Motivation. The EU aims to have a net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) economy by 2050. At present, heating and cooling represent around 50% of the final energy use in Europe and are mainly supplied by fossil fuel derived energy. Because sustainable heat is mainly available in summer and demand is in winter, large scale seasonal heat storage is a key strategy to decarbonize heating in order to achieve EU ambitions. TU Delft leads a large European project that will showcase and develop full-scale application of heat storage (up to 90°C) in geothermal reservoirs using three different technologies: Aquifer, Borehole and Mine Thermal Energy Storage (ATES, BTES, MTES), at 6 different sites in Europe which together represent a relevant range of geological conditions across Europe. In this PhD project you will develop and test methods for drilling and completion of ATES wells with a focus on high temperature (>60-100°C) levels. You will contribute to a demonstration site, where technology will be investigated at field scale.   New drilling and completion methods to reduce costs and risks. ATES systems use 2 or more wells for the injection and extraction of water to carry heat to and from reservoirs or aquifers. Drilling is typically undertaken using (reverse circulation) rotary drilling with diameters of between ~300mm and ~1000mm for ATES systems. Depths for ATES wells are typically down to 200m, sometimes deeper. While for low temperature (<25°C) ATES systems design criteria already have been developed, these are only in part transferable to high temperature (HT)-ATES wells due to e.g. the impact of higher temperatures on material suitability and on the reservoir and well flow dynamics. Therefore, in this research, you will develop key advances for such wells by lab and field experimentation using various casing materials (vacuum, Glass-fibre Re-enforced Epoxy (GRE), stainless steel), different well designs (regular and expanded diameter (>2m)). In the HT-ATES demonstration site at Delft, two of the hot wells are intended to be equipped with new GRE casing and 1 with a vacuum casing to test/verify heat radiation reduction in penetrating layers. Two of the warm wells will be made with an expanded diameter gravel well (EDGW) to allow for higher flow rates and longer lifetime. Monitoring of well performance will provide crucial insights on optimal well design and completion for low cost and robust HT-ATES wells for future HT-ATES projects.   Objectives and methods. You will assess, develop and demonstrate various drilling and completion methods for installing ATES wells:

We are looking for an excellent candidate with the following qualifications, knowledge and skills:

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements.

You will be hosted at the Water Resources and Geo-Engineering Sections in TU Delft. The supervision committee will be made up of Associate Professor Phil Vardon (promotor), Assistant Professor Martin Bloemendal (Co-promotor) and dr. Niels Hartog (Co-promotor) from KWR Water Research Institute (the inventor of the EDGW). You will have the opportunity to work in close collaboration with researchers and companies across Europe. You will need to collaborate in detail with industry partners installing the wells in Delft. Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met. Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2541 per month in the first year to € 3247 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills. The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance and sport memberships, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged. For international applicants we offer the Coming to Delft Service and Partner Career Advice to assist you with your relocation.

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