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Transenergy: Transboundary Geothermal Energy Resources of Slovenia, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia

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Transenergy: Transboundary Geothermal Energy Resources of Slovenia, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia Issue N° 25 The Newsletter of the ENeRG Network May 2012 Transenergy: transboundary geothermal energy resources of Slovenia, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia The project „TRANSENERGY – which will be available to the public in Transboundary Geothermal Energy 2012. Geological, hydrogeological and Resources of Slovenia, Austria, geothermal modelling is ongoing on a Hungary and Slovakia” is implemented supra-regional scale covering the entire through the Central European Program project area. The geological model and co-financed by ERDF. It’s aim is shows the spatial distribution of the most to provide a user friendly, web-based important hydrostratigraphic units, while decision supporting tool which transfers maps of temperature distribution at various expert know-how of sustainable depths characterize the thermal field. This utilization of geothermal resources serves a basis for more detailed modelling in the western part of the Pannonian to be carried out on selected cross-border basin. pilot areas in 2012 and 2013. TRANSENERGY addresses the key geothermal energy utilization, a database Results can be downloaded from the problem of using geothermal energy of current users and utilization parameters project website (http://transenergy-eu. resources shared by different countries. from 172 users which are visualized geologie.ac. at), which provides further The main carrying medium of geothermal on 12 utilization maps and a summary information and PR material about ongoing energy is thermal groundwater. Regional report discussing the various utilization activities. flow paths are strongly linked to geological aspects, waste water treatment, monitoring Annamária Nádor structures that do not stop at state borders. practices, exploited geothermal aquifers and (project leader) Therefore only a transboundary approach their further potentials. A great variety of Hungarian Geological and the establishment of a joint, multi- geological, hydrogeological and geothermal and Geophysical national management system may handle data to be used for modeling have been Institute the assessment of geothermal potentials collected and uploaded into a harmonized, and give guidelines for a balanced fluid/ multilingual database, containing data nador.annamaria@ heat production to avoid possible negative from more than 2500 boreholes from mfgi.hu impacts (depletion, or overexploitation) in the 4 countries. Additional investigations the neighboring countries. (hydrogeochemical analyses, temperature Targeted stakeholders are primarily logging, petrophysical measurements) authorities, present and future users were carried out from areas with poor data and investors, who will get a regional coverage and these will also be incorporated evaluation of geothermal resources in the into the final expert database, a part of project area. Assessment will be done by various geological, hydrogeological and geothermal models at a regional scale and on five selected cross-border pilot areas with different geothermal settings, where existing utilization problems have been identified. MAIN OUTPUTS: • multilingual interactive geothermal web- portal containing databases linked to thematic maps, cross sections and models • geological, hydrogeological and geother- mal models for the regional and pilot areas • scenario models showing estimates on the potential and vulnerability of the cross- border geothermal systems for different extractions of thermal water/heat • database of current geothermal energy users and production parameters, visualized on transboundary utilization maps • database of authorities dealing with management and licensing of trans- boundary geothermal reservoirs • summary of actual legal and funding framework at the participating countries • strategy paper evaluating existing exploitation, future possibilities and recommendations for a sustainable and efficient geothermal energy production at the project area The results of the TRANSENERGY project achieved so far are associated with the overview of utilization of thermal Fig.1 Transenergy project area. Within the investigated region (red line) the project focuses groundwater in the project area, including on some representative pilot-areas along the borders (thermal karst of Komarno-Sturovo area a database of authorities dealing with (HU-SK), Pannonian Central Depression of the Danube basin (A-SK-HU), Lutzmannsburg – Zsira area (A-HU), Vienna basin (SK-A) and Bad Radkersburg – Hodoš area (A-SLO-HU) Ex-situ and in-situ mineral carbonation: alternative technology to mitigate climate change Fixation of CO2 in the form of inorganic for CO2 