Duke University Central Campus Geothermal Test (2023-2024)

Since the release of Duke’s first Climate Action Plan in 2009, campus leaders have been working to develop sustainable solutions to a range of campus operations, including campus energy use. To reach the goal of carbon neutrality set out in the Duke Climate Commitment, Duke must consider more sustainable, cost-effective ways to heat and cool water, which accounts for about half of campus energy usage.

This project team sought to establish whether the rock formations underlying Duke’s Central Campus can be used as local Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) Systems to cool and heat Duke and Durham buildings. In Phase I of this project, a 352-foot deep borehole was drilled in Central Campus to determine the rocks’ permeability and whether they may have potential for storing cold water for cooling and hot water for heating.

In 2023-2024, Phase II sought to establish both the useful thickness of the potential ATES rocks and their capacity for cost-effective energy storage. In partnership with the U.S. Continental Drilling Program based at the University of Minnesota, the team collected measurements and performed characterization in the field on Duke’s Central Campus and at testing facilities at the University of Minnesota. Essential measurements included assessing porosity, permeability and thermal properties in the target zone cores; analyzing the water chemistry in the target zone and its reaction; and establishing a minimum background temperature profile and background temperature change-rates.