Monitoring low-enthalpy heating systems using time-lapse ERT

Low-enthalpy geothermal systems are increasingly used for climatization (heating/cooling) of buildings, in an effort to reduce the carbon footprint of this type of energy use. The main idea is the utilization of the subsurface, whether rocks, soils, saturated or unsaturated as a heat source or heat sink (cooling). The design as well as monitoring of the shallow geothermal system, like many other subsurface applications requires a multi-disciplinary approach, involving several fields such as geology, hydrogeology, physics, chemistry, hydraulics engineering design and economics. Characterization of heat flow, temperature changes and its effect on the ambient environment requires characterizing geological heterogeneity, combined fluid and thermal. In this research, we focus on the use of a specific method, namely Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) and its time-lapse variety to characterize temperature and its changes under shallow geothermal exploitation and monitoring. We develop methods that allows for efficient characterization of the temperate change during production which is important in the design of heat pumps.
Jef Caers Thomas Hermans 
Paper: Uncertainty Quantification of Medium‐Term Heat Storage From Short‐Term Geophysical Experiments Using Bayesian Evidential Learning