Highlights

The coal phase-out in Germany by 2038 constitutes a major challenge for regions and industries. Technologies, energy sources and labor markets are changing fundamentally. But there are also opportunities for local actors that are worth to be explored. Even old mines could contribute to the success of the transition of energy production. The German Parliament installed the Fraunhofer Institute for ...

Geothermal energy can play an important role in the decarbonization of the German energy system. In order to make the great potential of geothermal energy in the crystalline basement economically viable, measures are taken to enhance existing permeable structures. However, a prerequisite for the public acceptance of such Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) is the minimization of possible induced seismicity. Their ...

By late 2020 a total of 77 deep geothermal wells had been drilled within the territory of Austria, representing a cumulative length of some 135 km. About two thirds of this figure, both in terms of number and cumulative length, comprised boreholes sunk in sedimentary basins, while the remainder were drilled in the Eastern Alpine units and consisted exclusively of ...

Natural gas is besides from crude oil and coal one of the most important energy resources. However, during the depletion of a reservoir, the occurrence of liquids, e. g., water, condensates, is a well known phenomenon worldwide. Depending on the gas composition and the physical boundary conditions (pressure, temperature), water and/or condensate can precipitate out of the gas stream as the ...

Geothermy is a raw materials production process and therefore it has a close association with mining law, unless the activity in question is strictly property related. However, even in this latter case mining regulations will take effect if the drilling extends to a depth of more than 100 m. A general operating plan is not in fact required in this ...

At the Annual Conference of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME) in February 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona/USA, the debate on the term “Social Licence to Operate” was a focus. The title of the keynote session of the annual conference was: “The Executive’s Role in Tailings Management: Preserving our Social Licence to Operate”. In view of the recent accidents ...

Today, every company involved in raw material extraction strives to work efficiently and effectively. In the article “Smart Mining – Today and Tomorrow” in this issue, smart mining and its implications have already been described and discussed in detail. The central challenge, according to one of the key statements of that article, is the actual implementation of what is understood by Smart ...

Digitalization is on path of fast development in all spheres of society. As an outcome the requirements on modeling of systems are increasing. This applies with regard to quantity and quality. In this context the tools for modeling have to be selected. Considering modeling a possible choice is the language “Modelica”. This language comprises different advantages, finally supporting safe use ...

Automation in all its aspects has been gaining in significance in the extractive industry and decision making in today’s mining sector is based as much on planning activities as on event-driven reactions. This means that machinery and sensor networks are increasingly required to gather data on individual operating modes and ambient conditions, this information then being transmitted to a mine ...

The new version of § 13 of the Regulation for the Protection of Health in Mining Operations (GesBergV), which entered into force in October 2019, establishes new measures for underground non-bituminous coal mining operations in the event of fibrogenic mine dust contamination by referencing the Hazardous Substances Regulation and applicable rules of technology. The most important changes are briefly described ...