| Title | The new Digital Geothermal Atlas of Catalonia for very Low Temperature (GACvLT) |
|---|---|
| Authors | Arnó, G; Herms, I; Camps, V; Ascaso, E; Colomer, M |
| Year | 2016 |
| Conference | European Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | Shallow geothermal, atlas, geothermal potential, geological conditions, subsoil temperature |
| Abstract | The use of geothermal energy for very low and low temperatures in Europe, especially in the Nordic countries and Central Europe is very extensive and widely developed. By contrast in Catalonia its implementation has been moderate and delayed compared to these countries. However, the target known as "20-20-20", approved by the EU Council in March 2007, and the European Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament (which establishes the geothermal energy captured by heat pump as a renewable source of energy) constitute the basis for the development and promotion of the use of geothermal energy in Catalonia, resulting in a significant increase in the number of geothermal installations executed in very low temperature reservoirs. Certainly, there is still a long way to go ahead and so the ICGC aims in this topic are to collaborate in the dissemination of scientific knowledge of geothermal energy of very low temperature and to provide users with the necessary information available on thermogeology. This information should be invaluable in feasibility studies and planning of horizontal and vertical heat exchange systems (both open and closed loops). With these two objectives, the ICGC is developing the project “<em>Digital Geothermal Atlas of Catalonia for Very Low Temperature</em>”, which will be a collection of thematic maps focused on very low temperature resources (< 30ºC ) and, indirectly, on low temperature resources ( 30º - 100ºC ). One of the added values ??of the project will be its transversal character because generated datasets come from different disciplines such as climatology, geophysics, geology, hydrogeology and soil science. In addition, the atlas is aimed at groups such as geologists, architects, environmentalists and industrial engineers, all of them involved in the design and construction of heat exchange system. The datasets included in the atlas are: Difficulty of drilling materials prognosis map Depth , texture and thermal conductivity of soil maps Depth to groundwater surface level, Langelier index of groundwater, location of confined aquifers with potential artesian phenomena and location of hydrothermal sources. Thermal conductivity, volumetric heat capacity, thermal diffusivity, heat flow, geothermal gradient and location of thermometries maps Temperatures and surface thermal oscillations maps Temperature distribution at 2, 50, 100, 150 and 200 meters deep maps Geothermal potential for both open loop and closed loop heat These layers of information will be available to users through a Web Map Viewer. Each one will be accompanied by its corresponding legend, calculation methodology and disclaimers to make clear the limitations of the provided information. The datasets are expected to be also available on a future Web Map Services (WMS). |