The course aims to provide students with an introduction to the processes and technologies for energy exploitation from the subsoil, both from shallow and from deep layers. It consists of three parts: one theoretical and two applicative. The theoretical part will focus on the description, in physical and mathematical terms, of the constitutive laws and of the processes of mass and energy transport in saturated and unsaturated media. Application related to energy geostructures will then be addressed, i.e. thermally activated geotechnical structures that allow for heat exchange with the ground (shallow geothermal energy). The third part will focus on the geomechanical aspects associated with the production of energy from deep geological layers, in particular: hydraulic fracturing for the production of hydrocarbons and the modeling of the subsidence induced by extraction of fluids from the subsoil. The state of the art relating to the injection of CO2 into deep aquifers and exhausted reservoirs (CO2 sequestration) for the mitigation of climate change will also be presented.

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INTRODUCTION (Barla) 2h • Renewable energy sources • Geothermal energy • Legal, economic and social aspects of shallow geothermal energy • Energy geostructures and geosystems concepts • TH, TM and THM coupling THERMO HYDRO CHEMO MECHANICAL PROCESSES (Musso) 4h • Fundamentals: introduction to thermo-hydro-chemo mechanical behaviour of porous materials. • Mass and energy balance equation with coupled transport processes (e.g. osmosis, advective transport of solute and energy). • Constitutive relationships: hydraulic (water retention curve) and mechanical (elasto plasticity: Barcelona Basic Model, elasto-viscoplasticity: extended overstress theory). DETERMINATION OF THERMO – HYDRO MECHANICAL PARAMETERS (Loveridge) 2h • Determination of soil and rock properties (laboratory and in situ tests) ENERGY GEOSTRUCTURES (Barla, Insana, Baralis) 10h • Thermal design of Energy Piles, Energy walls and Energy Tunnels • Structural design of Energy Piles, Energy walls and Energy Tunnels • Construction aspects and monitoring • Interaction and spatial optimization • Examples GEOMECHANICS FOR ENERGY PRODUCTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE (Musso, Della Vecchia) 8h • Wellbore failure analysis • Determination of in situ state of stress from inverse analysis; • Modelling subsidence phenomena at regional scale; • CO2 sequestration in deep aquifers and reservoirs

On line synchronous mode

Written report presentation

P.D.1-1 - February