarios simulated by numerical modeling indicate that the injection rate, injection depth and anisotropy of the aquifer are important parameters that need to be properly estimated to avoid critical thermal interference in shallow subsurface areas. The potential impact due to climate change is predominant only in shallow subsurface areas, but the situation may become severe if thermal anomalies that propagate upward due to injection of warm water mix with climate change anomalies that penetrate downward. Groundwater recharge and horizontal groundwater flows retard upward migration of temperature anomalies. Therefore, a proper analysis of groundwater flow in the area would facilitate harvesting a large amount of geothermal energy while limiting its impact to acceptable levels. Furthermore, a set of type curves was developed to select operational conditions with a reasonable accuracy while maintaining thermal pollution in an acceptable range.
Highlights
Subsurface temperatures, from the ground surface to thousands of meters depth, have been measured in many parts of the world for commercial purposes such as exploitation of geothermal energy and for non-commercial purposes such as ecological research
In this study, the subsurface temperature change due to injection of thermally altered water from geothermal energy use was assessed by considering different scenarios of operation conditions, subsurface characteristics and ground surface climate change
Ground surface warming due to global climate change According to the results for 12 general circulation models (GCM) scenarios, the surface air temperature may increase by 1.3–4.7 °C during the 2060–2099 time period, compared to the observed averages between 1967 and 2006
Summary
Subsurface temperatures, from the ground surface to thousands of meters depth, have been measured in many parts of the world for commercial purposes such as exploitation of geothermal energy and for non-commercial purposes such as ecological research These measurements indicate that aquifer temperatures are 1–5 °C higher in urban areas than in rural areas (Ferguson and Woodbury 2007; Wang et al 2009; Gunawardhana et al 2011). The Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded that the rise in the mean global surface air temperature by the end of the twenty-first century relative to the pre-industrial period is likely to be between 1.5 and 4.5 °C (Symon 2013) These projected changes with continuing urban growth will significantly alter the subsurface thermal regime (Kurylyk et al 2014)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call