The steady increase of geothermal systems using groundwater is compromising the renewability of the geothermal resources in shallow urban aquifers. To ensure sustainability, scientifically-based criteria are required to prevent potential thermal interferences between geothermal systems. In this work, a management indicator (balanced sustainability index, BSI) applicable to groundwater heat pump systems is defined to assign a quantitative value of sustainability to each system, based on their intrinsic potential to produce thermal interference. The BSI indicator relies on the net heat balance transferred to the terrain throughout the year and the maximum seasonal thermal load associated. To define this indicator, 75 heating-cooling scenarios based in 23 real systems were established to cover all possible different operational conditions. The scenarios were simulated in a standard numerical model, adopted as a reference framework, and thermal impacts were evaluated. Two polynomial regression models were used for the interpolation of thermal impacts, thus allowing the direct calculation of the sustainability indicator developed as a function of heating-cooling ratios and maximum seasonal thermal loads. The BSI indicator could provide authorities and technicians with scientifically-based criteria to establish geothermal monitoring programs, which are critical to maintain the implementation rates and renewability of these systems in the cities. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd

This work was performed by the Geological Survey of Spain (IGME) under the Cooperation Agreement framework between IGME and the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation (CHE) for the specific arrangement entitled “The application of a groundwater flow and heat transport numerical model for the simulation of management strategies of geothermal installations in the city of Zaragoza”. Alejandro García-Gil gratefully acknowledges MIKE by DHI for the sponsored FEFLOW license.

Peer reviewed