The effect of heating on sandstone permeability.
Seasonal storage of excess heat in geothermal sandstone aquifers is considered as one possibility to make optimal use of renewable energy. During the summer, hot water would be injected into the geothermal aquifers and raise the temperature, providing additional heat that can be extracted in winter.
The objective of this PhD project is to investigate the effect of heating on the permeability of the formation. For example, heating could cause instantaneous permeability reduction by mobilisation of aquifer fines. Dissolution and precipitation processes can also be significant. These mechanisms are investigated by permeability experiments and petrographic methods where effects of temperature flow rate and salinity are addressed.
Esther Rosenbrand
Supervisor: Prof. Ida Lykke Fabricius, ilfa@byg.dtu.dk