Future Project Proposal on Geothermal Education and Training

1
Future Project Proposal on Geothermal Education
and Training

• Marcel Rosca
• University of Oradea

1. Background
2. ENGINE Results
3. Project Proposal
4. Financing Possibilities

2
Future Project Proposal on Geothermal Education
and Training

1. Background

• From initial exploration to final utilization,
  geothermal projects need a specialists in a wide
  range of expertise fields.
• Basic higher education in fields related to
  geothermal exploration, exploitation and
  utilization available everywhere.
• Limited, rather low, number of universities offer
  specific geothermal programs, courses, or even
  include topics in the relevant courses.
• High level advanced training available in Iceland
  (UNU GTP and University of Iceland), expensive,
  fellowships available for students from
  developing countries only.
• IGA (ERB) ISS for the Direct Application of
  Geothermal Energy, with small financial support
  from the IGA, larger from the WB but limited to
  GeoFund program eligible countries.
• In-house training in research, consulting or
  industrial entities still most common (reasonable
  for many reasons, would be easier to have better
  trained new employees and support in organized
  short training courses).

3
Future Project Proposal on Geothermal Education
and Training

1. Background

• Many geothermal research and demonstration
  projects have already been finalized or are in
  final stages, with or without financial support
  from the EC, in many topics related to
  exploration, exploitation and utilization (both
  direct and indirect power generation).
• Information on the results is available on the
  INTERNET (project web sites, conference
  proceedings, etc.), therefore it can be used to
  be included in the relevant courses if considered
  interesting or useful.
• The available information is mainly what has
  been done, and less how was it done or even
  how can it be used.
• Short courses for training future geothermal
  specialist should be very useful if the
  geothermal business will develop as expected (at
  a rate similar to how it is already developing in
  Germany).

4
Future Project Proposal on Geothermal Education
and Training

1. ENGINE Results Proposed Route

• The only regular geothermal training program is
  the 6 months UNU GTP, running for 30 years in
  Reykjavik, Iceland. B.S. diploma in a relevant
  field required for admission. Fellowships only
  available for developing countries (and CEE?).
• Starts with an initial general course on
  geothermal for all students (6 weeks), followed
  by specialised training in one of the 9 offered
  lines of study Geological exploration Borehole
  geology Geophysical exploration Borehole
  geophysics Reservoir engineering Drilling
  technology Environmental studies Chemistry of
  thermal fluids Geothermal utilisation.
• Can be continued with a M.S. course at the
  University of Iceland, Reykjavik University, or,
  starting this fall, at the Reykjavik Energy
  Graduate School of Sustainable Systems (REYST).
  There are some possibilities to obtain
  fellowships.

5
Future Project Proposal on Geothermal Education
and Training

1. ENGINE Results Proposed Route

• EXPLORATION
• Generally available B.S. programs in Earth
  Sciences Geology, Geophysics, Hydrogeology,
  etc.
• M.S. and Ph.D. programs oriented to geothermal
  available in few countries (e.g. Iceland,
  Germany, Greece, Turkey).
• Other universities intend to start M.S. programs
  which include geothermal (e.g. Université de
  Lausanne, Switzerland).

6
Future Project Proposal on Geothermal Education
and Training

1. ENGINE Results Proposed Route

• EXPLOITATION
• B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. programs available in many
  countries in Oil and Gas (Petroleum) schools,
  with specialization in Well drilling, completion
  and exploitation, Well testing and logging,
  Reservoir engineering. Specific aspects of
  geothermal reservoirs, EGS included, are usually
  not presented (some exceptions).
• M.S. program including courses on Deep drilling
  technology, Borehole geophysics and Reservoir
  engineering available at the Geothermal Centre of
  the University of Applied Sciences
  (Fachhochschule) Bochum, Germany. M.S. and Ph.D.
  available at the Middle East Technical University
  in Ankara, Turkey.
• Stanford University B.S. program in Petroleum
  Engineering was no longer very attractive and has
  been renamed to Energy Resources Engineering and
  oriented to renewables, mainly geothermal,
  followed by a M.S. program with the same name
  that also includes geothermal resources.

7
Future Project Proposal on Geothermal Education
and Training

1. ENGINE Results Proposed Route

• UTILIZATION
• B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. programs available in
  Mechanical Engineering (heat engines, etc.),
  Civil Engineering (heating systems, etc.), Energy
  Engineering (Power plants, Thermal energy
  engineering, etc.), but most of them do not
  include specific courses on the utilization of
  geothermal energy. Some known exceptions
• M.S. program at the Geothermal Centre of the
  University of Applied Sciences (Fachhochschule)
  Bochum, Germany
• M.S. program in Renewable energy engineering
  (including geothermal) at the University of
  Iceland, Reykjavik
• B.S. program in Thermal energy engineering
  oriented to renewable energy sources, including
  geothermal, M.S. program in Utilization of
  geothermal and solar energy, Ph.D. including
  geothermal energy utilization at the University
  of Oradea, Romania.
• Ph.D. on geothermal energy utilization might be
  available elsewhere too.

