Controls of subsurface fractures on mine water storage efficiency.

Abandoned flooded mines can serve as a potential alternative energy source for small urban settlements or industrial units located nearby. So far, it is unclear how cyclic loading impacts the efficiency of this energy system, particularly in the presence of subsurface fractures.
This PhD project will investigate the uncertainty surrounding the complex, heterogeneous mine-water system, which includes a porous aquifer, pre-stressed and/or fractured host rock, subsurface anthropogenic voids, and waste materials. A data-driven approach aims to explore how properties such as material variability and distribution, permeability, compressibility, fracture orientations intensity and aperture may affect the long-term flow behaviour & integrity of the system.