Groundwater Cooling. Cooling supercomputers using geothermal energy. Dr Mike Trefry Director, SESKA Geothermal Project April 2014 CSIRO ENERGY GROUP

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1 Groundwater Cooling Cooling supercomputers using geothermal energy Dr Mike Trefry Director, SESKA Geothermal Project April 2014 CSIRO ENERGY GROUP

2 Overview Section 1: Background Square Kilometre Array Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder The Pawsey Centre Section 2: Sustainable Energy for the SKA The Groundwater Cooling Project How it works Construction and commissioning Advantages Hydrogeological and environmental aspects Facilities integration and control Real-time performance data Educational and research outreach Section 3: The future What s next? 2 Groundwater Cooling Mike Trefry

3 Acknowledgements The CSIRO team: Project Director: Mike Trefry Project Sponsor: Dave Williams/Tom Hatton Earth Science & Resource Engineering Division Deputy Chief: Steve Harvey Technical Lead: Thomas Poulet Science Lead: Klaus Regenauer-Lieb Project Manager: Jacqueline Cook Scientists/Researchers: Grant Douglas, Heather Sheldon, Peter Schaubs, Praveen Kumar Rachakonda, Dan Lester, Guy Metcalfe, Ludo Ricard, Lynn Reid Property Manager: Ken Fogarty Risk Manager: Sue Brown Finance Manager: Francoise van Es Health, Safety and Environment Manager: Louise Beckwith Procurement Manager: Don Geeves Communication: Eamonn Bermingham, Nikki Galovic Plus many contractors. 3 Groundwater Cooling Mike Trefry

4 Section 1: Background SKA, ASKAP and the Pawsey Centre

5 Square Kilometre Array Led by the SKA Organisation based in the UK Involves institutions from over 20 countries Will be the largest and most capable telescope ever constructed Will allow astronomers to answer fundamental questions about the universe Australia and southern Africa will each host different components of the telescope Made up of a single, very large telescope and millions of small antennas 5 Groundwater Cooling Mike Trefry

6 Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder CSIRO s world-leading radio telescope An array of 36 antennas, each 12 metres in diameter, working together as a single instrument Located in the remote midwest region of WA Captures radio images with unprecedented sensitivity over large areas of sky In one week ASKAP will generate more information than is currently contained on the whole World Wide Web 6 Groundwater Cooling Mike Trefry

7 The Pawsey Centre World-class supercomputing centre Supports the Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder research, geosciences and other high-end science $80 million Federal Government funding CSIRO built and commissioned the Pawsey Centre in trust for ivec 7 Groundwater Cooling Mike Trefry

8 Section 2: Sustainable Energy for the SKA Groundwater Cooling

9 The Project At full capacity the Pawsey Centre supercomputer will generate a lot of heat (0.8 MWth) CSIRO developed a geothermal solution known as groundwater cooling Expected to save up to 14.5 million litres of water in the first two years of operation compared to conventional cooling towers Funded by the Australian Government s Education Investment Fund Has the potential to revolutionise the way we cool our buildings 9 Groundwater Cooling Mike Trefry

10 How does it work? The system involves pumping cool water from a shallow aquifer beneath the Australian Resources Research Centre (ARRC) in Perth, through an above-ground heat exchanger to cool the supercomputer, before reinjecting the water underground again. 10 Groundwater Cooling Mike Trefry

11 What is the Mullaloo Aquifer? Pawsey Part of the Kings Park Formation Sandy sequence of the Mullaloo Sandstone Member Localized valley deposit Heterogeneous paleochannel aquifer 11 Groundwater Cooling Mike Trefry

12 Construction and commissioning Majority of the drilling for the production system occurred in 2013 The system consists of: 2 cold water extraction wells 2 cold water injection wells 2 warm water injection wells 9 monitoring wells The system became operational and was commissioned by CSIRO Chief Executive, Dr Megan Clark in November Groundwater Cooling Mike Trefry

13 Advantages Unlike conventional cooling towers, which use large amounts of water, groundwater cooling has no net loss of water Performs reliably around the clock regardless of the weather or season If deployed more widely it has the potential to replace cooling towers in buildings including major facilities such as hospitals and industrial operations The power required to run the groundwater cooling pumps is to be offset by an array of solar panels on the roof of the Pawsey Centre 13 Groundwater Cooling Mike Trefry

14 Stratigraphy 14 Groundwater Cooling Mike Trefry

15 Sediments Parameter Davidson and Yu (2006) Rockwater (2011) K H (m/d) S (-) 1-5 x x Groundwater Cooling Mike Trefry

16 Hydrogeological and environmental aspects The project deployed monitoring instruments and conducted modelling to ensure negligible environmental impact Modelling shows there will be minimal impact on: water level of the aquifer for neighbouring residents temperature of the water in the aquifer Kensington Bushland (local vegetation in the area) Mullaloo geochemistry is reasonably benign, with thin pyrite horizons at depth 16 Groundwater Cooling Mike Trefry

17 Geochemical Results Quartz-dominated sediments, with minor carbonates, K-feldspars and clays, ilmenite/rutile, and pyrite at depth. Coarse grains with high void porosity Trace elements: elevated Cr, V, Zr, ± S, As also notable Water composition: Na-Cl type, low TDS, some nutrients and DOC, no BTEX Low numbers of microbes, but with potential for clogging 17 Groundwater Cooling Mike Trefry

18 Palynology organic-rich horizon, upper Mullaloo Dinoflagellate (algal) cyst - Maturodinium fimbriata Protea spore - Proteacidites crassus Fern spore - Clavifera triplex Palynological analysis indicates organic-rich horizon is early Tertiary, likely Eocene Marine/estuarine facies similar to present Swan Estuary? 18 Groundwater Cooling Mike Trefry

19 Real-time performance data The system s bores are set up with advanced monitoring equipment Data from the system is logged using the Pawsey Centre s Building Management System Live and historical data is made available via the groundwater cooling website for researchers to access Engineering data: Pressure Flow rate Geochemistry data: Temperature ph Redox potential Dissolved oxygen Turbidity Conductivity 19 Groundwater Cooling Mike Trefry

20 Real-time performance data 20 Groundwater Cooling Mike Trefry

21 Facilities integration and control The system is fully controllable through the Building Management System (BMS) All electronic and hydraulic equipment has monitoring sondes sending real-time information to the BMS Alarms are connected to monitor system behaviour Automated safe-shutdown procedures are in place if problems occur Backup cooling towers and a refrigerated circuit are in place in case the system stops functioning 21 Groundwater Cooling Mike Trefry

22 Facilities integration and control 22 Groundwater Cooling Mike Trefry

23 Education and research outreach Collaboration with Curtin University on geochemical research Groundwater Cooling 3D Interpretive Centre Interactive signage Geophysical, geochemical, geological research opportunities Calibrate numerical models and gain deeper understanding of the system 23 Groundwater Cooling Mike Trefry

24 Section 3: The future What s next?

25 What s next? Analysing results Behaviour of the system Aquifer characterisation and water sampling Calibrating models Research collaborations Applications of the technology to other buildings and facilities 25 Groundwater Cooling Mike Trefry

26 Thank you CSIRO Geothermal Project Dr Mike Trefry Director, SESKA Geothermal Project t e mike.trefry@csiro.au w groundwatercooling.csiro.au CSIRO EARTH SCIENCE AND RESOURCE ENGINEERING