Geothermal Energy and Deep Geothermal Systems
Engineering Support for Geothermal Projects
The success of a deep geothermal project rarely depends on a single factor.
Safe and cost-effective heat utilisation or electricity generation creates simultaneous challenges in system design, project delivery and technical supervision during construction.
Our professionals hold relevant design authorisations and have practical experience in geothermal energy, from smaller heat-utilisation systems to complex geothermal developments.
Chess Energy supports deep geothermal projects through three complementary yet independently established engineering capabilities:
Engineering Design
Design of geothermal systems, surface energy solutions and associated technologies, from feasibility assessment to complex system modelling.
Project Management
Technical and organisational coordination of energy projects, particularly where the client does not have sufficient internal capacity or a dedicated specialist.
Technical Supervision
Independent professional review and supervision of designs and construction to support quality, safety and compliance requirements.
Our objective is to support geothermal systems and projects that deliver safe operation, cost-effective performance and sustainable long-term energy generation.
Why Do Deep Geothermal Projects Require an Integrated Engineering Approach?
Deep geothermal projects are complex engineering undertakings because their success depends on appropriate design, coordinated delivery and sustainable long-term operation.
Hungary has favourable conditions for geothermal energy utilisation. Our specialist field is deep geothermal energy, which involves extracting heat from deeper layers of the Earth’s crust, typically at depths of 1,500-3,000 metres.
Deep geothermal energy can be used directly to meet heat demand.
Two principal applications are common:
Utilisation of the heat and gases contained in produced water for district heating or industrial heat supply
Electricity generation in a geothermal power plant, typically using ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) technology
In addition to energy utilisation, geothermal projects involve complex engineering and operational challenges. Inadequate sizing or process design can create long-term efficiency, operational, sustainability and investment risks.
Technical quality is determined not only by the designs themselves, but also by coordination of the engineering, procurement and construction phases and by independent technical supervision during construction.
How Do We Help Address Problems and Challenges?
In geothermal projects, technical, operational and project-management challenges are often closely interconnected.
Our engineers support problem identification, system optimisation, project coordination and technical supervision during construction.
Process and Design Challenges
Geological and Resource Uncertainty
Reservoir temperature, flow rate and other characteristics can have a major impact on technical feasibility and commercial viability, while these parameters are often known only to a limited extent during the early design phases.
Drilling and Well Engineering Challenges
Deep drilling is typically one of the largest cost and risk elements of a geothermal development, so production and reinjection wells require careful technical preparation.
Efficiency Issues
Inappropriate design of surface heat utilisation, temperature levels or system integration can limit the usable share of the extracted energy.
Reinjection and Sustainability
Reinjecting cooled thermal water can influence reservoir pressure and long-term performance, making reinjection strategy a key factor in sustainable operation.
Pressure Conditions and Hydraulic Issues
Pressure losses, temperature variations and inadequate pipeline configuration in the thermal-water circuit can affect system stability and efficiency.
Environmental and Compliance Considerations
Appropriate management of water-management and environmental requirements is essential for safe and compliant operation.
Project-Level and Organisational Challenges
Insufficient Internal Capacity or Lack of Available Specialists
The coordinated delivery of a major geothermal project may exceed the client’s available internal resources.
Chess Energy is also specifically equipped to address this need: we can take responsibility for project coordination, stakeholder alignment and oversight of the technical scope.
Coordination of Multiple Stakeholders and Disciplines
Where designers, drilling contractors, suppliers and construction contractors work in parallel, aligning schedules, technical scope and documentation is a significant task in itself.
Chess Energy supports coordination between the different parties and disciplines, alignment of technical information and monitoring of project progress, contributing to more transparent and predictable delivery.
Quality Assurance and Supervision Challenges
Difference Between the Specified and Delivered Quality
Without independent technical supervision, construction deviations often become apparent only later during operation. Continuous technical oversight can help ensure that such deviations are identified in time.
Geothermal challenges often arise at both system and project level and therefore require an integrated engineering approach.
Where and During Which Project Phases Do We Become Involved?
Chess Energy provides engineering support throughout the complete lifecycle of geothermal projects, from concept development and design through construction to commissioning.
Geothermal projects consist of several consecutive phases, each involving different technical, organisational and coordination tasks.
Concept and Feasibility Phase (Pre-FEED / FEED)
During the early phase, the key question is what should be implemented. FEED (Front-End Engineering Design) establishes the basis for the investment decision, detailed engineering and cost estimation.
At this stage, engineering and project management perspectives work together to establish the appropriate technical and commercial direction.
Detailed Engineering and Multidisciplinary Coordination
Detailed development of surface energy systems, heat-utilisation technologies and associated safety solutions, together with coordination of the disciplines involved.
Procurement and Construction Preparation
Within the project-management framework, we support preparation of the technical requirements for supplier and contractor selection and coordinate the work of the parties involved.
Construction and Technical Control
During this phase, technical supervision becomes particularly important: continuous oversight of construction and review of installed solutions can help maintain the required design quality.
Commissioning and Handover
Coordination of commissioning processes, together with testing and optimisation of system performance.
