The influence of reinjection and hydrogeological parameters on thermal energy storage in brine aquifer

Xueling Liu, Yuanming Wang, Shuai Li, Xin Jiang and Weijuan Fu

Applied Energy, 2020, vol. 278, issue C, No S030626192031182X

Abstract: When brine aquifer is used as thermal energy storage medium, pore structure and permeability of brine aquifer may change owing to the difference of salinity and temperature between the reinjected water and underground. Consequently, heat transfer characteristics and thermal energy storage performance in brine aquifer may vary correspondingly. In present work, heat transfer in brine aquifer is investigated, which considers the effect of reinjected water salinity, temperature, effective porosity and hydraulic gradient. Based on the temperature variation of pumping water, thermal energy storage efficiencies are analyzed under different conditions. The results indicate that the heat transferred from reinjection well to pumping well decreases with the reduction of reinjected water salinity, temperature difference and effective porosity of brine aquifer. The occurrence of thermal breakthrough delays when reinjected water salinity and effective porosity reduce, while thermal breakthrough is almost unaffected by reinjected water temperature and hydraulic gradient. The effective porosity of brine aquifer has the greatest influence on performance of thermal energy storage. When effective porosity of brine aquifer increases from 0.33 to 0.43, cold storage efficiency and heat storage efficiency decreases about 56.56% and 40%, respectively. Reducing reinjected water salinity and hydraulic gradient result in the increase of thermal energy storage efficiency. Reinjected water temperature has opposite effect on heat and cold energy storage efficiency. Sensitivity analysis indicates that the sensitivity of heat energy storage efficiency to considered parameters is greater than that of cold energy storage efficiency does.

Keywords: Underground heat transfer; Brine aquifer; Thermal energy storage efficiency; Sensitivity analysis; Reinjection parameters; Hydrogeological parameters (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.115685

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