Standing Column Well Geothermal Simulator

This is a standing column well geothermal simulator that can be used to predict SCW water temperatures as a function of time. The model requires certain information: load, design (ft/ton), # wells, and downhole string dimensions to calculate heat transfer characteristics. It uses the effective thermal properties of the rock (thermal conductivity & thermal diffusivity) ideally from measured data. The time steps are consistent with the circulation time calculated from the water volume and the pump flowrate.

More sophisticated simulation will include hr x hr block load information, heat pump characteristics, thermal relaxation of the well, and control strategy, such as bleed operation, and VFD control of submersible pumps.

ARB/Geowell believes this model to accurately reflect SCW performance, but the utilization of the results, based on user input, is strictly the responsibility of the user.

I encourage you to experiment with this simple model to explore the impact of rock thermal conductivity and design (ft/ton) on performance. Have at it!