REFLECT webinar: Experiments for improving the efficiency of geothermal plants

The EU-funded project REFLECT is organising the webinar ‘Experiments for improving the efficiency of geothermal plants‘ on 14 June 2022, 16:00 – 17:10 CEST (Brussels time).

Some of the most fascinating experiments carried out within the framework of the project will be presented. The host of the event will be REFLECT project manager Katrin Kieling (Helmholtz Centre Potsdam – German Research Centre for Geosciences, GFZ).

The structure of the webinar will be as follows:

• Short introduction of the REFLECT project – by Simona Regenspurg (GFZ)
• Technical problems in geothermal power plants – by Serhat Tonkul (İzmir Institute of Technology)
• CO2 degassing kinetics in bulk and porous media – by Chris Boeije (Delft University of Technology)
• Assessing the microbial diversity in deep geothermal fluids – by Danaé Bregnard (University of Neuchâtel)

Register for the free webinar to learn more about the REFLECT research and experiments on geothermal: https://bit.ly/3lHVcQk

SPEAKERS’ BIOGRAPHIES:

• Simona Regenspurg has been working as a research associate at Helmholtz Centre Potsdam German Research Centre for Geosciences in the Section Geoenergy since 2009. She is head of the working group “Geothermal Fluids”. The focus of her research is on the study of geochemical processes that take place during the operation of geothermal plants. These include reactions under increased pressure and temperature conditions, interactions between water and rock and their effects on the environment. Simona studied geology/hydrogeology at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich, Germany, and completed research stays in the USA (Colorado School of Mines, Golden), Sweden (Royal University of Technology (KTH), Stockholm) and Switzerland (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, EPFL). She habilitated and teaches at the Free University of Berlin.

• Serhat Tonkul graduated from Canakkale On Sekiz Mart University Geological Engineering Department in 2014. He was interested in energy resources, hydrology and groundwater during his undergraduate and he wanted to develop this field himself. He worked as an intern engineer at Maren Maraş Geothermal Power Plant in Aydın/Germencik in 2012 and at the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) in Ankara. In 2014, He graduated from the Izmir Institute of Technology Energy Engineering department. He is currently a PhD student at Izmir Institute of Technology, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering. He carries out his doctoral thesis studies on 3D modelling, geochemistry, and numerical modelling.

• Chris Boeije is a postdoctoral researcher with a background in various topics regarding to multiphase flow in porous media. He has a PhD from Delft University of Technology for which he studied foam flow for enhancing oil recovery. During research stays at Bordeaux INP and the University of Lyon he gathered further research experience focusing on groundwater aquifer remediation. He is currently working on a project related to degassing of geothermal fluids again at Delft University of Technology.

• After a Bachelor in Biology at the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland, Danaé Bregnard continued with a Master in Biology at the same university, doing a master thesis in microbiology. This work was focused on fungal endobacteria, which compose a large part of the microbiome of fungi. Danaé is currently pursuing a PhD degree in microbiology at the University of Neuchâtel, this time with a focus on the microbial diversity (i.e., Bacteria, Fungi and Archaea) present in deep geothermal fluids. More specifically, Danaé wants to assess the microbial diversity present in deep geothermal reservoirs as well as looking at which of these microorganisms are able to grow inside power plant systems.