The first day of the workshop was dedicated to knowledge sharing amongst the participants. After an introduction by Kai Zosseder (our host at TUM), Peter Schätzl, DHI-WASY, gave a keynote lecture that covered:
- an overview of the current status of numerical simulation for geothermal energy
- looking beyond classic modelling to question how the growing application of cyber-physical systems will change the geothermal industry
‘The terms “Industry 4.0” and “Internet of Things” are omnipresent nowadays. For water systems, we at DHI-WASY have a relatively good idea of what “Water Management 4.0” will mean’, said Peter. ‘But what will ‘Geothermic 4.0’ be like, and what do we need to do to stay competitive?’
After the introduction in plenary, 23 presenters shared their experiences, know-how and research in two parallel sessions. One session focused on near-surface geothermal energy (urban structures and detailed approaches). The second session was devoted to technical questions/model coupling and deep systems/reservoir modelling.
‘The content and quality of the presentations provided a great overview of ongoing state-of-the-art of projects and the last updates of existing numerical tools’, said Fabien Magri, Freie Universität Berlin. ‘I definitely recommend this workshop to academic researchers and industry specialists who want to deepen their knowledge of numerical modelling of fluid transport processes’.
‘The workshop depicted the high variety of user presentations related to geothermal simulations, underlining the importance of knowledge sharing in this field and highlighting the future challenges for geothermal simulation software’, said Kai Zosseder.
At the end of day one, the conference participants met in the traditional Munich beer hall “Löwenbräukeller” for dinner. Fuelled by highly quaffable local Bavarian beer, the discussions of the day were continued in more casual surroundings until the small hours.
On the second day, more than 60 participants joined hands-on sessions focusing on the different applications of FEFLOW, allowing them to:
- enhance their knowledge of relevant physical processes
- extend their skills in numerical modelling of open-loop and borehole-heat exchanger installations as well as deep geothermal systems influenced by high pressure, salinity, and high temperatures
‘We have really hit the bull’s eye with this workshop. We are proud that distinguished experts from all over the world have contributed to the event’, said Christian Tomsu, Head of DHI-WASY’s Munich office. ‘In view of the success of this very first workshop of its kind we have already started first thoughts on scheduling the second one’.
Already this year, numerical geothermal simulation will among the major topics at the International FEFLOW Conference, which is arranged from 21-25 September in Berlin, Germany. Also a number of courses on numerical modelling for geothermal installations are already arranged in 2015.