Perspectives on the use of geothermal heat pump systems to reduce low emitted air pollutants in the health resort areas

AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection, Al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Kraków, Poland

^* Corresponding author: aszulc@agh.edu.pl

Abstract

The paper presents the possibilities of using geothermal heat pump systems in order to reduce the so-called “low-emission” in health resort area. The analysis was carried out on the example of the health resort Rabka-Zdrój, located in the southern part of Poland. Based on the acquired geological profiles of the boreholes, a detailed analysis of the rock mass was made in terms of thermal parameters. An interpretation of the potential unit heat output from individual boreholes was also made and the total lengths of vertical heat exchangers were determined for them. It was found that the health resort area has good thermal parameters of the rock mass, which can be used in shallow geothermal systems. Thermal conductivity coefficients (λ) of boreholes are in the range of 1.59–3.42 [W/(m·K)]. In addition, the value of the λ coefficient below 2.0 [W/(m·K)] was recorded in two cases. It was emphasized that the use of geothermal heat pump systems can have a significant contribution to reducing emission of pollutants and contribute to the reduction of so-called “low-emission”. The obtained values of the ecological effect in relation to coal-fired boilers limit by 99% the dust emission and B(a)P, which are the dominant pollutants in the context of so-called “low-emissions”.