Research
GeoLaB serves as a nucleus for the development of environmental-friendly, innovative geothermal technologies and ensures close interaction with society. The following research objectives can be realized for the first time in GeoLaB:
- Controlled high-flow experiments (CHFE) as basis for an efficient and sustainable management of fractured reservoirs
- State-of-the-art multidisciplinary THMC+ research with innovative visualization concepts and a "digital twin"
- Development of new environmentally friendly strategies for underground facilities
- Acceptance research and transparent interaction with the public and decision-makers
The complex processes that take place in the crystalline rock during deep geothermal utilization are hidden deep underground and can only be inadequately observed from the borehole or the surface. The Black Forest and Odenwald offer science a unique opportunity: The reservoir rock of the Upper Rhine Graben, which lies there at a depth of several kilometers, has been uplifted here and is thus accessible to science. Experiments could therefore be carried out here from a tunnel under conditions similar to those in the reservoir. The processes taking place can be observed here in three dimensions with a dense network of sensors.
The planned experiments will contribute significantly to the understanding of the processes associated with increased flow rates in crystalline rocks. The application and development of state-of-the-art monitoring and analysis tools will provide fundamental insights that are of great importance for a safe and ecologically sustainable use of geothermal energy and other subsurface resources.
In doing so, GeoLaB creates synergies with complementary underground laboratories worldwide and will leave a lasting mark on the geosciences.
| Title | Source | Short Description | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interdisciplinary Fracture Network Characterization in the Crystalline Basement: A case study from the Southern Odenwald, SW Germany |  |
Der Tromm-Granit im südlichen Odenwald wurde mit interdisziplinären Methoden hinsichtlich des Kluftnetzwerkes und dessen Bedeutung für die hydraulische Durchlässigkeit untersucht. |
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| Stochastic 3D Navier-Stokes Flow in Self-Affine Fracture Geometries Controlled by Anisotropy and Channeling |  |
Die Studie analysiert mit probabilistischen Methoden 3D Navier-Stokes-Strömungen und vergleicht sie mit einfacheren Modellabbildungen. Zum ersten Mal können spezielle Phänomene der Strömung durch raue Klüfte erklärt werden. |
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| GeoLaB – Das geowissenschaftliche Zukunftsprojekt für Deutschland |  |
Die Forschungsinfrastruktur, ihre Möglichkeiten als internationale Forschungsplattform und ihre wissenschaftliche und strategische Bedeutung - auch über die Geothermie hinaus - werden beschrieben. |
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| A Stochastic Study of Flow Anisotropy and Channelling in Open Rough Fractures |  |
https://www.springer.com/journal/603 |
Die Abbildung rauer Kluftoberflächen in geothermischen Modellen ist wichtig für realitätsnahe Simulationen. Diese Studie untersucht mit stochastischen Methoden damit verbundene Phänomene. |
| Comparison of different digital elevation models and satellite imagery for lineament analysis: Implications for identification and spatial arrangement of fault zones in crystalline basement rocks of the southern Black Forest |  |
GIS-gestützte Fernerkundungstechniken und Lineamentkartierungen liefern Informationen über die räumliche Anordnung von Verwerfungen und Klüften im Südschwarzwald |
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| Acceptability of geothermal installations: A geoethical concept for GeoLaB |  |
Analyse gesellschaftlicher Reaktionen auf Geothermieprojekte und Darstellung eines geoethischen Konzepts für GeoLaB. |
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| Criteria and geological setting for the generic geothermal underground research laboratory, GeoLaB |  |
Specification of criteria for the location of GeoLaB and exemplary site assessment |
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| Hydrochemical characterisation of a major central European heat flux anomaly: the Bürchau geothermal spring system, Southern Black Forest, Germany |  |
Hydrochemische Charakterisierung eines Anreicherungsgebiets eine der größten Anomalien der Wärmestromdichte in Mitteleuropa |