storage in the Miocene Columbia which could be used for products such as carbonates, also known as “mineral carbo- River Basalt Group is 10-50 Gt CO2, while building materials, bricks, pavers, cement nation” was proposed in the USA by Seifritz total capacity of US Basalt Formations is and agricultural additives. There is enough in 1990 and developed by Lackner in 1995- 240 Gt, compared to 2600 Gt in USA Saline serpentinite in New South Wales to capture 2003. The thought behind it is to accelerate aquifers as reported by Dahowski et al. in carbon dioxide in this way for thousands of the natural weathering processes up to an 2005. years if the technology proves to be feasi- industrially acceptable level. Initially, only A field scale injection of CO2 into basalts ble on a large scale. The pilot demonstration natural Ca- and Mg-rich minerals (serpen- in Hellisheidi, Iceland, was started in late Ja- plant is planned to be built at an experimental tinite, olivine, wollastonite, talc) were consi- nuary 2012 in the frame of the international site in Newcastle and to provide bulk sample dered as CO2 binders, while several alkali CarbFix project, a combined industrial and carbonate material to interested product de- wastes, like steel slag and ashes from po- academic research program. 175 tonnes of velopers by 2012. If the Newcastle trial pro- wer plants were considered later. The main pure CO2 were injected at the CarbFix injec- ves successful a demonstration scale plant parameters of dry and aqueous CO2-binding tion site in Hellisheidi, SW-Iceland, over a is scheduled to become operational by 2016 by natural minerals and process routes were period of approximately 5 weeks, from late and an industrial full-scale plant could be worked out in 1995-2005. At the present time January to early March. A mixture of water available at about 2020 (http://www.sustai- United States Geological Survey (USGS) is and steam is harnessed from 2000 m deep nabilitymatters.net.au/articles/41409-Mine- working in two areas of mineral carbonation: wells at Hellisheidi geothermal power plant. ral-carbonation-project-for-NSW). CO2 mineral carbonation using ultramafic CO2 from the plant is dissolved in water at Ex-situ mineral carbonation using waste rocks (peridotite, dunite, serpentinite and elevated pressure and then injected throu- materials is also currently studied. This tech- picrite) and accelerated weathering of limes- gh wells down to 400-800 m, just outside nique can use coal and oil-shale ash and tone (AWL) (http://crustal.usgs.gov/projects/ the boundary of the geothermal system. waste water, stainless steel slag from the CO2_sequestration/carbonation.html). The liquid should react with calcium from steel industry, as well as waste products from Carbonation of alkaline minerals mimics the basalt and form calcite. This process the cement industry, municipal soild-waste the natural weathering of rock and involves incineration ashes, paper-produced industry the permanent storage of CO2 as the ther- ash and medical solid-waste incinerator ash. modynamically stable form of calcium and These options are usually available near the magnesium carbonates. Unlike other CO2 CO2 emission source, and allow the stabili- sequestration routes, it provides a leakage- zation and neutralization of hazardous/toxic -free long-term sequestration option, without waste material, with the economic benefit a need for post-storage monitoring once of by-products with high commercial value. CO2 has been fixed. Mineral carbonation The main disadvantages of ex-situ mineral of CO2 is an exothermic reaction, theoreti- carbonation technology is that the amount cally allowing a decreased energy penalty of CO2 which can react with the waste ma- for CO2 capture. terial is not very large. Maximum of 5% of In-situ CO2 storage involves reacting the produced CO2 amount for coal ash up CO2 with alkaline minerals to form carbo- to 10-12% for Estonian oil shale ash based nates. This is possible in mafic (deep flood on fresh ash and waste water (up to 90% of basalt formations and basaltic lava flows) CO2 is possble to avoid using near deposi- and ultramafic rocks rich in mineral olivine ted old alkaline ash as sorbent). For ex-situ (peridotites). The concept of CO2 storage in mineral carbonation by geological minerals, basalts was proposed by McGrail in 2003 large mining works are required, because to and then developed using laboratory and fix a tonne of CO2 requires 1.6-3.7 tonnes numerical simulations, resulting in two on- of rock. The scale could be the same as going pilot projects in USA and Iceland. The the existing mining works in the world and porosity of ultramafic rocks is usually much the price for one tonne of CO2 abandoned lower compared to sedimentary reservoirs, could be higher than for Carbon Capture therefore artificial permeability enhancement and Storage (CCS). At present, the Europe- through hydraulic fracturing is likely
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