ICHS project benefits

A key project goal for ICHS is to investigate the feasibility of using minewater for inter-seasonal heat storage.

Regardless of the outcomes, this project has multiple benefits.

Successful heat storage relies on a static volume of water. Should it be discovered that the water is flowing, this is a useful finding, since the mineworkings could then be used for:

• Dumping of data centre waste heat with improved efficiency over current methods which release this into the atmosphere.

• A replenised heat source for ground-source heat pumps which can be used to heat campus buildings without heat depletion of the source (which results in lower efficiency operation).

The use of geothermal heat stores is a rapidly developing area, and so the ICHS project will add a significant body of knowledge in this area. It will also help to develop expertise not only among University staff, but also provide experience and knowledge transfer with contracted drilling companies, providing data to further constrain the risk of such projects and thus reduce future costs.

Additionally, this project will help to de-risk future Durham University facilitation of a heat network based on ground-source heat pump technologies.

Durham has a significant mining heriatage, and making effective use of the old mineworkings will be a source of civic pride.

The Durham Energy Institute is a world-leading institute working on net-zero technologies, policies and processes. The ICHS project adds to Durham University’s portfolio.

It is hoped that this project will eventually lead to significant steps towards achieving Net Zero.