Thinking in terms of underground energy flows, CRUX gained experience in drawing up the thermal design for recent large ground freezing projects in Rotterdam and Amsterdam. Subsequently, this knowledge, in combination with geohydrological ''know-how'', is applied in the sustainable energy sector. In order to share and increase the knowledge in the chain, CRUX organised the Energy Geotechnics Symposium (link in Dutch) in Delft in 2019.
In addition, CRUX is an initiator of an innovative method to extract energy from quay wall constructions in the Netherlands. This involves extracting thermal energy from surface water and buffering it in the subsurface. Since 2019, CRUX has been leading in the design and implementation of the Energy Sheet Pile Test. These two technologies can be combined very well, offering an elegant solution for an inner city heat demand.
Q-sHeat Energy sheet pile wall
Waterways form a large part of our Dutch landscape. Quay walls and sheet piling are often the chosen riverbank protection. The water in the subsurface and in the waterways is often just warmer than the outside air. By means of heat exchangers on these quay constructions, the heat can be extracted from the water and the soil. Due to the large number of quay constructions a considerable heat potential is available here.
The energy sheet pile wall is a patented system in which the sheet piles can be activated over any desired height by means of activation loops placed on the plank. By pumping around a liquid substance, it is possible to extract heat from slowly flowing, shallow water and the subsoil. The extracted heat can then be upgraded for heating buildings by means of a heat pump. The system also offers the great advantage of being able to turn around to meet cool demand. This also makes it extremely suitable for acclimatizing buildings in hot summer months.
The strength of the energy sheet piling lies in the thermal conductivity of the steel. Thanks to the way in which the heat exchangers are fixed to the sheet pile wall, the high thermal conductivity of steel is used to return the heat in the ground from the surface water in the months when no heat is extracted.
A test set-up is set up at the village of "De Zweth". The aim is to test the potential of the energy sheet piling to reduce CO2 emissions from the waterways of the province of South Holland. In cooperation with Gooimeer, Groep Duurzame Energie, TU Delft and TU Eindhoven the heat extraction and storage performance of the Q-sHeat will be tested. The test has a duration of 2 years, during which the sheet piling loops are tested on different activation depths and operating scenarios.
More information:
Artikel COB 'Damwand als duurzame energieopwekker' (oktober 2021)(in Dutch)
Artikel NEN Magazine (oktober 2021) (in Dutch)
CRUX trotse winnaar NENnovation Award (in Dutch)
Pilot project Energiedamwand in de Zweth
Artikel Civiele Techniek (juli 2021) (in Dutch)
Artikel Civiele Techniek (september 2020) (in Dutch)
Artikel van H20 Online (juli 2020) (in Dutch)
More information on Soil Energy | Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES).