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Title: Clean energy from abandoned mines at Springhill, Nova Scotia

Abstract

Flooded former coal mines of Springhill, Nova Scotia, contain about 4,000,000 m{sup 3} of water which circulates by convection and may be recovered at the surface at a temperature of about 18 C. The heat in the water is derived from the normal heat of the rocks, and the contribution from chemical heating is negligible. Water is pumped from the mines to act as the primary input to heat pumps for heating and cooling industrial buildings. Annual heat exchange with the mine by the largest user puts more heat into the mine in summer than is taken out in winter. Buildings without heavy machinery, such as office buildings, drain little heat from the mine, so that many heat exchange systems could operate indefinitely, without significant depletion of the heat source. Initial costs of heat pump installation are higher than the costs of conventional oil furnaces, but the operating costs are substantially lower. In the Springhill systems, heat pumps provide summer cooling as well as winter heating, and total costs of geothermal heating are substantially lower than heating by fuel oil in eastern Canada. There is a net saving in the emission of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

Authors:
 [1]; ;
  1. Geological Survey of Canada, Calgary, Alberta (Canada). Inst. of Sedimentary and Petroleum Geology
Publication Date:
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
28048
Report Number(s):
CONF-9305402-
Journal ID: EGYSAO; ISSN 0090-8312; TRN: IM9516%%174
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Energy Sources
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 17; Journal Issue: 1; Conference: Annual meeting of the Canadian Society of Coal and Organic Petrology, Calgary (Canada), 21-22 May 1993; Other Information: PBD: Jan-Feb 1995
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY; 01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT; NOVA SCOTIA; ABANDONED SHAFTS; HEAT EXTRACTION; INDUSTRIAL PLANTS; GEOTHERMAL SPACE HEATING; GEOTHERMAL AIR CONDITIONING; COAL MINING; WATER SOURCE HEAT PUMPS; NET ENERGY; ECONOMIC IMPACT; ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

Citation Formats

Jessop, A M, MacDonald, J K, and Spence, H. Clean energy from abandoned mines at Springhill, Nova Scotia. United States: N. p., 1995. Web. doi:10.1080/00908319508946072.
Jessop, A M, MacDonald, J K, & Spence, H. Clean energy from abandoned mines at Springhill, Nova Scotia. United States. https://doi.org/10.1080/00908319508946072
Jessop, A M, MacDonald, J K, and Spence, H. 1995. "Clean energy from abandoned mines at Springhill, Nova Scotia". United States. https://doi.org/10.1080/00908319508946072.
@article{osti_28048,
title = {Clean energy from abandoned mines at Springhill, Nova Scotia},
author = {Jessop, A M and MacDonald, J K and Spence, H},
abstractNote = {Flooded former coal mines of Springhill, Nova Scotia, contain about 4,000,000 m{sup 3} of water which circulates by convection and may be recovered at the surface at a temperature of about 18 C. The heat in the water is derived from the normal heat of the rocks, and the contribution from chemical heating is negligible. Water is pumped from the mines to act as the primary input to heat pumps for heating and cooling industrial buildings. Annual heat exchange with the mine by the largest user puts more heat into the mine in summer than is taken out in winter. Buildings without heavy machinery, such as office buildings, drain little heat from the mine, so that many heat exchange systems could operate indefinitely, without significant depletion of the heat source. Initial costs of heat pump installation are higher than the costs of conventional oil furnaces, but the operating costs are substantially lower. In the Springhill systems, heat pumps provide summer cooling as well as winter heating, and total costs of geothermal heating are substantially lower than heating by fuel oil in eastern Canada. There is a net saving in the emission of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.},
doi = {10.1080/00908319508946072},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/28048}, journal = {Energy Sources},
number = 1,
volume = 17,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1995},
month = {Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1995}
}