Study level
BAC +5
ECTS
3 credits
Component
Faculty of Science
Description
This course covers the concepts of mass and heat transfer in aquifers, as well as the characteristics of low- to high-energy geothermal energy.
The vulnerability of the underground resource will be assessed and, where appropriate, methods for protecting the aquifer from pollution will be evaluated. Various techniques for cleaning up aquifers will also be discussed, with particular emphasis on the answers offered by numerical simulation tools.
The principles of geothermal energy will also be discussed, with examples of specific systems based on the three types of geothermal energy (from shallow to very deep, from low temperature to very high temperature).
Objectives
The aim of this course is to introduce the fundamental concepts governing mass and heat transfer in the saturated zone. On this basis, analytical and numerical modeling will be carried out. For each of the problems studied, particular attention will be paid to the environmental impact associated with the contamination considered, whether thermal (heat transfer) or chemical (contaminant transport).
At the end of this course, students will :
a. Use the information provided by different approaches (hydrogeological, hydrodynamic, hydrochemical and isotopic) to characterize the origin and dynamics of underground flows.
b. Master the concepts of advective and dispersive transport, and the parameters to be considered
c. Modeling the transport of heat and different types of pollutants
d. Quantify the impact associated with the installation of shallow geothermal systems (i.e. geothermal doublet) or waste storage.
This course will conclude with a study, including numerical modeling (FEFLOW) and environmental recommendations, based on a real case of contamination.
Necessary prerequisites
Subsurface Hydrodynamics" and/or "Applied Hydrogeology" and/or "Subsurface Flow Modelling" courses
Knowledge control
Full continuous assessment