The EU-funded GEOFLEXheat undertaking, led by Brunel College London, seeks to harness waste warmth from geothermal brine for industrial functions.
The European Union’s Horizon Europe Programme is funding the €3 million GEOFLEXheat undertaking that may see a consortium of 12 analysis establishments, companies and trade consultants from throughout the continent work on harnessing warmth from low-temperature geothermal brine.
“A part of the issue is that as a low-temperature warmth supply, geothermal vitality is inefficient at producing electrical vitality,” defined Prof Hussam Jouhara of Brunel College London who will probably be GEOFLEXheat’s undertaking coordinator. “Nonetheless, if the warmth vitality can be utilized straight, somewhat than being transformed to electrical energy, the effectivity can be near 100%, no matter temperature stage.”
That’s the place Prof Jouhara’s experience is available in. He’s the chief of Brunel’s Warmth Pipe and Thermal Administration Analysis Group, and has revolutionised many sectors by creating novel heat-pipe-based applied sciences and warmth exchangers by his collaboration with trade and whereas being the technical lead of the Horizon 2020 initiatives Etekina and iWays. These have helped factories and energy crops maximise the potential of warmth that might in any other case be misplaced, thus making them extra energy-efficient and decreasing emissions.
GEOFLEXheat will develop a system that mixes a warmth pipe warmth exchanger with an modern scaling discount system, a high-temperature warmth pump and a thermal vitality storage. When used collectively, these elements will exploit the waste warmth from a geothermal brine energy plant; acquire the in any other case corrosive salts and minerals right into a useful useful resource; and create a spread of upgraded, cost-effective and constant water temperatures, as much as a 110°C steam, that may ship what’s wanted for industrial functions and for district sizzling water.
The undertaking may even ship a state-of-the-art management technique and digital twin: a digital mannequin that’s up to date from sensors studded all through the system, enabling real-time administration and optimisation of geothermal crops.
“On this undertaking, we’ll develop a method to exhibit the potential vary of functions of the GEOFLEXheat resolution to numerous industrial areas close to energetic geothermal wells,” stated Prof Jouhara. “As a result of it’s presently a smaller sector, geothermal vitality is much less properly understood and appreciated than the likes of photo voltaic or biomass. So, our technique will probably be composed of an method to the acceptance of geothermal warmth extraction, demonstrating the protection and the technical and economical evaluation of the chosen areas in Iceland and Italy.”
“Total, the undertaking will showcase the total potential of geothermal vitality to offer secure, inexpensive and sustainable warmth provide.”
Beginning on 1 October 2024, GEOFLEXheat will run for 3 years, and is the primary undertaking that’s coordinated by Brunel College London beneath the Horizon Europe programme. To make sure its outcomes have a long-lasting affect, the consortium will create a spin-off firm, perform in depth environmental and financial assessments, and create a social acceptance information to facilitate coverage affect and group engagement.
“As a part of our sustainable future, geothermal vitality should be a cornerstone of Europe’s renewable vitality combine,” Prof Jouhara added. “So GEOFLEXheat is poised to turn out to be a catalyst for vitality sustainability, financial development and environmental stewardship.”
The consortium, coordinated by Brunel College London (UK), additionally contains: Baseload Energy Iceland ehf (Iceland), il Consorzio per lo Sviluppo delle Aree Geotermiche (Italy), European Warmth Pump Affiliation (Belgium), Flowphys AS (Norway), GESTRA AG (Germany), Olivieris Tech Incubator Restricted (Eire), Privanova SAS (France), Rete Geotermica (Italy), Spike Renewables S.r.l. (Italy), Transformation Lighthouse, poslovno svetovanje, d.o.o. (Slovenia) and Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas (Lithuania).
Supply: E mail coordinator
