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Energy storage in underground coal mines in NW Spain: Assessment of an underground lower water reservoir and preliminary energy balance

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  • Menéndez, Javier
  • Loredo, Jorge
  • Galdo, Mónica
  • Fernández-Oro, Jesús M.

Abstract

During the last decades, the Asturian Central Coal Basin (ACCB) has been a highly exploited coal mining area by means of underground mining and its network of tunnels extend among more than 30 mines. Parts of this infrastructure will soon become available for alternative uses since most of the coal mining facilities in Spain will fade out in 2018. Increasing penetration of renewable energy sources into the electrical grid, with intermittent and fluctuating supply, leads to excessive frequency variations, so the development of energy storage technologies are required, such as Pumped Storage Hydroelectricity (PSH). Reduced environmental impacts, deep, non-flooded shafts and abundance of water from underground run-off, make coal mines in ACCB suitable for the development of Underground Pumped-Storage Hydropower projects (UPSH). The network of tunnels of a mine facility has an unusual geometry for a water storage system. Although there are numerous studies for the construction of UPSH plants, until now there have been no known projects of this type under operation. Filling and emptying processes during the operation of the turbine-pump are complex due to the presence of two fluids interacting inside the tunnels, water and air. This paper explores the viability of a network of tunnels as an underground water reservoir. Two-phase three-dimensional CFD models have been developed in order to know the flow behavior in the tunnels. The pressure and velocity results that have been obtained in the simulations confirm that the use of underground mines as a lower reservoir of a UPSH is technically possible.

Suggested Citation

  • Menéndez, Javier & Loredo, Jorge & Galdo, Mónica & Fernández-Oro, Jesús M., 2019. "Energy storage in underground coal mines in NW Spain: Assessment of an underground lower water reservoir and preliminary energy balance," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 1381-1391.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:134:y:2019:i:c:p:1381-1391
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2018.09.042
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    Cited by:

    1. Xin Zhou & Yuejin Zhou & Xiaoding Xu & Chunlin Zeng & Chaobin Zhu, 2023. "Hydraulic Characteristics Analysis of Double-Bend Roadway of Abandoned Mine Pumped Storage," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-15, February.
    2. Zhixin Zhang & Qiang Guo & Wei Liu, 2022. "Evaluation of Long-Term Tightness of the Coal Pillar Dam of Underground Reservoir and Protection Countermeasures," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-20, October.
    3. Menéndez, Javier & Ordónez, Almudena & Fernández-Oro, Jesús M. & Loredo, Jorge & Díaz-Aguado, María B., 2020. "Feasibility analysis of using mine water from abandoned coal mines in Spain for heating and cooling of buildings," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 1166-1176.
    4. Reinhard Madlener & Jan Martin Specht, 2020. "An Exploratory Economic Analysis of Underground Pumped-Storage Hydro Power Plants in Abandoned Deep Coal Mines," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-22, October.
    5. Yang Wu & Qiangling Yao & Baoyang Wu & Hongxin Xie & Liqiang Yu & Yinghu Li & Lujun Wang, 2023. "Strength Damage and Acoustic Emission Characteristics of Water-Bearing Coal Pillar Dam Samples from Shangwan Mine, China," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-20, February.
    6. Estanislao Pujades & Philippe Orban & Pierre Archambeau & Vasileios Kitsikoudis & Sebastien Erpicum & Alain Dassargues, 2020. "Underground Pumped-Storage Hydropower (UPSH) at the Martelange Mine (Belgium): Interactions with Groundwater Flow," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-21, May.
    7. Hunt, Julian David & Zakeri, Behnam & Lopes, Rafael & Barbosa, Paulo Sérgio Franco & Nascimento, Andreas & Castro, Nivalde José de & Brandão, Roberto & Schneider, Paulo Smith & Wada, Yoshihide, 2020. "Existing and new arrangements of pumped-hydro storage plants," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    8. Jurasz, Jakub & Piasecki, Adam & Hunt, Julian & Zheng, Wandong & Ma, Tao & Kies, Alexander, 2022. "Building integrated pumped-storage potential on a city scale: An analysis based on geographic information systems," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 242(C).
    9. Candra Saigustia & Sylwester Robak, 2021. "Review of Potential Energy Storage in Abandoned Mines in Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-16, October.
    10. Javier Menéndez & Jesús M. Fernández-Oro & Mónica Galdo & Jorge Loredo, 2020. "Transient Simulation of Underground Pumped Storage Hydropower Plants Operating in Pumping Mode," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-17, April.
    11. Vasileios Kitsikoudis & Pierre Archambeau & Benjamin Dewals & Estanislao Pujades & Philippe Orban & Alain Dassargues & Michel Pirotton & Sebastien Erpicum, 2020. "Underground Pumped-Storage Hydropower (UPSH) at the Martelange Mine (Belgium): Underground Reservoir Hydraulics," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-16, July.
    12. Yongxiang Ge & Congrui Zhang & Gaofeng Ren & Luwei Zhang, 2022. "Experimental Investigation of the Mechanical Behavior and Damage Evolution Mechanism of Oil-Impregnated Gypsum Rock," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-15, September.
    13. Martyna Konieczna-Fuławka & Marcin Szumny & Krzysztof Fuławka & Izabela Jaśkiewicz-Proć & Katarzyna Pactwa & Aleksandra Kozłowska-Woszczycka & Jari Joutsenvaara & Päivi Aro, 2023. "Challenges Related to the Transformation of Post-Mining Underground Workings into Underground Laboratories," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-14, June.
    14. Menéndez, Javier & Fernández-Oro, Jesús M. & Galdo, Mónica & Loredo, Jorge, 2019. "Pumped-storage hydropower plants with underground reservoir: Influence of air pressure on the efficiency of the Francis turbine and energy production," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 1427-1438.

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