Herrenknecht AG presents its Urban Vibro Trucks, a monitoring vehicle with specialized seismic devices that emit probes to assess the ground for geothermal opportunities in urban areas.
How do you harness geothermal energy?
Ground heat to generate electricity, using water that is heated at depth and then converted to steam to drive turbines. Although it is a clean source of energy, finding suitable locations for its implementation can be a challenge. Especially in urban environments, where geology and subway heat sources are less obvious.
Herrenknecht trucks present themselves as an innovative solution to this problem. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, these vehicles can deploy seismic devices beneath cities, providing detailed subsurface maps and thus facilitating the identification of areas conducive to geothermal energy.
How do Urban Vibro Trucks work?
The trucks have been developed in collaboration with the Geophysical Institute of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and have ideal characteristics for operating in urban environments. Their robust design, with eight wheels and all-wheel drive, ensures excellent maneuverability in narrow streets. In addition, they are equipped with advanced safety systems, making them a safe and efficient option for geothermal exploration. geothermal exploration in urban areas.
The real innovation of the vehicles lies in their ability to deploy a high-impact device, which sends seismic waves into the ground, providing accurate data on the composition of the subsurface. This information is essential to identify areas suitable for geothermal energy.
Explanatory use of the truck and its operation. Source: Herrenknecht
According to Axel Langer of Herrenknechtthese trucks could improve geothermal exploration by reducing regulatory hurdles and simplifying research procedures. With testing scheduled for next June, the deployment of a prototype in the last quarter of the year, these trucks are estimated to go into series production in early 2025.
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Source and photos: Herrenknecht AG