Unconventional energy resources in a crowded subsurface: reducing uncertainty and developing a separation zone concept for resource estimation and deep 3D subsurface planning using legacy mining data

Over significant areas of the UK and western Europe, anthropogenic alteration of the subsurface by mining of coal has occurred beneath highly populated areas which are now considering a multiplicity of ‘low carbon’ unconventional energy resources including shale gas and oil, coal bed methane, geothermal energy and energy storage. To enable decision making on the 3D planning, licensing and extraction of these resources requires reduced uncertainty around complex geology and hydrogeological and geomechanical processes. An exemplar from the Carboniferous of central Scotland, UK, illustrates how, in areas lacking hydrocarbon well production data and 3D seismic surveys, legacy coal mine plans and associated boreholes provide valuable data that can be used to reduce the uncertainty around geometry and faulting of subsurface energy resources. However, legacy coal mines also limit unconventional resource volumes since mines and associated shafts alter the stress and hydrogeochemical state of the subsurface, commonly forming pathways to the surface. To reduce the risk of subsurface connections between energy resources, an example of an adapted methodology is described for shale gas/oil resource estimation to include a vertical separation or ‘stand-off’ zone between the deepest mine workings, to ensure the hydraulic fracturing required for shale resource production would not intersect legacy coal mines. Whilst the size of such separation zones requires further work, developing the concept of 3D spatial separation and planning is key to utilising the crowded subsurface energy system, whilst mitigating against resource sterilisation and environmental impacts, and could play a role in positively informing public and policy debate

Evaluating Representations of Mental Health in Young Adult Fiction: The Case of Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower

This article examines representations of mental health in young adult (YA) litearature, taking up Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower (1999) as its case study. Paying attention to the affordances of the genre of “teen sick-lit,” I connect such YA literature to the broader field of narrative medicine and consider what can be gained from this relationship. After a careful analysis of Chbosky’s novel, I conclude with a set of criteria that serve as markers of YA texts that productively convey mental health experiences. Although my focus here is on mental illness representations, my criteria and textual analysis can be extended to narratives that focus on other illness and diseases, as well

Better defined geological and hazard models for Bellahouston Park, Glasgow : extension, Autumn 2003

Glasgow City Council (GCC) would like the key, south-central area of Bellahouston Park to be used for public events and wish to further constrain hazard areas related to old mineworkings. Previous studies and a borehole drilling programme have improved the geological and hazard model related to the workings of the Knightswood Gas and Pollock Stone coals (Rogers and Sowerbutts, 2000; Monaghan, Browne & Culshaw 2003). However a problematic area remained around a 1960’s borehole record ‘Pollock Borehole 13’ that contained a 1.1m void at 22.2m depth (–1.7m OD). The void was interpreted as being at the level of the Banton Rider Coal and the geology of the borehole did not fit well with surrounding boreholes (Monaghan, Browne & Culshaw 2003). The area where this void would be projected to crop out (hazard class D2) was in the centre of the part of the park with least hazard (no recorded mineworkings). Therefore, GCC wished to further resolve the area of hazard class D2 to adequately understand the hazards to public safety in this prime area for future activities. GCC commissioned the British Geological Survey (BGS) to undertake stratigraphical logging of three additional boreholes and to update the geological and hazard models for southern Bellahouston Park accordingly. Please refer to Monaghan, Browne & Culshaw (2003) along with this report

Better defined geological and hazard models for Bellahouston Park, Glasgow

Borehole records prove that the Knightswood Gas Coal (KDG) has been extensively worked in Bellahouston Park, Glasgow. In 2000, the British Geological Survey (BGS) undertook a commissioned research project for Glasgow City Council (GCC) to produce geological and hazard models related to abandoned mineworkings for Bellahouston Park (Rogers and Sowerbutts, 2000). The models identified some areas of the Park that have a thin drift cover and are crossed by the KDG outcrop*. These areas were classed as having the greatest likelihood of voids from mining of the KDG reaching the surface. Crown holes have previously developed within these areas. Other coal seams that crop out within Bellahouston Park did not appear to have been worked with the exception of the ?Banton Rider Coal in a small area beneath the Sports Centre and workings of the Pollock Stone Coal immediately to the east of the Park. Glasgow City Council would like the key, south-central area of the Park to be used for public events and need to constrain further the areas of greatest hazard immediately down-dip of the KDG outcrop, and also adjacent areas of least hazard on the up-dip side of the KDG outcrop. GCC commissioned BGS to devise a drilling programme of 13 boreholes, undertake stratigraphical logging of the cores during the drilling period, and subsequent revision of the geological and hazard models

Decarbonising heat via the subsurface

The UK is poised to scale up use of geothermal energy. Alison Monaghan and Mike Spence discuss new facilities to investigate and quantify our shallow geothermal resources using the UK Geoenergy Observatorie

Future energy

Energy resources have been a major focus for BGS over our 175 year history. In the past, our geologists searched for coal to keep the UK supplied with energy crucial for economic development. Coal mining subsequently declined and by the 1980s we were studying abandoned mines to try and resolve problems of subsidence, flooding as the dewatering pumps were switched off, and contaminated water discharging into rivers. More recently we have returned to our geological maps and archives of coal mine plans with a new energy source in mind — geothermal energy

Tests of Spurious Transport in Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics

We have performed a series of systematic tests to evaluate the effects of spurious transport in three-dimensional smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) calculations. Our tests investigate (i) particle diffusion, (ii) shock heating, (iii) numerical viscosity, and (iv) angular momentum transport. The results are useful for quantifying the accuracy of the SPH scheme, especially for problems where shear flows or shocks are present, as well as for problems where true hydrodynamic mixing is relevant. We examine the different forms of artificial viscosity (AV) which have been proposed by Monaghan, by Hernquist & Katz, and by Balsara. For each form, our tests suggest a single set of values for the AV parameters $\alpha$ and $\beta$ (coefficients of the linear and quadratic terms) which are appropriate in a large number of situations. We also discuss how these parameters should be adjusted depending on the goals of the particular application. We find that both the Hernquist & Katz and Balsara forms introduce relatively small amounts of numerical viscosity. Furthermore, both Monaghan's and Balsara's AV do well at treating shocks and at limiting the amount of spurious mixing. For these reasons, we endorse the Balsara AV for use in a broad range of applications.Comment: 49 pages, 26 figures as 30 postscript files, submitted to The Journal of Computational Physic

Mining for heat

Deep coal mining in the UK has left a legacy of flooded former mines. Water within these mines can provide a source of heat energy. Durham University is researching the potential of this resource and the British Geological Survey (BGS), commissioned by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), are constructing and operating a research site in Glasgow to further understanding of mine energy systems

Uncertainty in geological interpretations : Effectiveness of expert elicitations

We would like to thank all those who took part in our elicitations, as well as all those who helped in their facilitation. This work was undertaken while C.H. Randle held a joint University of Aberdeen, College of Physical Science Ph.D. Award and British Geological Survey University Funding Initiative (BUFI) Ph.D. Studentship at Aberdeen University, through Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). The contributions by C.H. Randle, R.M. Lark, and A.A. Monaghan are published with the permission of the Executive Director of BGS (NERC). The authors would like to thank Hazel Gibson and an anonymous reviewer for their comments on the manuscript and confirm that all views expressed are the opinions of the authors.Peer reviewedPublisher PD