1. the Podhale Geothermal System and Heating Project Ð an Overview
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Beata Kepinska: THE PODHALE GEOTHERMAL SYSTEM AND HEATING PROJECT – AN OVERVIEW 1. THE PODHALE GEOTHERMAL SYSTEM AND HEATING PROJECT – AN OVERVIEW Beata Kepinska Polish Academy of Sciences, Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute Wybickiego 7 Str., 31- 261 Krakow, Poland Abstract • Climatic and tourist value (the centre of winter sport and alpinism, with a number of boarding The Podhale region is regarded as a cradle for houses and hotels, a venue of many winter geothermal energy use for heating purposes in sports competitions); Poland. Since the end of 1980s the research works • A vital, rich folk culture and tradition culti- and activities oriented to geothermal space heating vated by local highlanders; and other uses have been carried out there. There, the first in Poland, Experimental Geothermal Plant • Large resources of geothermal waters charac- terizing by favourable parameters. was put into operation and successively a great regional heating system has been developed. On the other hand, Podhale has been affected by intensive anthropopression, especially extensive More than ten years of the project deve- lopment brought many results of both cognitive and pollution of natural environment caused by burning large quantities of hard coal for heating (heating practical meaning for the proper long-term exploi- season lasts even 8-9 months). Therefore, the pro- tation of the geothermal reservoir and the heating ject of a regional geothermal heating network hav- network operation. The paper introduces main geo- ing been realised since the end of 1980s is of es- logical and reservoir characteristics of the Podhale sential significance to stop further degradation of geothermal system, project’s assumptions, techno- Podhale ecosystem, and to conduct sustainable ma- logical, ecological, economical and some other as- pects and circumstances. The most recent infor- nagement of the environment. mation concerning the project realization will be 2 GEOLOGICAL SETTING AND presented during the IGD 2004 Field Trip. EVOLUTION 1 THE PODHALE REGION – GENERALS In the Podhale region the two main parts of the The Podhale region is located in southern Carpathian orogen exist - the Inner and the Outer Poland, within the Inner Carpathians. In the south it Carpathians. They are fragments of the mountain borders Slovakia - through the Tatras, the only mo- chains that were folded during the alpine orogeny untains of Alpine character in Central Europe with (Cretaceous-Tertiary). Within them, the following the highest peaks of Rysy (2499 m a.s.l.) and Ger- geological units have been distinguished (Fig. 1; lach (2655 m a.s.l.).The central part of the region is Fig. 2): occupied by the Podhale Basin – the structure, • The Inner Carpathians: the Tatra Mountains, which contains geothermal reservoirs. the Podhale Basin, and the Pieniny Klippen Podhale is known as a very popular tourist, Belt. They are the constituents of the Podhale sport and recreational destination, visited by over geothermal system and each of them plays its four million tourists annually. It belongs to one of own specific role within it; the most valuable regions in Europe due to the • The Outer Flysch Carpathians: these structures following features: extend North of the Pieniny Klippen Belt and • Variety of landscape and geological structure; have no direct connection with the Podhale • Unique flora and fauna (four Polish national geothermal system. parks, including the Tatra National Park being The Tatra Mountains are built of Palaeozoic joined to the Worldwide Man and Biosphere crystalline core and sedimentary rocks. The latter Reservation System, M&B); form a number of overthrusted tectonic units (Lower Triassic-Middle Cretaceous) and act as a 223 International Geothermal Days POLAND 2004. Zakopane, September 13-17, 2004 Technical field trip to the Podhale region cover of Palaeozoic core. These units consist main- ted mostly within Slovakian territory (where nume- ly of limestones, dolomites, sandstones, marls and rous geothermal systems are found, some of them clays. They continue to the North, creating the ba- being exploited for bathing or heating purposes; sement of Palaeogene formations that fill the Pod- Fendek and Franko, 2000). Its area within Poland hale Basin. They form also the reservoir rocks for amounts to about 475 km 2. The Basin was formed geothermal water. The Tatra Mts. act as the main in the Palaeogene as an effect of irregular, block recharge area for the Podhale geothermal aquifers. uplift of the Tatra Mts. and the Pieniny Klippen The Pieniny Klippen Belt is built of Meso- Belt. Its basement is composed of Mesozoic forma- zoic and Palaeogene sediments forming complex tions (that