ATES Triplet

The Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) is used to overcome the seasonal discrepancy between heat and cold availability vs demand in buildings. ATES generally comprises a heat pump and two wells which simultaneously inject and extract groundwater to/from the cold/warm well depending on the season and demand. Even though these systems significantly reduce the use of primary energy and natural gas, the heat pump requires a considerable amount of electricity to run.

In this work, an ATES system is proposed which uses three wells (a triplet), solar heat collectors and a dry cooler. The use of heat pumps on the supply side is avoided, vastly reducing the electricity required for space heating and cooling. The basic working principle shows great potential but needs development on robustness and monitoring, and integrated control of the building’s heating and cooling systems, as well as on the processes in the subsurface to ensure system longevity. The efficient use of the three well triplet system in coordination with the building heating and cooling demand is the key issue for which this research provides solutions.

The work is led by the TU Delft, in close collaboration with TU Eindhoven. The other partners involved are Royal Haskoning DHV, Kropman, BodemenergieNL, KWR and the Provincie Zuid-Holland.

Project Results 

The project will result in the following: 

• Identify the appropriate size and scale of a triplet ATES System
• Understand and optimise the subsurface processes
• Identify key concepts for the control of the hydraulic system
• Evaluate the overall proof of concept

The project will run from 2021-2026. For questions, please contact the Dr. Martin Bloemendal j.m.bloemendal@tudelft.nl & Prof.dr. Phil Vardon p.j.vardon@tudelft.nl

Funded by the NWO in the Open Technology Programme with project number 18643