Potential study Redingensite

This project includes a potential study on heat extraction in the river Dyle for heating the buildings on the Redingensite in Leuven. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact on the river Dyle of local heat extraction. In this way, the average temperature decrease of this river as a result of the monthly heat demand of the Redingensite can be determined on a monthly basis. This study examines whether the monthly heat demand for aquathermal heating on the Redingensite can be satisfied with heat from the river Dyle without this river experiencing a drop of e.g. 3°C or more and a mixing zone of up to 25%. The mixing zone is the percentage of the cross section of the river that has a temperature below the severe risk. This severe risk is estimated for heat extraction to be three degrees below the river's temperature. CORE collects the necessary (meteorological) data on the Dyle and then runs simulations to calculate the impact on the Dyle. These simulations are done on the basis of a river model that CORE developed last year.

The result of the potential study on the Redingensite is a report with a detailed description of the local heat supply in the Dyle and the corresponding impact on this river. The simulations carried out show a large heat potential, as much as 237% of the original aquathermal heat demand (700 kW from September to April) can be provided on an average annual basis. In addition to geothermal and riothermal energy, aquathermal energy is the third sustainable heating technology that is planned to be used at the Redingensite. Originally, the Dyle served only as a supplement to the other heat sources, but the work of CORE shows that aquathermal heating can actually be the main source of heat with a prominent share of 41%. Simulations also show that the impact on the temperature regime of the Dyle and its ecosystems is always very limited. On an annual basis, the river cools down by a maximum of 0.09°C, whereby we also observe a maximum mixing zone of 3%. These insights give a new perspective to the hybrid heating system at the Redingensite and may also open new doors for aquathermal energy in Leuven.