Research

We are going to have the second seminar of SP&E’s Renewable Energy Seminar Series on "Kelvin's dream: A Journey in Thermogeology " on Thursday 26th September 2013, given by Mr Dave Banks, the author of "An Introduction to Thermogeology".

Date & Time:   1-2 pm on Thursday, 26th September

Venue:  PG Suite 468, James Watt Building South

Tea/coffee before the start.

Title: Kelvin's dream: A Journey in Thermogeology

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Abstract:

The soils, rocks and groundwaters of the shallow subsurface have long been recognised as a potential source of space heating and cooling, via the use of the ground source heat pump to extract heat from, or reject heat to, the ground. The science of the occurrence and exploitation of shallow, low-enthalpy ground-source heat has been termed thermogeology and its fundamental concepts will be covered in this lecture.

William Thomson, Lord Kelvin (Glasgow!), took great pains to persuade geologists to consider the fundamental principles of thermodynamics. He was not only the father of thermogeology, but was the first to propose using an environmental heat pump for space heating. He recognised that the earth was in a state of heat decay (and was vehemently opposed to James Hutton's (Scottish!) assertion that we "find no vestige of a beginning,–no prospect of an end"). He recognised that, given an initial condition for the earth, the earth's thermal evolution could be modelled, resulting in an age for the earth. He recognised that the main hurdle was a problem of parameterisation (quantifying the earth's geothermal gradient, thermal conductivity and volumetric heat capacity) and was involved, throughout his career, in the determination of these. The work continues today, by means such as thermal response tests of borehole heat exchangers, using the mathematics of Horatio Scott Carslaw (yes, Scottish!), and temperature logging of deep boreholes.

Biography

Dave Banks was born in Bishop Auckland in 1961. He is a hydrogeologist with 28 years experience of investigating groundwater-related issues. He started his career with the Thames Water Authority in southern England, then moved across the North Sea to the Geological Survey of Norway, where he eventually headed the Section for Geochemistry and Hydrogeology. Since returning to the UK in 1998, he has worked as a consultant from a base in Chesterfield, sandwiched between the gritstone of the Peak District National Park and the abandoned mines of Britain's largest coalfield. He has international experience from locations as diverse as Afghanistan, the Bolivian Altiplano, Somalia, Western Siberia, Darfur and Huddersfield. During the past twelve years, his attention has turned to the emerging science of thermogeology: he has worked closely with the ground source heat industry and has also enjoyed spells as a Senior Research Associate in Thermogeology at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and here at Glasgow. He is the author of "Water Wells & Boreholes" (Misstear, Banks and Clark) and "An Introduction to Thermogeology", both published by Wiley and the latter now in its second edition.

First published: 26 September 2013