During the spring of 2025, two pilot wells for the PUSH-IT project are being drilled at the RINGEN research center. After a long time, this is a unique opportunity to see drilling rigs at work and learn more about drilling technology, its pitfalls, and geothermal energy in general. Several groups of elementary and high school students visited the research center. Even the youngest visitors, eight-year-olds who came as part of the Datel Research Academy program for gifted children, were very interested in the topic of geothermal energy.
At the beginning of the excursion, geothermal engineer Petr Dědeček from the Geophysical Institute of the Academy of Sciences explained to them that geothermal energy causes the movement of lithospheric plates, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. However, geothermal energy is not only destructive, but can also be beneficial to humans. That is why the lecture included information about geothermal reservoirs, heat pumps, and geothermal batteries. At the end, Petr Dědeček presented a map of the geothermal potential of the Czech Republic, which he co-authored. The map shows which locations in the Czech Republic are suitable for the use of geothermal energy. (We discussed the map in detail in THIS article).
Visitors did not miss the presentation on the SYNERGYS project, which is currently the largest geothermal project in the Czech Republic and is supported by the Just Transition Operational Program. Its first underground heat storage facilities will be built on the research center's premises in six months and will be designed based on data obtained from newly drilled wells. This connection between demanding research and later practice is very important for students and can inspire them in choosing their future professional focus.
In addition to the lecture, there was also great interest in an experiment simulating hydraulic stimulation, which is used to create a so-called geothermal exchanger, where liquid pressure is used to expand existing cracks or create new ones between two deep boreholes. The experiment involved blowing colored juice through straws into transparent jelly. The newly formed cracks, filled with colored juice, were clearly visible in the jelly at the bottom of the cup. For younger children, an experiment was prepared involving cutting a drill core out of a layered cake, which illustrated core drilling in a fun way and also provided the children with a small snack.
The program continued with a visit to a geothermal laboratory, where the thermal properties of rocks are studied. "Here, we mainly measure thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, and volumetric heat capacity, which are properties that significantly influence the ability of rocks to conduct and store heat," explained Petr Dědeček, who processes and interprets the data obtained from the drill core. In the adjacent laboratory, scanning is used to create a digital 3D image of the drill core, which helps to identify the nature of the fracture network and obtain data for mathematical models of heat storage.
The last and probably most attractive stop was the drilling site. Visitors had the opportunity to see various types of drill heads and watch from a safe distance as the giant machine slowly drilled down to a depth of half a kilometer. They were also interested in how the drilling team carefully stored the extracted core in wooden boxes so that it could be analyzed while still fresh in the geothermal laboratory. In addition to the core drilling, a 202-meter-deep hydrogeological borehole was successfully completed in February 2025, which will be used to study groundwater from the Cenomanian aquifer. This is an important national drinking water reservoir. In particular, the speed and direction of its flow and its chemical composition will be monitored. Neither should be affected by future drilling work within the SYNERGYS project.
