Who Are We?
Birks Geothermal Ltd is a Consultancy specialising in low carbon heat. Owned and operated by Dr David Birks.
Dr David Birks
David is a Chartered Geologist with over 30 years experience and a doctorate in civil engineering. His doctorate evaluated the resilience of two groundwater heating and cooling systems of a district network scale over a timeframe long enough to predict performance over a full working life.
PROJECTS
David's Portfolio Includes..
He has developed and/or advised on numerous groundwater heating and cooling systems, including:
Royal Festival Hall
Oxford University
Royal Botanical Gardens Kew
Tate Modern
London Underground
Local Authority Heat Networks In Colchester, Plymouth, Durham And Cardiff
SERVICES
These Are The Main Areas We Can Help You With!
We Would Love To Chat To You Anything Geothermal, Including..
01
Expert Independent Review
Independent, without prejudice review of open loop groundwater heating/cooling development proposals. Is the project viable? Are projected heat yields realistic? Are cost allocations for CAPEX and OPEX reasonable?
02
Feasibility Studies
Concept Design to RIBA Stage 1 including borehole configuration, pipe routing, hydraulic & thermal balance, cost plan.
03
Advanced Feasibility and Design Development to RIBA Stage 2
Liaison with Environment Agency and acquisition of permits. Preparation of Specifications and Tender Documentation. Tender evaluation and Contractor appointment.
04
Contractor Management
Owners Engineer. Interface between Client and Contractor ensuring fair play.
05
Aftercare
Open loop ground source heating and cooling systems are not low maintenance solutions and require the operator to take an active interest in monitoring the performance of the boreholes, the heat exchanger and the hydrochemistry of the water (Banks and Birks 2020). Properly planned after care needn’t cost the earth.
06
Rehabilitation
There is much that can be done to restore performance where this has diminished over time. Sometimes the simplest, cheapest interventions are the most effective.
PUBLICATIONS
Case Study: Groundwater Coupled Heat Network Development, August 2021
Evaluation of measures to improve the performance of an open loop ground source heat pump system in the chalk aquifer: a case study | Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology (lyellcollection.org)
CIOB Webinar, July 2021: Heat Pumps and Heat Networks
We have made the presentation on heat pumps and heat networks available on request.
Heat From The Ground
Banks, D and Birks, D, 2020 Heat from the ground. Geoscientist, 30(2), pp. 12-17.
Groundwater Heating And Cooling
Birks, D. (2019) PhD Thesis entitled Groundwater heating and cooling – an evaluation of resilience in the context of recharge and temperature
Development Of A Groundwater Heating And Cooling Scheme
Birks, D, Coutts, C, Younger, PL, and Parkin, G, 2016. Development of a Groundwater Heating and Cooling Scheme in a Permo-Triassic Sandstone Aquifer in Southwest England and Approach to Managing Risks, Geoscience in Southwest England, Proceeding of the Ussher Society
Groundwater Reinjection And Heat Dissipation
Birks, D, Younger, PL, Tavendale, L, Coutts, C, Parkin, G, Button, P and Whittall, S, 2015. Groundwater reinjection and heat dissipation: lessons from the operation of a large groundwater cooling system in Central London. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology 2014-090.
Groundwater Cooling Of A Large Building Using A Shallow Alluvial
Birks, Whittall, Savill, Younger and Parkin, 2013, Groundwater Cooling of a large building using a shallow alluvial aquifer in Central London, Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology.
Low Temperature Geothermal Applications As Enablers Of Sustainable developement
Oldmeadow, E, Marinova, D, Birks, D, Whittall, S and Brown, S, 2011. Low Temperature Geothermal Applications as Enablers of Sustainable Development: Practical Case Studies from Australia and UK. Water Resources Management, 25, 3053-3071
Our Commitment To You
We will never promote development where we consider it may not be viable. We will provide honest, evidence - based projections of heat yield, We will provide realistic projections of development (CAPEX) and operating (OPEX) costs. We will help you develop a successful, low - carbon heating project.
CONTACT
You Can Contact Us Via Email Or By Phone
drdavidbirks@gmail.com
07305164163
© Copyright 2021 Birks geothermal Ltd.
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