Capturing and producing subsurface thermal heat from different depths and temperature levels, either from deep rocks or shallower structures such as flooded coal mines, can provide a clean and reliable source of low-carbon energy. In conventional hydrothermal systems, the heat is transported by groundwater, circulating within subsurface aquifers and is usually exploited via a system of boreholes drilled over a range of depths. More recently, carbon dioxide has been suggested as a working fluid for geothermal extraction, which offers an advantage of storing the CO2 in the subsurface.
Quintessa has an extensive experience in modelling subsurface systems and the coupled thermo-hydraulic-mechanical-chemical processes that act within those systems. Quintessa has been supporting a PhD research project at the University of Edinburgh, investigating the practicality of using flooded, abandoned mine workings as a geothermal heat source, by providing support on subsurface modelling and conceptualisation. Quintessa also provided numerical modelling support to a project investigating the feasibility of sequestering atmospheric CO2 in geothermal areas in collaboration with Mitsubishi Materials Corporation (MMC), the Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE) and the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI).