SASKATCHEWAN’S DEEP
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
POTENTIAL
Brian Brunskill P.Geo
Laurence Vigrass P.Eng. P.Geo.
3D BLOCK DIAGRAM
OF SASKATCHEWAN
Courtesy Geological Survey of Canada
Deadwood Surface Structure
Sk Industry & Resources
Approximate Temperature at the Base of the Sedimentary Section
Sectional View of a Geothermal Heating Loop near Regina
Heat Exchanger Plant
Ground Level
1000 m
Source Well
Injection Well
2000 m
Deadwood Aquifer
2200 m
1000 m
Commercial Heat Exchanger
Heat Energy Available at Regina with
Heat Pumps
Water Temperature Drop from 141ºF to 65ºF = 76ºF ∆t
(61ºC to 18ºC)
Water Flow Rate of 460 usg/ m (1.75 m3/ m)
16 Million BTU/ h or 4.8 MW (thermal)
21 Tonnes Per Day of CO2 Emissions Avoided
Ratio of Energy Required to Energy Produced = 1:16
LEED Silver Commercial Building Standard
@ 16 BTU/ ft2 Base Load
1 million ft2 (92,900 m2) or 11 CFL Football Fields
from One Geothermal Loop
UTC Closed-Loop Evaporator
Approximate Temperature at the Base of the Sedimentary Section
Paris Basin, France
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34 district heating projects since 1969
Thermal capacity equivalent to 308 MW
Provides heating for over 150,000 units
Over 250,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions avoided
Benefits From Using Geothermal Energy
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Available for the long-term
Near zero greenhouse gas emissions
Sustainable
Reliable
Not subject to significant price volatility
Can be integrated with existing infrastructure
Limitations of Deep Geothermal
• Energy produced is non-transportable
• Project development requires significant upfront
investment
• Timing of development schedule
Potential Uses of Geothermal Energy
• Heating buildings in new industrial park
developments
• Heating homes in new residential subdivisions
• Retrofitting commercial buildings
• Pre-heating industrial boiler or process water
• Drying ethanol plant distillers grain
• Tourism
• Greenhouses
• Electricity generation
NRCan 2006, Canada’s Energy Outlook
CO2
m
al
as
NOx + SOx
Courtesy Ghomshei, UBC
th
eo
G
Na
t
ur
al
er
G
O
C
oa
il
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
l
Tons/kWyear
Greenhouse and acid rain emissions
for different fuels
2005
CO2CO
e Emissions
Chart
2: Per-Capita
2005 Per-Capita
2e Emissions
0
20
40
60
80
Quebec 11.8
Yukon 12.9
BC 15.5
Ontario 16.0
PEI 16.5
Manitoba 17.3
Nfld & Lab 20.4
NWT & Nunavut 21.4
Canada 23.1
Nova Scotia 24.3
New Brunswick 28.3
Alberta 71.1
Sask 71.6