Speaker: Professor Roseanna Neupauer, Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder

Topic: Potential Impact of Geothermal Energy Production on Hot Springs

Abstract
Geothermal energy is an attractive alternative to fossil fuels because it is sustainable, supplied continuously, and has a minimal carbon footprint.  Where subsurface temperatures are significantly warmer than surface temperatures, heat from the subsurface can be extracted for use on the earth’s surface. In some areas, water carries heat to the surface in the form of thermal springs that support recreation and tourism.  An unanswered question is whether larger scale geothermal development will lead to cooling of the recreational thermal springs or a reduction in flow rate, negatively impacting the industry.  This work uses groundwater flow and heat transport modeling to evaluate the potential impact of geothermal energy production on hot springs. The modeled system is loosely based on the geologic and thermal regimes near Mt. Princeton in central Colorado, USA.  The results show that the extraction of deep thermal water for geothermal energy production and the subsequent reinjection of cooled water has the potential to reduce the water temperature of surface springs.

Bio
Professor Roseanna Neupauer received her BS (Civil Engineering) from Carnegie Mellon, MS (Civil Engineering) from MIT, MS Math and PhD (Hydrology) from New Mexico Tech and, BA (Spanish) from CU.  She worked as a Researcher Scientist for 4 years at the Idaho National Lab and spent 4 years on the Civil Engineering faculty at University of Virginia, before joining CU in 2005. Professor Neupauer is a CU President’s Teaching Scholar. Her specialization is in groundwater modeling. Her research focuses on the development and application of novel groundwater modeling tools for groundwater flow and solute and heat transport. Recent and ongoing projects include active spreading strategies for improved groundwater remediation, formation of icings in Arctic rivers, characterization of stream depletion due to groundwater pumping, and protection of source water from thermal pollution near geothermal energy systems. Professor Neupauer is a Fellow of American Society of Civil Engineers and Geological Society of America.