Abstracts Session 2
Dr Paul Nathanail
Land Quality Management Ltd
Nottingham
East Midlands: king coal is dead, recovering from the wake takes time
Land Quality Management Ltd
Nottingham
East Midlands: king coal is dead, recovering from the wake takes time
The coal mines and ancillary or secondary industries have closed. Their aftermath requires considerable geological and other professional competencies to allow land to be reused and nature to reestablish. The former Avenue Coking Works, south of Chesterfield, was a model of modern technology producing coke and other much needed products… until it wasn’t. Once described as one of the most contaminated sites in Europe, its 20+ year journey from dereliction to multiple reuses required a detailed understanding of hydrogeology, heavy metal and hydrocarbon geochemistry, geotechnical properties of excavated materials and a remediation budget surpassed only by that for the London Olympic site. Starting with early efforts to fund the reclamation from opencast coal mining, Avenue’s story is one of success built on innovation and sometimes reluctant collaboration. Along with hectares of repurposed land, much transferable knowledge, several research theses and many scientific publications form a lasting legacy of the wake of King Coal in our region.
David Boon
Senior Engineering and Geothermal Geologist
British Geological Survey, Keyworth
A new Ground Source Heat Pump and geothermal observatory at BGS Keyworth
Senior Engineering and Geothermal Geologist
British Geological Survey, Keyworth
A new Ground Source Heat Pump and geothermal observatory at BGS Keyworth
The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has a target to decarbonise its heating by 2030 and achieve Net Zero by 2040. The space heating of two existing office buildings on the British Geological Survey (BGS) Keyworth Campus, Nottinghamshire, have been decarbonised by employing electrically-driven ground source heat pumps coupled to 28 closed-loop borehole heat exchangers installed to 225m. The project includes a ‘Living Lab’, featuring an advanced monitoring system that tracks the thermal changes in the ground array using downhole fibre optical cables and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT). The project included a new research borehole cored at 4-inch diameter (102mm) to 238.5m with good core recovery. Downhole geophysical logging, core scanning, thermo-physical property testing, and groundwater and microbiological analysis were conducted. The succession encountered was c.215m of red, variably gypsiferous, Mercia Mudstone Group with Sherwood Sandstone to TD. The Arden and Cotgrave sandstones were encountered at c.48 and c.89m respectively.
Briony Bowler
MPhil student
Keele University
Sedimentology and the evolution of arid terminal fluvial fans: implications for reservoir heterogeneity
MPhil student
Keele University
Sedimentology and the evolution of arid terminal fluvial fans: implications for reservoir heterogeneity
Spatial and temporal variations in the sedimentology of continental basins are preserved at facies and stratigraphic scale, with the relationships between architectural elements and facies reflecting the evolution of the depositional system. Coeval aeolian and fluvial environments interact in such basins, forming heterogenous, complex sedimentary successions. However, comparatively little research has been conducted into the implications of aeolian-fluvial interactions upon the preserved sedimentology, system evolution, and the resultant reservoir potential.Sedimentary logs and magnetic susceptibility data of the Middle Jurassic Carmel Formation across southern Utah have been combined to produce three-dimensional facies models of aeolian-fluvial depositional systems. Changes within the palaeoenvironment, caused by changes in the dominance and relative balance of autogenic and allogenic processes, are reflected by preserved architectures. Heterogeneity impacts reservoir quality, which can be evaluated using generalised models applicable to sub-surface, sub-seismic scale analogues.
Dr Mike Spence
UK Geoenergy Observatory Cheshire, Science and Operations Lead
British Geological Survey, Keyworth
The UK Geoenergy Observatories: New research facilities to de-risk investment in shallow geothermal energy
UK Geoenergy Observatory Cheshire, Science and Operations Lead
British Geological Survey, Keyworth
The UK Geoenergy Observatories: New research facilities to de-risk investment in shallow geothermal energy
Over the past 10 years there has been significantly increased activity in UK geothermal across commercial, academia, local and national Government towards decarbonisation of heating and cooling of our buildings. A key factor in realising this potential is understanding the influence of geology on thermal and environmental performance and to address this need, the British Geological Survey has recently completed the construction of two high tech, borehole- based shallow geothermal research facilities called the UK Geoenergy Observatories. The Observatories, which are located in the Cheshire Sherwood Sandstone Group and Scottish Coal Measures Group, are designed to provide the data and scientific understanding needed to maximise geothermal performance, understand interference between adjacent schemes and minimise any environmental effects. The Geoenergy Observatories incorporate advanced electrical, fibre optic and groundwater monitoring capabilities that can map thermal plumes in 3D and close to real time. This allows the effect of geological variation and groundwater flow in the rock matrix, fractures or mine voids to be assessed, together with the effects of thermal perturbation on groundwater chemistry and aquifer properties. More generally, the Observatories will provide important insight into how geological volumes can be effectively monitored for other geoenergy technologies, such as CO2 and hydrogen storage.
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