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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "H: Geo-Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 14942

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ni An

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Guest Editor

Department of Civil Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Interests: geo-environmental issues; geo-hazards; geo-energy utilization; coupled hydro-thermal-chemical modelling; soil-atmosphere interaction

Dr. Renato Zagorscak

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Quintessa Ltd, First Floor, West Wing, Videcom House, Newtown Road, Henley-on-Thames RH9 1HG, UK
Interests: carbon capture; utilisation and storage (CCUS); hydrogen storage; radioactive waste disposal; geoenergy technologies; THMC processes

Prof. Dr. Fangtian Wang

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Guest Editor

School of Mines, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Interests: underground longwall mining; mining-induced strata movement control; green mining technology; mining-induced environment sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Wu Cai

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Guest Editor

State Key Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining, School of Mines, China University of Mining & Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Interests: coal burst; microseismic monitoring; mining engineering; fluid injection-induced seismicity

Dr. Meiheriayi Mutailipu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Electrical Engineering, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China
Interests: multi-phase flow in porous media; thermodynamic properties of fluids; interfacial tension; wettability; relative permeability; capillary pressure

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We invite submissions to a Special Issue of the Energies journal on the topic of new challenges in the utilization of underground energy and space. With the increasing demand for clean energy in the world, many new technologies in the utilization of underground energy and space have been developed, such as the collection of ground source heat, carbon capture, utilization and sequestration (CCUS), hydrogen exploitation and storage, unconventional gas exploitation and storage, and radioactive waste disposal. The safety issues and environmental concerns raised in the utilization of underground energy and space include rock deformation and ground subsidence, gas emissions, and groundwater contamination, etc. The potential for these attendant risks may affect both public acceptance, facility design and operation, as well as asset value and reputation. Hence, these issues need to be addressed and understood in order to increase the commercial prospects of new technologies.

For this Special Issue, we would like to encourage original contributions regarding recent investigations in terms of the safety issues and environmental concerns in the application of various new technologies with respect to the underground energy field. Potential topics include but are not limited to the following: ground source heat collection, carbon capture, utilization and sequestration (CCUS), hydrogen exploitation and storage, unconventional gas exploitation and storage, and nuclear waste disposal. We would also like to invite authors to address the global potential for expanding technologies in one of the above-mentioned areas around the world and to develop specific case studies.

Dr. Ni An
Dr. Renato Zagorscak
Prof. Dr. Fangtian Wang
Prof. Dr. Wu Cai
Dr. Meiheriayi Mutailipu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Ground source heat collection
Deep geothermal heat
Carbon capture, utilization and sequestration
Underground hydrogen exploitation
Underground hydrogen storage
Radioactive waste disposal
Seismic hazards assessment
Mining-induced seismicity
Fluid injection-induced seismicity
CO₂ enhanced oil/water/gas recovery
Unconventional gas exploitation
Unconventional gas storage
Marine gas hydrate exploitation
Environmental impact/concerns
Safety issues
Ground subsidence
Gas emission
Groundwater contamination
Public acceptance
Energy efficiency
Energy process control

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 5450 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Strata Movement and Mining-Induced Stress Identification for an Isolated Working Face Surrounded by Two Goafs

by Yingyuan Wen, Anye Cao, Wenhao Guo, Chengchun Xue, Guowei Lv and Xianlei Yan

Energies 2023, 16(6), 2839; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en16062839 - 18 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1007

Abstract

Solutions for the maintenance of safety in an isolated working face has not been well achieved; this is attributed to its unique overburden structure and the strong mining-induced stress during the advancement. This paper is devoted to filling this research gap and is based on the case study of LW 10304 in the Xinglongzhuang Coal Mine, in China. The overburden structure and stress distribution characteristics of this isolated working face were theoretically investigated, followed by the development of a comprehensive identification method. The research results showed the following: (1) The overburden strata of LW 10304 is in the form of a short “T” shape and the stress increment is featured with the overall “saddle” shape before the extraction of the isolated working face. During this period, the lower key strata and main key strata affect the stress level at the two ends and the central part of the working face, respectively; (2) Both the frequency and energy of micro-earthquakes in the working face account for more than 95%, which is positively correlated with roof damage and rib spalling, associated with some overlaps between the damaged zones; (3) The fracture movement of inferior key strata near the coal seam plays a dominant role in affecting microseism activity and mining-induced stress. The microseism energy attributed to roof breakage accounts for 43.34% of the overall energy; (4) A comprehensive indexing system, covering microseism frequency, microseism energy, and support resistance, was established to identify the mining-induced stress intensity of the isolated working face. The early warning efficiency of the “strong” degree of mining-induced stress is 0.94, which is believed to provide an option for other isolated working faces with similar geological and mining conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges in the Utilization of Underground Energy and Space)

