Utilization of Heat Energy from Ground Water Intakes

Abstract

The hard coal, a traditional fuel in households is the main source of air pollution by low emission in Poland, so that development of alternative sources of clean energy is needed. A potential resource of geothermal energy in Poland was estimated at about 4 mld ton of coal equivalent (Ney.R., 1997). Utilisation of geothermal waters is costly, therefore we propose that thermal energy should be drawn out from intakes of drinking water from shallow horizons. Technically, using heat pumps one can extract heat energy from shallow groundwaterís of temperatures less than 200C. In the presented paper is considered a possibility of utilising heat from potable water intakes in the Nowy Sacz environs, a region of good environmental setting in the Carpathians in southern of Poland. Utilisation of heat energy from shallow horizons of groundwater will reduce amount of coal burned in open furnaces, therefore, will reduce air pollution in this region.