Learning path: Introduction to geothermal modelling
A course will be available for 60 days upon enrollment
Surface and groundwater

Learning path: Introduction to geothermal modelling

Learn the basics of geothermal modelling (open-loop systems) using FEFLOW in these two free self-paced courses. 

  • Getting started with groundwater modelling using FEFLOW
  • Getting started with geothermal modelling using FEFLOW: Open-loop systems
  • FEFLOW – Getting started with geothermal modelling: Closed-loop systems

Learning path content

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    INVESTMENT Fee: No charge* Time commitment — approximately  two   hours of s elf-study:   Modules  1-11  (includes online  video lectures, demonstration videos,  quizzes , hands-on exercises and reading materials )     PRODUCT FEFLOW Groundwater hydrologists or hydrogeologists are often asked questions about groundwater flow, aquifer hydraulics, management of water resources, fate of contamination plumes or feasibility of geothermal systems, plus others. Proving answers to all these questions requires specific field information and a general understanding of hydrogeological processes. Nature is not simple and even simple tasks require state-of-the-art supporting tools. A groundwater model provides a quantitative framework for synthesizing field information and for conceptualising hydrogeologic processes. The model is used as tool to assist consultants and engineers for getting possible answers to a specific groundwater problem. This self-paced course will introduce you to the basic concept of groundwater modelling using FEFLOW.  About FEFLOW FEFLOW is the most intuitive and comprehensive software package for groundwater and porous media modelling. It can simulate a multitude of processes involving fluid flow, groundwater age, contaminant and heat transport under fully or variably saturated conditions - from local to regional scale. IS THIS COURSE RIGHT FOR ME? The course has been designed for consultants, engineers, hydrogeologists and geologists with some basic understanding of hydrogeological concepts. If you are interested to get started with groundwater modelling and/or are not yet familiar with the methods behind FEFLOW, then this free, self-paced course is perfect for you. WHAT ARE MY EXPECTED OUTCOMES? Upon course completion, you will be able  to start building your first groundwater model with FEFLOW . You will learn how to  implement a conceptual model through the FEFLOW Supermesh concept, how t o build a finite-element mesh suitable for groundwater calculations and to verify its quality, to completely parametrize the model (materials and boundary conditions). You will also be able to run the model, do a basic visualisation and check the model results such as Hydraulic-head and global water budgets. HOW WILL I LEARN? Each module includes videos, materials and handouts that you need for model examples, short quizzes and assignments to reinforce the course knowledge . It will take you around two hours to complete the course at a time that fits your needs and requirements - and in the comfort of your own office, home or any location convenient for you. MODULE DETAILS The self-paced course includes 12 modules that introduce you to the basic steps of groundwater modelling with FEFLOW.  Module 1 - Introduction Module 2 - Theory of FEFLOW Supermesh Module 3 - Starting a new model Module 4 - Supermesh Module 5 - Finite-element mesh Module 6 - Problem Settings Module 7 - Boundary Conditions Module 8 - Material properties Module 9 - Simulation run Module 10 - Post-processing Module 11 - Final remarks PRESENTER Dipl.-Ing. (FH), Civil Engineering, University of Piura, Peru; MSc, Desert Studies - Water Resources Management, Ben-Gurion University, Israel; PhD, Hydrology, University of Potsdam, Germany Dr. Carlos Rivera Villarreyes, DHI, works as Global Product Specialist for FEFLOW. Dr. Rivera has profound knowledge of groundwater and unsaturated-zone modelling as well as parameter estimation and uncertainty analysis (e.g., with PEST), all these in the context of mining applications among others. He has carried several groundwater modelling projects and trained professionals in groundwater modelling around the globe. Dr. Carlos is an authorised DHI trainer. REQUIREMENTS Reliable internet connection Access to FEFLOW software. DHI demo version is sufficient for the material covered in this course. If you are not familiar with the basic terminology of hydrogeology, e.g. definitions of aquifer properties (confined/unconfined systems, transmissivity, conductivity, etc.) and principles of groundwater flow (e.g. Darcy Law), it is strongly recommended to do a pre-reading of standard textbooks of Hydrogeology. Some literature is recommended in Module 1. RESOURCES Software information:   FEFLOW Webinar recording : "PEST++ in FePEST: A new era of groundwater model calibration and uncertainty quantification" Webinar recording : "Effectively boosting groundwater modelling: What’s new in FEFLOW 7.5 release?" THE ACADEMY Courses and Events Calendar - webinars THE ACADEMY's Training Calendar INFORMATION AND CONTACT If you have technical trouble with the course, please contact the course designer: Carlos Andres Rivera Villarreyes  cvi@dhigroup.com academy@dhigroup.com *In exchange for course access, you agree to receive marketing material from DHI group through e-mails, social media and apps about our products and services. You can unsubscribe anytime.

