How a sensitive analysis on the coupling geology and borehole heat exchanger characteristics can improve the efficiency and production of shallow geothermal plants.

Knowledge of the thermal behaviour around and throughout borehole heat exchangers (BHEs) is essential for designing a low enthalpy geothermal plant. In particular, the type of grout used in sealing the space between BHE walls and the pipes is fundamental for optimizing the heat transfer and minimizing the thermal resistance, thereby promoting the reduction of total drilling lengths and installation costs. A comparison between grouts with different thermal conductivities coupled with common hydrogeological contexts, was modelled for a typical one-year heating for continental climates. These data have been used for a sensitivity analysis taking into account different flow rates through pipes. The results highlight that in groundwater transient conditions, porous lithologies allow for greater heat power extractions to be obtained with an increasing grout thermal conductivity than limestone or clayey silt deposits do. Moreover, increasing the inlet flow rates through the pipe greatly improves the final heat power extraction. As a result, when the underground allows for high extraction rates, the use of high performing grouts is warmly suggested ensuring greater productions.

Effects of particle size on properties and thermal inertization of bottom ashes (MSW of Turin's incinerator).

The aim of this study is twofold: (i) characterization of the bottom ashes from the Incinerator plant of the city of Turin (northern Italy), in terms of their chemical/phase compositions and capacity to release heavy metals in leachates, as a function of particle size; (ii) investigation of thermal treatments' efficacy to promote inertization of the same bottom ashes, exploring time-temperature ranges with t ≤ 6 h and T ≤ 1000 °C. Special attention is paid to macro-sampling techniques in order to have samples that are representative of the average bottom ashes production. Micro-XRF, ICP-OES, SEM-EDS, Ion Chromatography and X-ray powder diffraction were used to investigate bottom ashes and leachates. Bottom ashes are mainly constituted by an amorphous phase, ∼66-97 wt%, regardless of particle size; the remaining phases are quartz, calcite, Fe-oxides, melilite and other minor crystalline materials. The amorphous phase exhibits a relevant dependence on particle size, and undergoes dissolution in water up to 20 wt%, thus being the most important component in affecting chemical species release. The smaller the bottom ashes' particle size, the more the heavy metals (major species: Zn, Cu, Ti, Pb) and calcium contents increase, whereas silicon's decreases. Electrolytic current observations in combination with phase/chemical composition and metals release as a function of particle size, suggest that bottom ashes partition into two classes, i.e. ≥1 and <1 mm, for inertization purposes. Thermal treatments exhibit partial efficacy to curb heavy metals mobility: whilst they reduce Cu release, they lead to a inverse effect in the case of Cr.