contain geothermal aquifers) outcropping tectonic units. Regional dislocations separate this on the surface mostly in the Tatra Mountains. The structure, usually not exceeding several hundred profile of the Palaeogene formations that fill the metres in wideness, from the surrounding units: the basin includes conglomerates and nummulitic lime- Podhale Basin and the Outer Carpathias. The Pieni- stone (Middle Eocene) of variable thickness (0–350 ny Klippen Belt is a relict of the subduction zone of m), and the Podhale flysch (Upper Eocene–Oligo- the African and North-European plates being active cene) composed of shales, mudstones and interca- during the alpine orogenesis. At present, this ex- lations of sandstones (reaching the maximum thick- remely complex structure is a very long but narrow ness of 2.5-3 km). belt. It stretches almost 800 km from Vienna meters The Podhale geothermal aquifers occur within up to 3-5 km in wideness within the area of Poland. the Podhale Basin. In the South, it borders the Tatra The Pieniny Klippen Belt forms the northern Mts. - its main recharge area, while from the North impermeable boundary of the Podhale geothermal it is limited by the Pieniny Klippen Belt acting as system. an impermeable barrier. The Podhale Basin is the Polish part of the extensive Inner Carpathian Palaeogene basins loca- FIGURE 1. Location of the Podhale region within the Carpathians 1. Outer Flysch Carpathians; 2. Pieniny Klippen Belt; 3. Inner Carpathians Palaeogene depressions (containing geothermal aquifers); 4. Palaeozoic-Mesozoic massifs of the Inner Carpathians; 5. Neogene volcanites; 6. Neogene sediments in intra- montane depressions 3 MAIN FEATURES OF THE PODHALE nappes and scales overthrusted and folded during GEOTHERMAL SYSTEM the Upper Cretaceous-Palaeocene orogenic 3.1 Generals period.Tertiary carbonate transgressive series (0- The Podhale geothermal system is built of two 350 m in thickness) and a thick flysch formation basic units: Mesozoic (Triassic-Cretaceous) and (2.5-3.2 km) were deposited in situ on the basement Tertiary (Palaeogene) formations (Figs. 2, 3). Older of the overthrusted Mesozoic units. At present, they formations (Palaeozoic) are expected to underlie form a structural depression (through). the Mesozoic series. The Mesozoic rocks have a The rocks, which built the Podhale system, typical alpine structure. They form nume-rous underwent long and complex geological evolution. 224 The Middle Triassic rocks are ca. 235 Ma, while Ma ago. Their common history as a geothermal the sedimentation of the Middle Eocene carbonates system begun after the flysch had been deposited, started ca. 50 Ma ago, and the Podhale flysch - 45 ca. 22 Ma ago. FIGURE 2. Geological sketch of the Podhale region, location of geothermal wells and heating network under construction 1—3: geothermal wells: 1 – production, 2 – injection, 3 – not in use; 4 - other wells; 5. locality with geothermal heating system on-line (2003); 6. localities under connection to geothermal heating network; 7. localities planned to be geothermally heated; 8. Geothermal Base Load Plant; 9. geothermal heating plants planned; 10. Central Peak Load Plant; 11. warm spring (existing untill 1960s); 12. main transmission pipeline; 13. transmisssion pipelines planned FIGURE 3. Geological – thermal cross-section through the Podhale region (geology based on Sokolowski, 1993) 3.2 Reservoir rocks ranging from 100 to 700 m, while the effective thickness is equal to 100 m. The water circulation Several geothermal aquifers have been found within the Mesozoic basement of the Podhale Ba- and high flowrates are primarily conditioned by the secondary fractured porosity and permeability. The sin. Reservoir rocks are mainly Triassic carbonates, Triassic reservoir rocks are fractured and brecciated and sometimes Jurassic sandstones and carbonates due to the long tectonic transportation, vertical mo- (Fig. 3). The particular aquifers are separated from vements, weathering, karstification, and secondary the top and bottom by semi-permeable Jurassic and dolomitisation processes. Moreover, these features Cretaceous series (mudstones, siltstones, shales). make the carbonaceous rocks supple to the inflow The most favourable and prospective geother- stimulation treatments by acidizing. In such condi- mal aquifer (being exploited for heating purposes tions, the flowrate from individual wells may in- since the 1990-s) occurs within the Middle Triassic crease several times, occasionally even 20 times. limestone-dolomites and in overlying Middle Eoce- ne Nummulitic limestones and carbonate conglo- 3.3 Caprock of geothermal aquifers merates. These formations are found over the entire Podhale system, prolonging to the Slovakian terri- The caprock of geothermal aquifers is form-ed tory. Usually their total thickness is considerable