    • Lesson Module 1 - Introduction

    • Lesson Module 2 - Theory: Supermesh

    • Lesson Module 3 - Starting a new model

    • Lesson Module 4 - Supermesh

    • Lesson Module 5 - Finite-element mesh

    • Lesson Module 6 - Problem settings

    • Lesson Module 7 - Boundary Conditions (BC)

    • Lesson Module 8 - Material properties

    • Lesson Module 9 - Simulation run

    • Lesson Module 10 - Post-processing

    • Lesson Module 11 - Final remarks

  • INVESTMENT Fee: No charge* Time commitment: approximately three hours in total, divided as follows: Self-study : Nine modules, combining online video lectures, demonstration videos, quizzes, hands-on exercises and reading materials (Optional) Additional reading materials can be made available for you to master the software at a greater depth PRODUCT FEFLOW Groundwater hydrologists or hydrogeologist are often asked questions about groundwater flow, aquifer hydraulics, management of water resources, fate of contamination plumes or feasibility of geothermal systems, plus others. Providing answers to all these questions requires specific field information and a general understanding of hydrogeological processes. Nature is not simple and even simple tasks require state-of-the-art supporting tools. A numerical model provides a quantitative framework for synthesising field information and for conceptualising hydrogeologic processes. The model is used as tool to assist consultants and engineers for getting possible answers to a specific groundwater problem. This self-paced course will introduce you to the basic concept of geothermal modelling using FEFLOW. Specifically, the course focuses on the modelling of open-loop geothermal systems. The theoretical part of the course about heat transport in FEFLOW also offers a good basis for other modelling geothermal approaches, such as Borehole Heat Exchangers. FEFLOW is the most intuitive and comprehensive software package for groundwater and porous media modelling. The software has been extensively used for modelling geothermal installations, including both shallow and deep geothermal systems. FEFLOW has the capabilities to model both open and closed loop geothermal systems at any time resolution. A major advantage of FEFLOW compared to other modelling packages is the fact that FEFLOW can easily implement heterogeneties (hydraulic and thermal parameters), groundwater flow patterns, effect of recharge on temperature, etc. About FEFLOW FEFLOW is widely recognised as a comprehensive software package for subsurface flow and transport simulation. FEFLOW’s unique meshing capabilities (structured and unstructured) allows for the highest degree of flexibility to account in detail for the most simple to complex geometrical configurations. The software is used by leading research institutes, universities, consulting firms and government organisations all over the world. FEFLOW’s scope of application ranges from simple local scale to complex largescale modelling. Application areas include water management, mine water, saltwater intrusion, geothermal energy and variably saturated media. IS THIS COURSE RIGHT FOR ME? The course has been designed for consultants, engineers, hydrogeologist and geologist with some basic understanding of hydrogeological concepts and geothermal installations. It is not mandatory that you have already carried out numerical simulations of geothermal systems. It is beneficial if you have certain knowledge of flow simulations in FEFLOW. You can quickly