8
Future Project Proposal on Geothermal Education
and Training

1. ENGINE Results Recommendations

1. Capitalize the ENGINE material by making all the
   collected information easily downloadable from
   the website (e.g. the CDs of all workshops and
   conferences)
2. Use the ENGINE network to compile existing
   trainings by creating a list of the universities
   offering higher education programs of all levels
   in fields of interest for geothermal exploration,
   exploitation and utilization, with contact people
   potentially interested, to be informed about the
   project
3. Encourage the ENGINE partners to contact the IGA
   Secretariat (iga_at_samorka.is) and register for the
   IGA Roster of available lecturers, if willing to
   share their knowledge at training events
   organized or sponsored by the IGA
4. Create a consortium, possibly based on the ENGINE
   consortium, to prepare and submit to the EC for
   funding a proposal for a series of summer schools
   focused on specific topics of geothermal
   exploration, exploitation and utilization. This
   consortium should have close links with all EC
   funded projects related to geothermal energy, to
   facilitate the inclusion of newest research
   results in the appropriate existing courses and
   to develop new courses.

9
Future Project Proposal on Geothermal Education
and Training

1. Project Proposal

• General concept
• Prepare a proposal to organize a series of 5
  short courses (summer schools) on geothermal
  exploration, exploitation and utilization
• One short course should last about one week,
  about 8 hours per day, including lectures,
  seminars (preferably hands-on), possibly a field
  trip
• Each course should be organized in a different
  location, preferably in a different country, in
  areas of high interest for the topic of the
  respective course
• Lecturers should be reputed experts in their
  respective fields, participants in the relevant
  research projects, and willing to share their
  knowledge and experience
• Suggested coordinators and partners (local
  organizers) BRGM, Orleans, France CRES, Athens,
  Greece IGG CNR, Pisa, Italy GFZ, Potsdam,
  Germany ISOR, Reykjavik, Iceland UOR, Oradea,
  Romania (partner only) and other universities.

10
Future Project Proposal on Geothermal Education
and Training

1. Project Proposal

• Proposed course (summer school) GEOTHERMAL
  EXPLORATION
• Suggested topics
• Geophysical exploration
• Geology
• Geochemistry
• Geo-hydrology
• ???

11
Future Project Proposal on Geothermal Education
and Training

1. Project Proposal

• Proposed course (summer school) GEOTHERMAL
  EXPLOITATION
• Suggested topics
• Well drilling, completion, and maintenance
  (scaling and corrosion)
• Well testing and logging
• Reservoir modeling and simulation
• Reservoir stimulation
• ???

12
Future Project Proposal on Geothermal Education
and Training

1. Project Proposal

• Proposed course (summer school) GEOTHERMAL POWER
• Suggested topics
• Geothermal steam power plants
• Low enthalpy geothermal power plants (ORC,
  Kalina)
• Co-generation and tri-generation
• ???

13
Future Project Proposal on Geothermal Education
and Training

1. Project Proposal

• Proposed course (summer school) DIRECT
  GEOTHERMAL USES
• Suggested topics
• Space heating and cooling, district heating
  systems
• Greenhouse heating, agricultural uses
• Industrial uses
• Balneology
• ???

14
Future Project Proposal on Geothermal Education
and Training

1. Project Proposal

• Proposed course (summer school) SHALLOW
  GEOTHERMAL (GSHP)
• Suggested topics
• Horizontal underground heat exchangers
• Borehole (vertical) heat exchangers
• Heat pumps (including reversible)
• ???

15
Future Project Proposal on Geothermal Education
and Training

1. Financing Possibilities

• Estimated number of participants
• 10 15 lecturers
• 40 60 students.
• Estimated cost about 100,000 / short course
  (summer school).
• The courses should preferably be financed 100.
  If not possible, other (complementary) sources
  have to be identified (national funds, sponsors).
  IGA might offer a small support, larger if
  courses are to be held in WB GeoFund countries
  (if it will continue long enough).
• Cost to be covered travel, accommodation and
  meals for participants, maybe a reasonable fee
  for lecturers. Facilities should be offered by
  the local organizer/partner (free of charge).

16
Future Project Proposal on Geothermal Education
and Training

1. Financing Possibilities

• In the 6th Framework Programme of the EC, the
  Marie Curie action High Level Scientific
  Conferences included calls under which it was
  possible to submit project proposals of this
  type series of short courses / European Summer
  Schools.
• This possibility (action) does NOT exist in the
  7th Framework Programme. It is possible to apply
  for financial support for conferences, in the
  specific programme Cooperation or Capacities, as
  Coordination and Support Actions, or in the
  specific program People, Marie Curie Actions,
  Marie Curie Initial Training Networks, but
  apparently not for a series of short courses /
  summer schools.
• It seems reasonable that the EC should support
  the large scale use of the results obtained in
  financed research projects for training. On this
  basis, a lobbying campaign should be started as
  soon as possible, if this proposal is accepted by
  the ENGINE partners.

17
Future Project Proposal on Geothermal Education
and Training

• GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF US !
• AND
• THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION !