Geothermal extraction and upgrade with flexible usage for industrial heat applications

Project Coordinator: Professor Hussam Jouhara – BRUNEL UNIVERSITY OF LONDON

Challenge

Geothermal energy, while abundant and renewable, remains vastly underutilized globally, constituting only 0.5% of the renewable energy market. The GEOFLEXHEAT project was inspired by the critical need to harness this sustainable energy source more effectively. Traditional geothermal systems face significant challenges, including high upfront costs and low thermal efficiency due to the relatively low temperatures of geothermal resources. These issues are compounded by social resistance and a general lack of awareness about geothermal energy's potential. GEOFLEXHEAT addresses these barriers by developing a system that utilizes geothermal heat more efficiently and flexibly, particularly for industrial applications.

Objectives

The GEOFLEXHEAT project aims to revolutionize the way geothermal energy is harnessed and utilized, particularly focusing on industrial heat applications. The project's objectives include:

Development of a Heat Pipe Heat Exchanger (HPHE): To enhance the extraction of heat from geothermal brine, mitigating issues like mineral scaling and corrosion.
Implementation of a Scaling Reduction (SR) System: To allow the reinjection of geothermal brine at lower temperatures, increasing heat energy production and facilitating the collection of minerals like silica.
High Temperature Heat Pump (HTHP): To upgrade the temperature of extracted heat to meet industrial needs, improving the economic viability of geothermal systems.
Thermal Energy Storage (TES): To provide increased flexibility in heat delivery, accommodating fluctuating industrial demands.

Our Role

Privanova plays a crucial role in the GEOFLEXHEAT project, focusing on standardization, clustering, intellectual property, legal, and ethical aspects. Our responsibilities include:

Standardization: Ensuring that the technologies developed are in line with existing standards and can be seamlessly integrated into current systems.
Clustering: Facilitating collaboration with other projects and initiatives to enhance the project's impact and dissemination.
IP Management: Handling intellectual property issues to protect innovations developed within the project and ensuring they can be commercially exploited.
Legal and Ethical Oversight: Ensuring all project activities comply with legal requirements and ethical standards, particularly in terms of environmental impact and sustainability.

Privanova's expertise in these areas ensures that GEOFLEXHEAT not only advances geothermal technology but also does so in a way that is both legally sound and ethically responsible.