learn about these through the free self-paced course ‘ Getting started with groundwater modelling using FEFLOW’ . WHAT ARE MY EXPECTED OUTCOMES? After completing this course, you will be able to start building your numerical modelling of geothermal open-loop system with FEFLOW. You will have learnt: To build a finite-element mesh suitable for geothermal applications and to verify its quality To build a simple 3D model for geothermal modelling To completely parametrise the heat transport model (materials and boundary conditions) To link injection and production wells in the context of a geothermal open-loop system To run the model and do a basic visualisation of temperature (2D, 3D and cross-section views) To check the model results HOW WILL I LEARN? Each module includes videos and materials that you need for model examples and quizzes. It will take you around three hours to complete the course at a time that fits your needs and requirements – and from the comfort of your own office, home or any location convenient for you. MODULE DETAILS Introduction - Preliminary steps Module 1 - Introduction to transport processes Module 2 – Discretisation and numerical oscillations in transport Module 3 – Introduction to heat transport modelling Module 4 – Finite-element mesh for heat transport modelling Module 5 - Preparing the flow model Module 6 - Implementation of an Open Loop system in FEFLOW Module 7 - Results analysis Module 8 - Testing new locations Final module -  What is next with heat transport modelling PRESENTER DR. CARLOS RIVERA VILLARREYES, DHI GERMANY   Dipl.-Ing. (FH), Civil Engineering, University of Piura, Peru; MSc, Desert Studies - Water Resources Management, Ben-Gurion University, Israel; PhD, Hydrology, University of Potsdam, Germany Dr. Carlos Rivera Villarreyes works as Global Product Specialist for FEFLOW. Dr. Rivera has profound knowledge of groundwater and unsaturated-zone modelling as well as parameter estimation and uncertainty analysis (e.g., with PEST), all these in the context of mining applications among others. He has carried several groundwater modelling projects and trained professionals in groundwater modelling around the globe. Dr. Carlos is an authorised DHI trainer. REQUIREMENTS Reliable internet connection  An installation of the DHI License Management and FEFLOW software is required for the completion of the hands-on exercises. This will be explained in the Module 1 of the training course. If you are not familiar with basic terminology of Hydrogeology, e.g., definitions of aquifer properties (confined/unconfined systems, transmissivity, conductivity, etc.) and principles of groundwater flow (e.g., Darcy Law), it is strongly recommended to do a pre-reading of standard textbooks of Hydrogeology. RESOURCES Highlights of FEFLOW  here Webinar recording : "PEST++ in FePEST: A new era of groundwater model calibration and uncertainty quantification" Webinar recording : "Effectively boosting groundwater modelling: What’s new in FEFLOW 7.5 release?" Getting started with groundwater quality modelling using FEFLOW   here Getting started with groundwater modelling Self-paced course here THE ACADEMY Courses and Events Calendar - webinars THE ACADEMY's Training Calendar INFORMATION AND CONTACT Carlos Andres Rivera Villarreyes - cvi@dhigroup.com academy@dhigroup.com *In exchange for course access, you agree to receive marketing material from DHI group through e-mails, social media and apps about our products and services. You can unsubscribe anytime.