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25 pages, 6401 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Insights into the Thermal Performance of Underground High Voltage Electricity Transmission Lines through Thermo-Hydraulic Modelling

by Kui Liu, Renato Zagorščak, Richard J. Sandford, Oliver N. Cwikowski, Alexander Yanushkevich and Hywel R. Thomas

Energies 2022, 15(23), 8897; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15238897 - 24 Nov 2022

Viewed by 1282

Abstract

In this paper, a flexible numerical framework to provide thermal performance assessment for the underground buried cables, considering different geological and meteorological conditions, has been presented. Underground cables tend to retain the heat produced in the conductor, so complex coupled thermo-hydraulic response of the porous medium surrounding the cables needs to be assessed to prevent cable overheating and the associated reduction in cable capacity for carrying current. Applying a coupled thermo-hydraulic model within the developed numerical framework to conduct a health assessment on a subset of National Grid Electricity Transmission’s underground cables, this study provides novel insights into the thermal behaviour of buried circuits. The results indicate that backfill and surrounding native soil have the dominant effect on the thermal behaviour of cables, while the amount of precipitation and ambient temperature were found to have less impact on cable’s thermal behaviour. The findings strongly infer that the nature of the overloading which is undertaken in practice would have no ongoing negative impact, suggesting that more frequent or longer duration overloading regimes could be tolerated. Overall, this study demonstrates how the developed numerical framework could be harnessed to allow safe rating adjustments of buried transmission circuits. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges in the Utilization of Underground Energy and Space)

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22 pages, 2029 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Transition from Fossil Fuel to Geothermal Energy: A Multi-Level Perspective Approach

by Satya Widya Yudha, Benny Tjahjono and Philip Longhurst

Energies 2022, 15(19), 7435; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15197435 - 10 Oct 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2153

Abstract

Indonesia is currently undergoing the energy transition from heavily fossil fuel-dependent energy to cleaner sources of energy in order to achieve its net-zero emissions by 2060. In addition to reducing fossil fuel dependency, as one of the countries with the most geothermal reserves, the optimization of geothermal energy in Indonesia could be key to facilitating the energy transition. The objective of this paper is to elaborate on the transition process, which incorporates the destabilization of fossil fuel and the growth of geothermal energy, by analyzing the impact of both exogenous and endogenous factors on the supply chain structures of both sectors. This study employs workshop involving geothermal stakeholders in Indonesia, combined with the application of the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) framework as the theoretical lens. The study found that energy demand, environmental awareness, energy regulations, energy supply chain, and geothermal potential breakthroughs are important aspects pertinent to the MLP components, namely the socio-technical landscape, socio-technical regime and niche innovations. The socio-technical landscapes are exogenous factors that pressurize the energy sector regime allowing the niche innovation, in the form of geothermal innovation, to penetrate the fossil fuel regime, allowing it to transition to a geothermal regime. The transition pathways include several measures that could break down the fossil fuel and build up geothermal energy, through a number of schemes and incentives. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges in the Utilization of Underground Energy and Space)

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16 pages, 288 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bridging Social and Technical Sciences: Introduction of the Societal Embeddedness Level

by Marit Sprenkeling, Tara Geerdink, Adriaan Slob and Amber Geurts

Energies 2022, 15(17), 6252; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15176252 - 27 Aug 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2581

Abstract

The successful and fast development and deployment of renewable energy and greenhouse gas reduction technologies is a continuing and structural challenge. The deployment of these technologies is slowed down and sometimes even stalled due to societal challenges like public resistance, lack of appropriate policy and regulations, unsolid business cases and uncertainty concerning the impact on the environment. In this paper we elaborate on societal aspects that influence technology development and deployment and introduce the societal embeddedness level (SEL) framework. Building upon the technology readiness level (TRL), the SEL framework enables the assessment of the current level of societal embeddedness of energy technologies in order to identify the societal aspects which need to be taken into account to accelerate deployment of energy technologies. The SEL framework takes into account four societal dimensions (impact on the environment, stakeholder involvement, policy and regulations, and market and financial resources) and four stages of technology development (exploration, development, demonstration and deployment) that are linked to the TRL. The SEL framework has been elaborated for CCS technologies and is being applied to the monitoring of geological CO₂ storage by the ACT II project DigiMon (Digital Monitoring of CO₂ storage projects). DigiMon is an ACT second call project, funded by the national funding agencies in the period September 2019–August 2022. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges in the Utilization of Underground Energy and Space)

