Geothermal energy prospecting in radiothermal granites in the Cairngorms, Scotland, using an integrated geological, geophysical and petrophysical appr

地热能是为数不多的可再生能源之一，可以提供持续可靠的低碳热量来源，在某些情况下还可以提供电力。在英国，放射性花岗岩是常规钻探深度（2-5公里）内中/中高焓（100-200摄氏度流体温度）地热能资源的最佳潜在目标之一。苏格兰拥有英国产热最高的花岗岩，主要位于凯恩戈姆斯。到目前为止，在苏格兰花岗岩内开发项目缺乏投资的主要原因之一是，人们不知道在深度上存在多大程度的渗透（断裂和/或蚀变）区。在地下检测这些特征是重要的，因为它们不容易使用例如地震勘测方法观察到。然而，使用电磁测深技术，如大地电磁（MT）方法，可以在围岩（花岗岩）的电阻率远高于蚀变、多孔和/或断裂带（可能存在地热流体）的深度对这些特征进行成像。通过我们与英国地质调查局和TownRock Energy的合作，成功的候选人将领导开创性的多学科研究，以更好地了解苏格兰东北部花岗岩的地热能潜力，收集和整合来自野外，实验室和地下成像方法的新数据。具体来说，博士项目将涉及进行一系列实地考察，在苏格兰东北部有放射性花岗岩的地区（例如Cairngorms）绘制表面特征（例如断裂，断层，蚀变带），进行MT调查并收集样品，使用实验室方法测量潜在储集岩的岩石物理特性。这些不同数据集的整合将直接影响苏格兰地热能勘探的下一阶段，但它们对了解全球其他类似系统也很重要。

Geothermal energy is one of the few renewable energy sources that can supply a constant and reliable source of low-carbon heat, and in some cases electricity. In the UK, radiothermal granites offer one of the best potential targets for medium/medium-high enthalpy (100-200 degrees C fluid temperature) geothermal energy resources, within conventional drilling depths (2-5 km). Scotland hosts the highest heat producing granites in the UK, primarily situated in the Cairngorms. Until now, one of the main reasons why there has been a lack of investment in developing projects within the Scottish granites is that it is not known to what extent permeable (fractured and/or altered) zones exist at depth. Detecting these features in the subsurface is non-trivial, given that they are not easily observable using e.g. seismic surveying methods. However, using electromagnetic deep-sounding techniques like the magnetotelluric (MT) method offers the potential to image such features at depth where the electrical resistivity of the host rock (granite) will be much higher than in altered, porous and/or fractured zones, where geothermal fluids are likely to exist.Through our collaborations with the British Geological Survey and TownRock Energy, the successful candidate will lead groundbreaking multidisciplinary research to better understand the geothermal energy potential of the granites in the NE of Scotland, collecting and integrating new data from a combination of field, lab and subsurface imaging methods. Specifically, the PhD project will involve carrying out a series of field excursions to areas where there are radiothermal granites in NE Scotland (e.g. the Cairngorms) to map surface features (e.g. fracture, faults, alteration zones), carry out an MT survey and collect samples to measure the petrophysical properties of potential reservoir rocks using laboratory methods. The integration of these different data sets will directly influence the next stage of geothermal energy exploration in Scotland, but they will also be important in understanding other similar systems worldwide.