Highlights
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GeoLaB – The Geoscientific Future Project for Germany
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…
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Geothermal Energy Utilisation in Austria
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…
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The Impact of Geothermal Energy on Natural Gas Production
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…
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The Current Legal Framework for Geothermal Drilling
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…
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The Importance of “Social Licence to Operate” for the Mining Life Cycle
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…
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Sustainable Intelligent Mining Systems (SIMS), one Step Closer to the Mine of the Future
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,…
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Potential of Modelica for the Creation of Digital Twins
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…
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Data Acquisition for Underground Mining Applications
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…
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Effective Date for Fibrogenic Mine Dust and Quartz in Mining Operations
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…
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Long-Term Management of Mine Water Operations in the German Coalfields – an Interim Evaluation of the Findings Based on Operating Plans and Hydrological Permits
The cessation of coal mining in North Rhine-Westphalia on 31st December 2018 marked the start of a period of long-term aftercare measures. The end of coal winning also meant that the original purpose of the mine dewatering operations, which was to make it possible to extract the resources in the…
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