Friday, April 17, 2015

United Kingdom:

UK Coal Miners Investigating Geothermal Energy (Resource)

Professor Amin Al-Habaibeh of Nottingham
Trent University led the study
Water from derelict UK coal mines could be used as a source of geothermal energy, according to a two-year joint study by Nottingham Trent University and Alkane Energy.

Researchers found that lukewarm water could be ‘condensed’ to provide additional heating, or cooling to local buildings.

A ground source heat pump takes water from an abandoned mine shaft and brings it to the surface where the heat can be extracted using a heat exchanger.

This is condensed and enters a heating system similar to central heating where the water is heated to a higher temperature, whilst the groundwater is replaced in the mine where it is then reheated by the geothermal energy.