This project is a collaboration with the USGS to develop a numerical model to simulate energy transport in groundwater systems. This newly developed model will enhance the most widely used groundwater flow and transport models, MODFLOW 6, MT3D-USGS, and Groundwater Transport Process (GWT), with energy transport capacity. Simulation of energy transport capacity in the water cycle is urgently needed, which is essential to understanding the process and impact of extreme weather to water resources and the ecosystem. This development will also benefit the research on geothermal energy because of its capacity to couple groundwater flow and heat transport. Such capacity has the potential to reduce the cost of installing geothermal energy systems by increasing their efficiency, which has direct economic benefits for the competitiveness of the renewable energy industry.
- PI: Yu-Feng Lin
- PI Institution: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- August 16, 2022 – August 15, 2024