  • INVESTMENT Fee: No charge* Time commitment: approximately two hours in total, divided as follows: Self-study: Six modules, combining online video lectures, demonstration videos, quizzes, hands-on exercises and reading materials (Optional) Additional reading materials can be made available for you to master the software at a greater depth PRODUCT FEFLOW Groundwater hydrologists or hydrogeologist are often asked questions about groundwater flow, aquifer hydraulics, management of water resources, fate of contamination plumes or feasibility of geothermal systems, plus others. Providing answers to all these questions requires specific field information and a general understanding of hydrogeological processes. Nature is not simple and even simple tasks require state-of-the-art supporting tools. A numerical model provides a quantitative framework for synthesising field information and for conceptualising hydrogeologic processes. The model is used as tool to assist consultants and engineers for getting possible answers to a specific groundwater problem. This self-paced course will introduce you to the basic concept of geothermal modelling using FEFLOW. Specifically, the course focuses on the modelling of closed-loop geothermal systems. The course will provide you some insights about the modelling of borehole heat exchanges in FEFLOW. FEFLOW is the most intuitive and comprehensive software package for groundwater and porous media modelling. The software has been extensively used for modelling geothermal installations, including both shallow and deep geothermal systems. FEFLOW has the capabilities to model both open and closed loop geothermal systems at any time resolution. A major advantage of FEFLOW compared to other modelling packages is the fact that FEFLOW can easily implement heterogeneties (hydraulic and thermal parameters), groundwater flow patterns, effect of recharge on temperature, fluid properties (viscosity and density) depending on temperature, etc. About FEFLOW FEFLOW is widely recognised as a comprehensive software package for subsurface flow and transport simulation. FEFLOW’s unique meshing capabilities (structured and unstructured) allows for the highest degree of flexibility to account in detail for the most simple to complex geometrical configurations. The software is used by leading research institutes, universities, consulting firms and government organisations all over the world. FEFLOW’s scope of application ranges from simple local scale to complex largescale modelling. Application areas include water management, mine water, saltwater intrusion, geothermal energy and variably saturated media. IS THIS COURSE RIGHT FOR ME? The course has been designed for consultants, engineers, hydrogeologists and geologists with some basic understanding of hydrogeological concepts and geothermal installations. It is not mandatory that you have already carried out numerical simulations of geothermal systems. However, it is beneficial if you have certain knowledge of flow simulations in FEFLOW. You can quickly learn about these through the free self-paced course ‘Getting started with groundwater modelling using FEFLOW’. WHAT ARE MY EXPECTED OUTCOMES? After completing this course, you will be able to build a numerical model of a geothermal closed-loop system with FEFLOW. You will have learnt: To set-up a Borehole Heat Exchanger (BHE) in a 3D FEFLOW numerical model. To adjust numerical parameters for proper simulation results. To define a dataset for controlling BHE's geometrical properties, computational settings and refrigerant physical properties. To link multiple BHEs within an array using powerful FEFLOW's BHE Interconnector Editor. To run the numerical model with the geothermal simulations and analysis the results (spatio-temporal temperature distribution). LEARNING METHODOLOGY Each module includes videos and materials that you need for model examples and quizzes. It will take you around two hours to complete the course at a time that fits your needs and requirements – and from the comfort of your own office, home or any location convenient for you. MODULE DETAILS Introduction - Preliminary steps Module 1 - Introduction Module 2 – Borehole Heat Exchanger | Implementation Module 3 - Model run and results evaluation Module 4 – Borehole Heat Exchanger | Interconnection Module 5 – Final remarks PRESENTER DR. CARLOS RIVERA VILLARREYES, DHI GERMANY   Dipl.-Ing. (FH), Civil Engineering, University of Piura, Peru; MSc, Desert Studies - Water Resources Management, Ben-Gurion University, Israel; PhD, Hydrology, University of Potsdam, Germany Dr. Carlos Rivera Villarreyes works as Global Product Specialist for FEFLOW. Dr. Rivera has profound knowledge of groundwater and unsaturated-zone modelling as well as parameter estimation and uncertainty analysis (e.g., with PEST), all these in the context of mining applications among others. He has carried several groundwater modelling projects and trained professionals in groundwater modelling around the globe. Dr. Carlos is an authorised DHI trainer. REQUIREMENTS Reliable internet connection of sufficient bandwidth An installation of the DHI License Management and FEFLOW software is required for the completion of the hands-on exercises. This will be explained in the Module 1 of the training course. You require basic understanding of terminology used in geothermal systems (e.g. power, energy, pump rates, etc.). The course is an intermediate-level course; therefore, it is expected you already know how to create FEFLOW meshes in 2D / 3D and carry out basic model parametrisation. We highly recommended you to participate in the self-paced course "Getting started with groundwater modelling using FEFLOW". The course is a continuation of "Getting started with geothermal modelling using FEFLOW - Open-Loop Systems". Therefore, we will recommend you to complete initially the other course first. RESOURCES Highlights of FEFLOW  here Getting started with groundwater modelling Self-paced course ( here) Getting started with geothermal modelling: Open-Loop System Self-paced course ( here ) THE ACADEMY Courses and Events Calendar - webinars THE ACADEMY Courses and Events Calendar - online courses INFORMATION AND CONTACT Carlos Andres Rivera Villarreyes - cvi@dhigroup.com *In exchange for course access, you agree to receive marketing material from DHI group through e-mails, social media and apps about our products and services. You can unsubscribe anytime.