GeoTES: Possibilities and limits of thermal energy storage in deep aquifers (georeservoirs) in the context of the "Heat Turnaround 2030"

The use of seasonal high-temperature aquifer storage systems (HT-ATES) and large-scale heat pumps has so far been insufficiently researched. The aim of the GeoTES joint project is therefore to develop a mathematical model for an optimized above-ground and underground heat system and for its integration into heat and electricity grids. This includes the extraction of heat from deep aquifers with temperatures above 40°C for the heat pumps and their integration into heating networks. The aquifer storage tanks are to be regenerated using a large heat pump fed with renewable energy as well as industrial waste heat and solar thermal energy. The project takes a sustainable approach to implementing the heat transition due to the high and low temperatures available annually in the geological subsurface, the efficiency of large heat pumps and the use of renewable energy sources and industrial waste heat. Burgwedel in the Hanover region was selected as an example location, as its deep thermal waters with a high salt load represent typical conditions for the northern German region.

The aim of the GeoTES project is to investigate the possibilities and limits of using thermal energy storage in aquifers for the emission-free energy supply of new and existing districts and to provide numerical simulation tools for this purpose that function independently of location. GeoTES consists of five sub-projects, which are being worked on by six partners from three universities (Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, Wolfenbüttel). In the project, the Department of Fluid Mechanics is developing models to describe the complex heat and mass transport processes in the vicinity of geothermal wells and thus represents an interface to the reservoir models.

Further details on the project can be found on the website GeoTES: Possibilities and limits of thermal energy storage in deep aquifers (georeservoirs) as part of the ‘Wärmewende 2030’ (tu-clausthal.de)