The impact of subsurface heterogeneity on the performance of Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) systems

Global energy needs are steadily rising with a predicted increase of 45% within the next 15 years. Geothermal energy present one of the potential key pillars to address this need. One of the commonly applied designs for geothermal installations are open loop systems consisting of abstraction and re-injection wells installed in the aquifer system to extract heat from or to inject/store heat into the aquifer. A particular design of open loop geothermal installations support Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) systems which allow the seasonal storage of waste heat in the subsurface for subsequent use to meet heating demands. The efficiency of the system relies on the productivity of the well installations as well as suitable aquifer properties (incl. aquifer permeability & porosity and thermal properties).

My research will investigate the impact of subsurface/geological heterogeneity on the performance of ATES installations using the Triassic Sherwood Sandstone Aquifer in Belfast as a case study.

Aquifer thermal energy storage systems (ATES)

Hydrogeophysics

Managed aquifer recharge (MAR)

Quantitative hydrogeology

Groundwater modelling

Climate change

Undergraduate degree & University: Applied Geophysics, Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria

MSc degree & University: Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degree: Groundwater and Global Change- Impacts and Adaptation (GroundwatCH), with the following specialisations:

MSc, Environmental Engineering at Instituto Superior Tecnico, Portugal

MSc, Water Science and Engineering at IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Netherlands

MSc, Hydro Science and Engineering at Technische Universitat Dresden, Germany

Fellow, The Geological Society of London (2023)

QUADRAT Doctoral Training Studentship (2022)

Erasmus Mundus Scholarship (2020)

Fellow, Young African Leadership Initiative West Africa Regional Leadership Center Accra, Ghana (2020)