SIMONA^® GEO-Line

The municipality of Heerlen in the Netherlands was looking to secure the services of experienced partners for a mine water project involving pre-insulated pipes. Among the key criteria were a high level of technical expertise, a proven track record in this particular field and the ability to supply a fully integrated system solution from a single source.

Together with partner Profilplast Pipesystems B.V., SIMONA developed a complex piping system made of SIMONA® PP-H AlphaPlus. Two non-insulated pipelines convey the cold water to the power station and back to the mines. The third system consists of insulated pipes and fittings. Thus, the warm water from the earth can be transported without substantial heat loss.

Minewater Project

Since 2005 a team of 7 European partners has been aiming to prove that it is technically possible, economically viable and environmentally sound to extract geothermal energy from the water in former and closed mines on a large scale.
To test the Minewater concept, the City of Heerlen invested in drilling five wells to subtract minewater from mine galleries up to 700 meters below the Heerlen surface. The City of Heerlen is the lead partner of the Minewater Project and an economic centre for sustainable energy resources.

Minewater Concept

Just beneath the surface of the earth, the temperature is approximately 10 degrees Celsius. For every hundred meters below the surface, the temperature rises by 3 degrees Celsius. After a mine is closed, pumps no longer drain the water from the galleries. They fill up with groundwater, which takes on the earth’s temperature at a particular depth.
Therefore, mine galleries at great depths feature warm minewater. Mine galleries which are much closer to the surface harbour cold water. The minewater concept is about using this warm and cold to heat and cool buildings.

Source: http://www.minewater08.eu 

For further information on SIMONA GEO-Line piping systems please download  SIMONA Case Study 13.