Mine water energy as potential source for heat pumps

Veiko Karu
Department of Mining, Tallinn University of Technology, Ehitajate tee 5, 19086 Tallinn, Estonia
Accepted for publication on 17
th
April 2014
Houses must be heated during the winter period in northern countries, causing extra expenses for the
dwellers. An extended region of undermined oil shale (250 km2) is located in NE Estonia.
Underground rooms of closed mines in an area of more than 150 km2 have been filled with water,
with seasonal temperature variations between 6oC and 10oC. This temperature interval is suitable for
heat pumps for heat consumption during the winter period. Usage of mine water as a heat source for
pumps helps local residents to reduce winter-time heating expenses. The settlement of Kiikla in NE
Estonia has established a pilot project for this kind of system with pumps using mine water as heat
source. At the moment, the total power of this heat pump station is 400kWh, and there is a possibility
to increase it up to 500 kWh.
The Estonian oil shale deposit is located in the NE part of the country. The oil shale bed lies at the
depth of 0 m to 120 m below surface, inclining some 3 m per kilometre towards the south. Oil shale
mining has been performed for more than 95 years in Estonia and it is of crucial importance for
Estonian economy. Oil shale has been mined with two methods: underground (mainly room-and-
pillar mining) and on surface (open cast mining). Room-and-pillar mining method creates free
underground space, which will be filled with water after mining operations are finished, providing a
potential source for heat pumps.
A few oil shale mines have recently been closed, and at the moment they are being filled with water,
because groundwater level is increasing. This provides new potential areas for mine water heat pump
locations. The main aim of this study is to find out how many potential locations there will be in the
undermined area and how many mine water volumes can be used for heat pumps.
Keywords: Oil Shale mining, Hydrogeology, Heat pump, Mine water, Energy