Near Surface Geothermal Energy
Depending on Geology, room available, energy demand and legal circumstances, Near Surface Geothermal Energy can be extracted from different heat sources (ground water, soil, rock). The heat sources are explored by a ground loop field or a production well to produce water, which is returned to the aquifer after heat extraction. Extracted heat is pumped to a higher temperature level by a heat pump demanding only a fraction of the output energy at low temperature systems.
Professional design of the ground loop field or the production well and slug well including software simulation and numeric modelling need to be done, in order to guarantee many years of operational reliability at minimum cost and to avoid thermal or hydraulic short circuits.
We are doing geological survey, permitting procedures, bidding and cost control, site management and supervision, GRT (geothermal response tests), groundwater modelling, documentation and approval procedures. During the past years we have been directing numerous wells and ground loop fields, many of which are producing heat for heat pumps respectively are used for direct cooling in order to save extra energy for air conditioning during summer.
The first picture shows a ground loop field of a facility of the Graz University of Technology of over 20 wells cumulating 1.680 meters. We were hired by TEWAG to supervise this project on site.
The second picture shows the completion of a well in Bruck an der Mur, Austria, where a flow rate of 8 l/s is produced in order to heat, cool and directly cool a business facility. The energy output is 130 kWth.
