In February 2019, iSEE funded a project led by Tugce Baser, Roman Makhnenko, and Andrew Stumpf, to investigate the effect of temperature on hydraulic conductivity of glacial tills deposited during different glacier drifts. Glacial till core samples were collected from the borehole west of the geothermal exchange field on the Bardeen Quad. The team will perform tests on glacial tills to characterize coupled constitutive relationships of thermal and hydraulic properties. Results from this study will help to better understand thermal behavior of shallow geothermal systems in cold regions while providing an efficient design framework for future installations.

For more information go to https://sustainability.illinois.edu/research/campus-as-a-living-laboratory-research-campus-sustainability-working-together/

Acknowledgement: The funding from iSEE and support letter from U of I Facilities and Services are greatly appreciated.