The “Drive in the Box Concept” or how to accelerate geothermal energy use
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In Germany, Actemium has developed a solution installed in a mobile container to supply electricity for geothermal pumps.
Geothermal energy is a renewable energy source. It is clean, natural and theoretically available everywhere in the world. Geothermal power plants, which require very little space above ground, emit zero CO2 in producing electricity and generate no waste products.
Unlike renewable energies such as solar and wind power, geothermal energy is not intermittent – underground heat is stable and available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, regardless of the weather or season. This makes geothermal one of several possible answers to the question of reliable energy supply in a future where fossil fuels are gradually eliminated.
Supplying electricity to down-well production pumps
To accelerate progress in this highly promising sector, Actemium Germany has developed an innovative solution to supply electricity to down-well pumps – a test container for pump motors. The solution was implemented by Halliburton, the Dutch supplier of oil- and gas-sector services, in August 2021, and completed by Actemium Germany on the Schwarze Pumpe site later that year.
The technology makes use of the integrated concepts of medium-voltage frequency converters (MVFC) sealed into containers with all peripheral instruments such as the MS/NS switchgear (medium- and low-voltage) and temperature control, plus Halliburton’s new “GeoController” solution: cutting-edge technology for controlling down-well submersible pumps (GeoESPTM).
The “Drive in the Box Concept” is standardised to operate in all industry sectors.
Cooperation with Siemens
This solution, named “Drive in the Box Concept”, comprises “fully equipped containers that can be used in a standard way across industry sectors, or adapted to meet customer needs”, explains Jörn Matschke, CEO of Actemium Fördertechnik Lausitz (Actemium BEA GmbH).
Actemium designed the whole system in cooperation with Siemens LDA (Large Drives Applications), which supplies the frequency converter. Jörn Matschke continues, “The pump to draw hot water from 1,000 m down can therefore be reliably powered and operated using electricity”.
For Actemium Fördertechnik Lausitz, the geothermal energy sector offers a promising new avenue for development. For Actemium BEA GmbH, it represents an opportunity to expand its business into the industrial and mining sectors.
16/06/2022
