Numerical simulation of heat transfer associated with low enthalpy geothermal pumping in an alluvial aquifer

In a context favourable to renewable energies, various aquifers are studied to supply heating and/or cooling systems. The groundwater flow and heat transport are modelled in the alluvial aquifer of the river Meuse in providing an integrated tool for assessing the feasibility of a low energy air cooling/heating system for a large office building by pumping groundwater and discharging it in the river after being heated/cooled by using heat pumps. First, a comparative sensitivity analysis is performed using different codes for assessing the influence of coupling and non linearities on the main parameters due to the temperature evolution in function of time. Then, assuming that the aquifer temperature variation is weak enough to neglect its influence on hydrodynamics and thermal parameters, the MT3DMS and HydroGeoSphere codes are used for modelling the actual case-study. In practice, the worst case scenario considered by the project manager is the cooling of the office building during the hottest summer conditions. So, the influence of the warm water from the river Meuse is computed as it constitutes the major limiting factor. An optimisation of the pumping schema is computed to maximise the efficiency of the system.

Jaar van publicatie:2011