Ngoyo Mandemvo, Dan David; Comeau, Félix-Antoine; Raymond, Jasmin 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7486-9185; Grasby, Stephen E. et Terlaky, Viktor
(2023).
Geothermal Potential of Closed Underground Mines: Resource Assessment Study of the Con Mine, Northwest Territories, Canada.
Natural Resources Research
, vol. 32
, nº 4.
pp. 1579-1593.
DOI: 10.1007/s11053-023-10214-3.
Résumé
After the closure of an underground mine, tunnels commonly become flooded and can be potentially exploited for its geothermal resource. Developing new methods for quantifying the energy content of this reservoir with a complex geometry is important to assess the economic value of its heat resource. The objective of this paper is to provide a first-order assessment of the geothermal potential of an underground mine using the Con Mine near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, as an example. Field data allowed the development of an improved analytical approach to evaluate the geothermal potential of the Con Mine based on a thermal power budget. The sources considered in the thermal power budget are the thermal inertia of the water in the mine and the surrounding host rock, and the water that infiltrates the mine from nearby lakes. Analytical calculations are based on the finite linear heat source equation, considering cooled or heated water in the mine tunnels as heat sources or sinks. The geometry of the underground mine is consequently simplified to a linear heat source of equivalent length and fixed radius. The Thiem equation is used to calculate the water seeping into the mine. Results obtained with this approach and considering the operation of a geothermal heat pump system indicate a total energy of 17,520 MWh y−1 and 8234 MWh y−1 that can be delivered to buildings for heating and cooling purposes, respectively. This new approach provides an improvement to the volumetric method commonly used to assess geothermal resources.
| Type de document: | Article |
|---|---|
| Mots-clés libres: | energy; heat transfer; mine water; analytical modeling; heat pump |
| Centre: | Centre Eau Terre Environnement |
| Date de dépôt: | 14 janv. 2025 19:53 |
| Dernière modification: | 14 janv. 2025 19:53 |
| URI: | https://espace.inrs.ca/id/eprint/15396 |
Gestion Actions (Identification requise)
 |
Modifier la notice |