GroundWater Heat Pump (GWHP) technology has experienced increased implementation throughout several parts of the world. Water is discharged into an aquifer for cooling and heating buildings, which has the potential to cause significant environmental impacts associated with groundwater thermal interference. The TAZ is a thermal plume of colder or warmer re-injected groundwater resulting from the common use of well-doublets for groundwater-sourced heating or cooling. Plume propagation occurs primarily through advection, and tends to "degrade" following moving water. Plumes are considered a potential anthropogenic geothermal resource or pollution, depending on downstream aquifer usage (thermal feedback). These risks increase in densely urbanized areas. In fact, where depth to groundwater at a site is very low rising-up of discharged water along the well column could be very dangerous, rendering the dispersion system ineffective, and potentially causing damage to existing buildings and infrastructures in the surrounding area. Moreover, in terms of re-injection after a GWHP plant, increased contact surface between the disperser and the aquifer has other potential heat dissipation benefits. The objectives of this study were to investigate alternatives to traditional drilled wells for re-injection and dispersion of water in aquifers downstream of GWHP systems. In particular, we evaluated by the modeling simulations, the potential for reverse use of commercial gabion draining in various types of ground configuration and interconnection with prefabricated vertical drain systems. The modeling results showed the use of gabiondrains instead of reinjection wells tended to develop a TAZ, which primarily effected the surficial portion of the aquifer. TAZ development served an important role in decreasing thermal feedback risks, and reduced the relative distance between abstraction and re-injection in well-doublet schemes.

Open-Loop Groundwater Heat Pump (GWHP) Injection Systems: Effects On Thermal Affected Zone (TAZ) Development / LO RUSSO, Stefano; Taddia, Glenda; CERINO ABDIN, Elena. - In: RENDICONTI ONLINE DELLA SOCIETÀ GEOLOGICA ITALIANA. - ISSN 2035-8008. - ELETTRONICO. - 39:(2016), pp. 251-251. (Intervento presentato al convegno THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HYDROGEOLOGISTS - AQUA 2015 - 42nd IAH Congress - ROME Sapienza University of Rome - 13/18 September 2015 tenutosi a Roma (Italy) nel 13 - 18 september 2015) [10.3301/ROL.2016.63].

Open-Loop Groundwater Heat Pump (GWHP) Injection Systems: Effects On Thermal Affected Zone (TAZ) Development

LO RUSSO, STEFANO;TADDIA, GLENDA;CERINO ABDIN, ELENA
2016

Abstract

GroundWater Heat Pump (GWHP) technology has experienced increased implementation throughout several parts of the world. Water is discharged into an aquifer for cooling and heating buildings, which has the potential to cause significant environmental impacts associated with groundwater thermal interference. The TAZ is a thermal plume of colder or warmer re-injected groundwater resulting from the common use of well-doublets for groundwater-sourced heating or cooling. Plume propagation occurs primarily through advection, and tends to "degrade" following moving water. Plumes are considered a potential anthropogenic geothermal resource or pollution, depending on downstream aquifer usage (thermal feedback). These risks increase in densely urbanized areas. In fact, where depth to groundwater at a site is very low rising-up of discharged water along the well column could be very dangerous, rendering the dispersion system ineffective, and potentially causing damage to existing buildings and infrastructures in the surrounding area. Moreover, in terms of re-injection after a GWHP plant, increased contact surface between the disperser and the aquifer has other potential heat dissipation benefits. The objectives of this study were to investigate alternatives to traditional drilled wells for re-injection and dispersion of water in aquifers downstream of GWHP systems. In particular, we evaluated by the modeling simulations, the potential for reverse use of commercial gabion draining in various types of ground configuration and interconnection with prefabricated vertical drain systems. The modeling results showed the use of gabiondrains instead of reinjection wells tended to develop a TAZ, which primarily effected the surficial portion of the aquifer. TAZ development served an important role in decreasing thermal feedback risks, and reduced the relative distance between abstraction and re-injection in well-doublet schemes.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11583/2617638
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