22 pages, 980 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

On the Organisation of Translation—An Inter- and Transdisciplinary Approach to Developing Design Options for CO₂ Storage Monitoring Systems

by Danny Otto, Marit Sprenkeling, Ruben Peuchen, Åsta Dyrnes Nordø, Dimitrios Mendrinos, Spyridon Karytsas, Siri Veland, Olympia Polyzou, Martha Lien, Yngve Heggelund, Matthias Gross, Pim Piek and Hanneke Puts

Energies 2022, 15(15), 5678; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15155678 - 4 Aug 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2202

Abstract

Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration has become a common practice in technology development projects. Rarely, however, the integration (and translation) of knowledge from different disciplines and different societal contexts is reported in detail. In this article, we address this gap and present the inter- and transdisciplinary technology development in the international research project “DigiMon—Digital Monitoring of CO₂ Storage Projects” that aims to develop a human-centered monitoring system. Based on interviews, surveys and stakeholder workshops in Norway, Greece, Germany and The Netherlands, we identify characteristics of CO₂ storage monitoring systems that reflect the concerns and expectations of publics and stakeholders. We document the translation of social scientific findings into technical expertise for the design of a monitoring system. We discuss how the interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary process has affected the technology development. In outlining how this process was set up, carried out and validated, we are able to show a viable route for the meaningful incorporation of heterogeneous knowledge in complex energy infrastructures. Furthermore, we discuss the features of the project organization that made this comprehensive process possible. Thus, our results contribute to inter- and transdisciplinary research organization in general and to the development of methods for monitoring CO₂ storage in particular. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges in the Utilization of Underground Energy and Space)

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18 pages, 1023 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Unearthing the Dynamics of Indonesia’s Geothermal Energy Development

by Satya Widya Yudha, Benny Tjahjono and Philip Longhurst

Energies 2022, 15(14), 5009; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15145009 - 8 Jul 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3018

Abstract

Indonesia has one of the world’s biggest geothermal energy reserves, accounting for 28.61 Gigawatts of electric energy (GWe). However, as of 2022, the installed geothermal capacity in Indonesia was only around 2.175 GWe, just 7.6% of its estimated potential. Geothermal energy development is required for Indonesia to empower sustainable energy systems and achieve its target of reaching 7.2 GW of geothermal energy by 2025. The geothermal energy sector is viewed as a complex dynamic system, with complicated challenges, including technical, financial, infrastructure, and many other issues. The purpose of this paper is to understand the complex nature of geothermal systems in Indonesia. To that end, this paper examines the geothermal development from a systematic and holistic standpoint, employing the interview technique to enable the conceptualization of the geothermal systems using the system dynamics (SD) approach. The SD model exhibits several underlying and important factors influencing the development of geothermal energy in Indonesia, such as capital investment, the collection of upstream data to reduce risk, infrastructure construction, pricing, incentives, permit procedures, environmental concerns, and public acceptance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges in the Utilization of Underground Energy and Space)

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11 pages, 4423 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dust Control Technology in Dry Directional Drilling in Soft and Broken Coal Seams

by Dongmei Wu, Jie Gao and Ke Lu

Energies 2022, 15(10), 3804; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15103804 - 21 May 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1486

Abstract

High rate of dust generation and serious dust diffusion in dry directional drilling in soft and broken coal seams (SBCS) have long been critical problems in the mining process. To solve these problems, in this study, a dust hood was designed and applied to realize non-contact dust control in drilling holes. The optimal performance of the dust hood was achieved when different technical parameters, including the gap width between the dust hood and the drill pipe, the air-slot width of the sealing device, the slag discharge pressure, and the air curtain pressure were controlled at 2 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.3 MPa, and 0.5 MPa, respectively. As a result, the dust concentration was reduced from 540 mg/m³ to 15 mg/m³, with dust control efficiency reaching 97.2%. The in situ test results confirmed good dust control effects, as the dust control efficiency reached 98.3% after using the dust hood. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges in the Utilization of Underground Energy and Space)

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