3D Numerical Modeling of Vertical Geothermal Probes

J. M. Dedulle [1], D. Nguyen [2]
[1] SIMTEC, Grenoble, France
[2] BRGM, Montpellier, France
Published in 2015

The Solargeotherm project is assessing the possibility of using vertical geothermal probes drilled into a rock mass (bedrock) for storing the thermal energy produced by solar panels and later releasing it. The research project relies on the installation of an experimental system and the use of heat transfer models. The underground device, set up entirely in Paleozoic schist (greenish grey banded sandy pelite of the Aspres Unit of the Jujols Formation) in the Eastern Pyrenees (France), consists of three subvertical boreholes, 180 m deep, equipped with double-U geothermal probes.