The Energy Central uses geothermal energy to produce and distribute heating and cooling to the entire Ullandhaug campus.
The geothermal heat pump, a reliable and efficient technology, has great potential as a climate-friendly energy solution both in Norway and globally. Despite this, the technology is often opted out in favor of conventional heating and cooling systems, mainly due to economics and the fact that it is more complex to operate.
The research group for energy systems engineering at the Department of energy and petroleum technology has taken the initiative to establish a large-scale research project linked to the energy central.
The main activities in the project are:
Drilling technology and deep wells
The Nordic countries have a long tradition of geothermal heating systems, and the technology used is well established. Two semi-deep wells at 650 meters have been drilled resulting in lots of learnings. The rest of the in total 119 wells are standard wells of 300 meters. This project has already provided valuable experience in drilling methods and installation of borehole heat exchangers and fiber optic temperature measurement systems.
The Department of Energy Resources will carry out analyses of drilling cuttings to assess the thermal properties of the bedrock. Semi-deep geothermal wells are particularly promising for urban areas, where there is often limited space for establishing energy wells.
Borehole heat exchangers
All energy wells are established with closed loop heat exchangers for the exchange of energy between the energy central and the bedrock. In the research project, a collaboration has been established with one of the world's leading manufacturers of borehole heat exchangers, MuoviTech. Both the semi-deep wells and the eight 300 meters wells in the main project will be equipped with alternative collectors to investigate and compare their heat transfer capabilities.
Temperature monitoring of the bedrock
The temperature in the bedrock is the key to a successful geothermal heating system. Normally, only the temperature of common pipes in and out of the energy central is measured, which only gives an average of the conditions in the bedrock. In this project, a comprehensive measuring structure has been installed, with several measurements in the pipe system on the campus, as well as fiber optic measurement along the borehole heat exchanger itself in selected wells. This approach enables a four-dimensional monitoring of the bedrock, which provides far more precise data for assessing heat exchange and potential improvements.
Monitoring of the Energy Central
Modern energy centrals have extensive instrumentation to measure temperature, pressure, fluid flow, energy production and consumption. Although all historical data is stored, it is often not actively utilized. This project aims to utilize the data to improve operation of the energy central. This means that the academic environment at UiS gets access to all historical data for modelling and model validation, and that an energy follow-up group is established consisting of academics and operational personnel. The project will use advanced modeling techniques based on machine learning and artificial intelligence to develop models for monitoring and operations optimization in real time. This can contribute to applied research and significant operating savings in thermal energy production.
Beside system level modeling and operation optimization, detailed component and sub-system modeling and analysis will be carried out to provide a better ground for design and instrumentation of future energy systems.
The electric power laboratory
Electrical power has now been established as a field of study on the bachelor's programme in electrical technology, and in the autumn of 2024 the first group of students started. As the next step in the initiative, UiS will establish its own electricity lab in the new Energy Central. The electric power lab will strengthen teaching on the bachelor's programme and give many students valuable practical experience.
An electricity lab is very important for the education of electricity engineers because it gives students the opportunity to connect theory and practice. In a field such as electricity, where the understanding of complex electrical systems and infrastructure is key, it is important that students gain experience with equipment and technology that they will encounter in working life.
Sparebankstiftelsen SR-Bank has awarded a gift of NOK 1.5 million to the project.
The Energy Central UiS
The University of Stavanger has acquired a modern energy central for the production and distribution of heating and cooling to all the buildings at the Ullandhaug campus. Production is primarily based on heat pumps connected to 117 geothermal energy wells of 300 metres, as a replacement for gas-fired and electric boilers and local cooling machines. Heat storage in and recovery from the wells, as well as energy exchange with outside air, are important parts of the concept. Preliminary calculations show the production of 8 GWh/year thermal energy, based on 3 GWh/year purchase of electricity and biogas, which contributes to a strong reduction in both operating costs and greenhouse gas emissions associated with thermal energy.
Department of Energy and Petroleum Engineering
Department of Energy and Petroleum Engineering