Hydrogeologic Evaluation of a Ground-Source Cooling System at the BSF/CSF on the Battelle Campus: Final Report
This report documents both the field characterization activities and the numerical modeling effort at the BSF/CSF site to determine the viability of an open-loop ground source heat pump (GSHP). The primary purpose of the integrated field and modeling study was to determine far-field impacts related to a non-consumptive use water right for the well field containing four extraction and four injection wells. In the field, boreholes were logged and used to develop the geologic conceptual model. Hydraulic testing was performed to identify hydraulic properties and determine sustainable pumping rates. Estimates of the Ringold hydraulic conductivity (60-150 m/d) at the BSF/CSF site were consistent with the local and regional hydrogeology as well as estimates previously published by other investigators. Sustainable pumping rates at the extraction wells were variable (100 – 700 gpm), and confirmed field observations of aquifer heterogeneity. Field data were used to develop a numerical model of the site. Simulations assessed the potential of the well field to impact nearby contaminant plumes, neighboring water rights, and the thermal regime of nearby surface water bodies. Using steady-state flow scenarios in conjunction with particle tracking, a radius of influence of 400–600 m was identified around the well field. This distance was considerably shorter than the distance to the closest contaminant plume (~1.2 km northwest to the DOE Horn Rapids Landfill) and the nearest water right holder (~1.2 km southeast to the City of Richland Well Field). Results demonstrated that current trajectories for nearby contaminant plumes will not be impacted by the operation of the GSHP well field. The objective of the energy transport analysis was to identify potential thermal impacts to the Columbia River under likely operational scenarios for the BSF/CSF well field. Estimated pumping rates and injection temperatures were used to simulate heat transport for a range of hydraulic conductivity estimates for the Ringold Formation. Two different operational scenarios were simulated using conservative assumptions, such as the absence of river water intrusion in the near shore groundwater. When seasonal injection of warm and cool water occurred, temperature impacts were insignificant at the Columbia River (< +0.2ºC), irrespective of the hydraulic conductivity estimate. The second operational scenario simulated continuous heat rejection, a condition anticipated once the BSF/CSF is fully loaded with laboratory and computer equipment. For the continuous heat rejection case, where hourly peak conditions were simulated as month-long peaks, the maximum change in temperature along the shoreline was ~1ºC. If this were to be interpreted as an absolute change in a static river temperature, it could be considered significant. However, the warmer-than-ambient groundwater flux that would potentially discharge to the Columbia River is very small relative to the flow in the river. For temperatures greater than 17.0ºC, the flow relative to a low-flow condition in the river is only 0.012%. Moreover, field data has shown that diurnal fluctuations in temperature are as high as 5ºC along the shoreline.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 985580
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-18463 Final; TRN: US201112%%124
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
AQUIFERS
BOREHOLES
COLUMBIA RIVER
COMPUTERS
COOLING SYSTEMS
FLUCTUATIONS
GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMPS
GROUND WATER
HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY
HYDRAULICS
INJECTION WELLS
PLUMES
PUMPING
SURFACE WATERS
TESTING
TRAJECTORIES
TRANSPORT
VIABILITY
WATER INFLUX
WATER RIGHTS
hydrogeology
heat pump
energy transport