By Martin Bloemendal, KWR Watercycle Research Institute
Every year Phd students working on geothermal energy gather to have a short informal conference. This year the ETH in Zurich is the host of the 9th edition. With about 80 participants the conference attracts a stable number of researchers from countries all over Europe and beyond. With 5 people from Delft we were one of main contributing Universities.
Presentations and posters cover a wide range of topics regarding geothermal energy. From the high enthalpy systems for power production all the way to the Ground source heat pumps and from technical work on simulation and field studies up to governance and management studies. Traditionally the conference is closed with a field trip; to a geothermal power plant.
Some general views on key developments that were presented:
- New drilling methods. Mankind has always used rotary drilling methods. With the trend towards more and deeper boreholes in more solid rocks, the demand for contactless drilling increases. Promising developments were shown on sonic, laser and waterjet methods.
- New concepts combining CO2 storage in geothermal reservoirs and recovery for power production
- New (composite) materials and monitoring methods to ensure well integrity.