LAPSE:2023.4869
Published Article
LAPSE:2023.4869
Geothermal Potential of the Brenner Base Tunnel—Initial Evaluations
Thomas Geisler, Klaus Voit, Ulrich Burger, Tobias Cordes, Florian Lehner, Gregor Götzl, Magdalena Wolf, Thomas Marcher
February 23, 2023
Increasing demands on mobility and transport, but limited space above ground, lead to new traffic routes being built, even more underground in the form of tunnels. In addition to improving the traffic situation, tunnels offer the possibility of contributing to climate-friendly heating by indirectly serving as geothermal power plants. In this study, the geothermal potential of the future longest railway tunnel in the world, the Brenner Base Tunnel, was evaluated. At the Brenner Base Tunnel, warm water naturally flows from the apex of the tunnel towards the city of Innsbruck, Austria. In order to estimate its geothermal potential, hydrological data of discharge rates and temperatures were investigated and analyzed. The investigations indicated the highest geothermal potential in the summertime, while the lowest occurs during winter. It could be shown that these variations were a result of cooling during discharge through areas of low overburden (mid mountain range), where the tunnel atmosphere is increasingly influenced by the air temperatures outside the tunnel. Nevertheless, the calculations showed that there will be a usable potential after completion of the tunnel.
Keywords
geothermal energy, geothermal potential, hydrology, sectional discharges, tunnels, Water, water inflow
Suggested Citation
Geisler T, Voit K, Burger U, Cordes T, Lehner F, Götzl G, Wolf M, Marcher T. Geothermal Potential of the Brenner Base Tunnel—Initial Evaluations. (2023). LAPSE:2023.4869
Author Affiliations
Geisler T: Institute of Rock Mechanics and Tunnelling, Graz University of Technology, 8010 Graz, Austria [ORCID]
Voit K: Institute of Applied Geology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1190 Vienna, Austria [ORCID]
Burger U: Galleria di Base del Brennero—Brenner Basistunnel BBT SE, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Cordes T: Galleria di Base del Brennero—Brenner Basistunnel BBT SE, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Lehner F: Galleria di Base del Brennero—Brenner Basistunnel BBT SE, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Götzl G: Department of Hydrogeology and Geothermal Energy, Federal Geological Survey, 8010 Vienna, Austria [ORCID]
Wolf M: Department of Material Sciences and Process Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1190 Vienna, Austria
Marcher T: Institute of Rock Mechanics and Tunnelling, Graz University of Technology, 8010 Graz, Austria
Journal Name
Processes
Volume
10
Issue
5
First Page
972
Year
2022
Publication Date
2022-05-12
Published Version
ISSN
2227-9717
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Original Submission
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PII: pr10050972, Publication Type: Journal Article
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LAPSE:2023.4869
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doi:10.3390/pr10050972
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Feb 23, 2023
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