Groundwater reinjection and heat dissipation: lessons from the operation of a large groundwater cooling system in Central London

Birks, D., Younger, P.L. , Tavendale, L., Coutts, C., Parkin, G., Button, P. and Whittall, S. (2015) Groundwater reinjection and heat dissipation: lessons from the operation of a large groundwater cooling system in Central London. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, 48(2), pp. 94-103. (doi: 10.1144/qjegh2014-090)

Abstract

The performance of a large open-loop groundwater cooling scheme in a shallow alluvial aquifer at a prominent public building in Central London has been monitored closely over its first 2 years of operation. The installed system provided cooling to the site continuously for a period of 9 months between June 2012 and April 2013. During this period, c. 131300 m3 of groundwater was abstracted from a single pumping well and recharged into a single injection borehole. The amount of heat rejected in this period amounts to c. 1.37 GWh. A programme of hydraulic testing was subsequently undertaken over a 3 month period between July and October 2013 to evaluate the performance of the injection borehole. The data indicate no significant change in injection performance between commissioning trials undertaken in 2010 and the most recent period of testing, as evidenced by comparison of injection pressures for given flow rates in 2010 and 2013. Continuous temperature monitoring of the abstracted water, the discharge and a number of observation wells demonstrates the evolution of a heat plume in the aquifer in response to heat rejection and subsequent dissipation of this heat during the 18 month planned cessation.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Younger, Professor Paul and Birks, David Christopher
• Authors: Birks, D., Younger, P.L., Tavendale, L., Coutts, C., Parkin, G., Button, P., and Whittall, S.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Systems Power and Energy
• Journal Name: Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology
• Publisher: Geological Society
• ISSN: 1470-9236
• ISSN (Online): 2041-4803
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2015 Geological Society
• First Published: First published in Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher.