The University of Minnesota aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) field test facility -- system description, aquifer characterization, and results of short-term test cycles

Technical Report · Sat Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1991

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5287262· OSTI ID:5287262

Walton, M; Hoyer, M C; Eisenreich, S J; Holm, N L; Holm, T R; Kanivetsky, R; Jirsa, M A; Lee, H C; Lauer, J L; Miller, R T; Norton, J L; Runke, H ^[1]

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1. Minnesota Geological Survey, St. Paul, MN (United States)

Phase 1 of the Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) Project at the University of Minnesota was to test the feasibility, and model, the ATES concept at temperatures above 100{degrees}C using a confined aquifer for the storage and recovery of hot water. Phase 1 included design, construction, and operation of a 5-MW thermal input/output field test facility (FTF) for four short-term ATES cycles (8 days each of heat injection, storage, and heat recover). Phase 1 was conducted from May 1980 to December 1983. This report describes the FTF, the Franconia-Ironton-Galesville (FIG) aquifer used for the test, and the four short-term ATES cycles. Heat recovery; operational experience; and thermal, chemical, hydrologic, and geologic effects are all included. The FTF consists of monitoring wells and the source and storage well doublet completed in the FIG aquifer with heat exchangers and a fixed-bed precipitator between the wells of the doublet. The FIG aquifer is highly layered and a really anisotropic. The upper Franconia and Ironton-Galesville parts of the aquifer, those parts screened, have hydraulic conductivities of {approximately}0.6 and {approximately}1.0 m/d, respectively. Primary ions in the ambient ground water are calcium and magnesium bicarbonate. Ambient temperature FIG ground water is saturated with respect to calcium/magnesium bicarbonate. Heating the ground water caused most of the dissolved calcium to precipitate out as calcium carbonate in the heat exchanger and precipitator. Silica, calcium, and magnesium were significantly higher in recovered water than in injected water, suggesting dissolution of some constituents of the aquifer during the cycles. Further work on the ground water chemistry is required to understand water-rock interactions.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States); Minnesota Geological Survey, St. Paul, MN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 5287262
• Report Number(s): PNL-7220; ON: DE91017858
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

25 ENERGY STORAGE
250600* -- Energy Storage-- Thermal
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
AQUIFERS
CALCIUM CARBONATES
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBONATES
CHEMISTRY
DISSOLUTION
ENERGY RECOVERY
EQUILIBRIUM
EQUIPMENT
GEOLOGY
GROUND WATER
HEAT EXCHANGERS
HEAT RECOVERY
HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROLOGY
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PIPES
PRECIPITATION
PUMPS
RECOVERY
ROCKS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
TESTING
THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE EQUIPMENT
WATER
WATER CHEMISTRY
WELLS