The Integration of 3D Modeling and Simulation to Determine the Energy Potential of Low-Temperature Geothermal Systems in the Pisa (Italy) Sedimentary Plain

Energies

Paola Marianelli¹  Paolo Costantini¹  Alessandro Sbrana¹  Giuseppe Pasquini¹  Francesco Palmieri²  Michele Sbrana³  Valentina Ciani³ 

[1] Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, University of Pisa, Via S. Maria 53, 56126 Pisa, Italy;Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale—OGS, Borgo Grotta Gigante 42/C, 34010 Sgonico (TS), Italy;Terra Energy, Via Lenin 132-56017 San Giuliano Terme (PI), Italy;

关键词: 3D modeling;    3D numerical simulation;    geographic information systems (GIS) geodatabase;    geothermal potential assessment;    shallow geothermal;   

DOI  :  10.3390/en11061591

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Shallow, low-temperature geothermal resources can significantly reduce the environmental impact of heating and cooling. Based on a replicable standard workflow for three-dimensional (3D) geothermal modeling, an approach to the assessment of geothermal energy potential is proposed and applied to the young sedimentary basin of Pisa (north Tuscany, Italy), starting from the development of a geothermal geodatabase, with collated geological, stratigraphic, hydrogeological, geophysical and thermal data. The contents of the spatial database are integrated and processed using software for geological and geothermal modeling. The models are calibrated using borehole data. Model outputs are visualized as three-dimensional reconstructions of the subsoil units, their volumes and depths, the hydrogeological framework, and the distribution of subsoil temperatures and geothermal properties. The resulting deep knowledge of subsoil geology would facilitate the deployment of geothermal heat pump technology, site selection for well doublets (for open-loop systems), or vertical heat exchangers (for closed-loop systems). The reconstructed geological–hydrogeological models and the geothermal numerical simulations performed help to define the limits of sustainable utilization of an area’s geothermal potential.

【 授权许可】

Unknown