Thermal Performance, Sustainability, and Impact of Borehole Heat Exchangers within Hydrogeological Environments

我的研究计划的总体目标是(1)开发通用的行业可用工具，以便在水文地质环境中设计高效和可持续的闭环式钻孔换热器，以及(2)开发利用沥青(油砂)回收作业中产生的地下余热的方法。第一个目标是基础广泛的，着眼于弥合目前基于水文地质学的热传输和地热能研究与基于机械工程的井下热交换器设计之间的鸿沟。第二个目标特别侧重于沥青回收作业的独特环境，涉及废能利用和热修复。 考虑到现场的热地质和水文地质，开发一套简化和成本效益高的数值/分析工具来设计井下换热器，将涉及到将气候室、现场和数值研究结合起来。室内研究允许持续评估各种换热器设计的热能交换，同时控制边界条件，并准确量化热-水文地质参数。一个竖直的闭环式钻孔换热器和相关的监测热敏电阻将为验证数值模型提供有价值的数据。钻孔换热器设计的主要性能和可持续性评估工具将涉及数值模拟(FEFLOW和Sutra)，并包括局部尺度的换热器属性以及热羽对邻近地热系统和生态特征的影响。 能源生产领域的另一端是现场回收沥青的方法。进入水库的大部分能量以余热的形式损失给周围环境。一种新的想法是将这些废能和开采结束时留在储油罐中的热量视为地下热能储存的一种形式。通过在现有的蒸汽/生产井筒内安装井筒热交换器，这些能量可用于支持正在进行的生产活动、工业设施和附近社区。

The overall objectives of my research program are to (1) develop generic industry usable tools that allow for the design of efficient and sustainable closed-loop borehole heat exchangers within hydrogeological environments, and (2) develop methodologies for utilizing subsurface waste heat generated in bitumen (oil sands) recovery operations. The first objective is broad based and looks at bridging the current divide between hydrogeological based studies of heat transport and geothermal energy, and mechanical engineering based design of borehole heat exchangers. The second objective is specifically focused on the unique environment of bitumen recovery operations and involves both waste energy utilization and thermal remediation. The development of a set of simplified and cost effective numerical / analytical tools for designing borehole heat exchangers, considering both the thermogeology and hydrogeology of the site, will involve coupling climate chamber, field, and numerical studies. The chamber studies allow for the continuous assessment of thermal energy exchange with various exchanger designs, while having control over boundary conditions, and an accurate quantification of thermo-hydrogeological parameters. A vertical closed-loop borehole heat exchanger, and associated monitoring thermistors, will provide valuable data to validate the numerical models. The primary performance and sustainability assessment tool for borehole heat exchanger design will involve numerical modeling (FEFLOW and SUTRA) and includes both local-scale exchanger attributes and the effect of thermal plumes on adjacent geothermal systems and ecological features. At the other end of the energy production spectrum are in-situ methods for bitumen recovery. A majority of the energy introduced into the reservoirs is lost to the surroundings as waste heat. A novel idea is to view this waste energy, and heat remaining in the reservoir at the end of production, as a form of subsurface thermal energy storage. By installing borehole heat exchangers within existing steaming/production boreholes this energy can be used to support ongoing production activities, industrial facilities, and nearby communities.