1. Ground source heat potential from mine workings in Scotland
3 November 2014

2. The UK Coalfield 7.7 million properties on UK Coalfield
2 million sit on the shallow coal workings
Many areas have flooded mine workings in the near sub-surface
Potentially a large Ground Source Heat resource
2012 2

3. Mine water sourced heating?
Only a handful of examples worldwide, including:
Shettleston and Lumphinnans, Scotland (2001)
Heerlen, the Netherlands (2008)
Plus a few others
Substantial UK potential
Existing discharges
Flooded workings
Wales estimate 65MW (Cardiff Uni, Seren project)
Expect Scottish resource > Wales due to bigger coalfield
BGS estimates comparable
2012

4. Treatment of coal mine waters 60 schemes in UK
2012 4

5. Scotland Mine Water Schemes
Fully Passive
Lathallan Mill (Fife)
Minto (Fife)
Pitfirrane (Fife)
Blairingone (Clackm’nshire)
Mousewater (N. Lanark.)
Pool Farm (N. Lanark.)
Kames (Ayrshire)
Pumped Passive
Blindwells (E. Lothian)
Cuthill (W. Lothian)
Pumped and Active Dosed
Frances (Fife)
Polkemmet (W Lothian)
Engineered Gravity Flows
Leven (Fife)
Wallyford (E. Lothian)
Dalquharren (Ayrshire)
17 April 2017 5

6. Licensing and Information
Permission required from CA to enter mine workings or coal seams
Permits issued for closed loop GSHP schemes
Mine Water Heat Access Agreements available for exclusivity rights over geographical areas
Issued for open loop GSHP schemes
Abstract water, extract heat, and return to mine workings
Provision of Information
Mining information
Hydrogeological information
2012 6

7. Interactive Map Viewer https://www. gov
2012 7

8. Heat Pump Demonstration site
CA considered benefits of a trial
Decided to proceed to:
Demonstrate technology to interested parties
Explore performance optimisation
2012 8

9. Dawdon mine water treatment scheme
Dawdon, Seaham, Co. Durham
pumps 100 l/s mine water
to protect aquifer from pollution
High salinity
High Iron (removed by lime treatment)
Offices , 8 rooms
2012 9

10. System set-up Mine water loop: ~1.5l/s, 20oC, 80 mg/l Fe
Heat exchanger : “Tube in Shell” type
Heat pump unit: 12KW
Radiators:
21 standard domestic type units,
low temperature to simulate underfloor heating,
total surface area approx 60m2
Domestic Hot Water also provided to offices
2012 10

11. Untreated mine water feed
2012 11

12. Dawdon –results System commissioned April 2011
By March 2014 progressive system optimisation gave:
COP = 5
2012 12

13. Next Steps
Demonstrate successful application of mine water use in heat pump system at Dawdon
Continue:
Providing information across coalfields
Industry, developers, planners, etc
Issue Permits and Heat Access Agreements
Statutory requirement
Facilitate the use of the resource by others
2012 13