1. Geothermal energy from shallow aquifers

1.1 Presentation of the sector

Figure 1 shows the main components of a groundwater heat pump operation, with :

• an aquifer from which water is drawn by means of a borehole (equipped with a pump, and at the bottom of the well, a strainer with a gravel pack to facilitate water withdrawal);

• a heat pump that recovers heat from the groundwater (via an intermediate heat exchanger – not shown in the figure), raises the temperature level of the heat extracted, and transfers it to the building to be heated;

• a building equipped with a heat distribution...