Chess Energy’s engineering support can be integrated into different phases of geothermal projects and can accompany the complete project lifecycle from concept development to commissioning.
Which Specific Engineering Tasks Do We Perform?
Chess Energy can support the complete lifecycle of geothermal projects through engineering design, project management and technical supervision.
Our services are focused on reducing technical risks, coordinating project participants and supporting successful project delivery.
Chess Energy can become involved in geothermal projects across three principal capability areas:
Engineering Design
The purpose of engineering design is to establish the technical, energy and commercial basis of geothermal systems, from feasibility studies to detailed system design.
Preparation of feasibility studies, identification of thermal-water utilisation options, and technical, energy and commercial assessment of the available utilisation methods.
Assessment of the potential for geothermal power generation using the available thermal resource, including ORC technology, and definition of the principal parameters of a potential power plant in line with the planned demand profile.
Process simulations and preparation of mass and energy balances for production and reinjection wells, including definition of temperature, pressure and operating parameters.
Preparation of equipment and machinery specifications based on process simulations.
Hydraulic review of the thermal-water circuit.
Preparation of process and mechanical designs and specification of machinery and equipment.
Design of the surface energy system for the geothermal project in line with the capabilities of the heat- and electricity-generation system and the sustainability of long-term energy production.
Complex geothermal system design and optimisation, taking account of the available energy resource and other site-specific conditions.
Support for preparation of documentation required for water-management construction permitting.
Description of the technical and process environment into which the planned system will be integrated.
Feasibility and System Assessment
Model-Based Simulation and Sizing
Process and Mechanical Engineering Design
Permitting
Project Management
Geothermal project management is focused on technical and organisational coordination of the development and alignment of all project participants.
The coordinated delivery of a major geothermal project often exceeds the client’s available internal capacity.
In such cases, we can assume responsibility for the technical and organisational management of the project through standalone project management or comprehensive EPC coordination, enabling the investor to remain focused on its core operations.
Assignments typically delivered through an Owner’s Engineer or PMC approach, representing the client’s interests.
Monitoring of the project’s technical scope, schedule and milestones.
Coordination of designers, contractors, suppliers and construction contractors, together with oversight of multidisciplinary interfaces.
Management of technical documentation and support for decision preparation.
Risk and change management and preparation of regular project reports.
Our objective is to ensure that the project progresses in a predictable and coordinated manner and that the client can rely on a robust engineering framework even where sufficient internal capacity is not available.
Technical Supervision
The purpose of technical supervision is to support delivery of a system that complies with the technical, quality and safety requirements defined in the designs.
Independent technical supervision helps ensure that differences between the specified and delivered quality are identified in time.
Geothermal projects may involve both mining and energy-supply disciplines, so relevant industry experience is as important as formal authorisations.
Technical Supervision Tasks
Independent review of designs and technical documentation and monitoring of design modifications.
Continuous or phased technical supervision during construction and site inspections.
Maintenance and management of the electronic construction log.
Verification of installed equipment and solutions against the designs and applicable standards.
Verification of process-safety and environmental requirements.
Support for handover procedures and review of as-built documentation.
Continuous professional supervision can help reduce construction risks and support delivery of the specified technical scope.
How Does Modelling Support Stable Long-Term Operation?
Modelling plays an important role in improving geothermal-system performance and reducing losses.
In geothermal projects, modelling is a key analytical tool for evaluating system behaviour and the effects of different operating strategies.
Modelling can improve the efficiency of heat and fluid flow. Fine-tuning reinjection strategies and surface equipment can reduce losses and increase system performance.
This contributes to responsible reservoir use and stable, economical long-term operation.
What Does the Investor Gain from the Right Engineering Support?
Appropriate engineering support can contribute to more predictable geothermal project delivery, lower risk and cost-effective long-term operation.
For investors and decision-makers, these benefits are primarily reflected in better-founded decisions, more transparent project execution and more efficient energy utilisation.
Better-Founded Investment Decisions
Feasibility studies and model-based analyses can help ensure that investment decisions are based on more realistic technical and commercial assumptions.
Lower Technical and Construction Risk
Careful design and independent technical supervision can identify potential deviations before they develop into costly problems.
More Efficient Energy Utilisation
Systems-level design and optimisation can increase the share of extracted energy converted into useful heat or electricity.
More Transparent Project Delivery
Coordinated project management can make schedules, technical scope and decision points more predictable for the investor.
Improved Multidisciplinary Cooperation
Coordination of designers, drilling contractors, suppliers and construction contractors can reduce risks arising from duplication and incomplete interfaces.
More Sustainable Long-Term Operation
Reservoir-conscious operation and an appropriate reinjection strategy can support stable performance and cost-effective operation over the longer term.
Together, these benefits can help the investor understand the project’s technical scope and commercial significance and make better-founded decisions.
Why Do Clients Choose Us?
Successful geothermal projects often require not only technical expertise but also practical experience, systems thinking and an understanding of the complete project process.
Building on engineering experience gained in oil and gas and energy projects, Chess Energy supports geothermal developments through mutually reinforcing capabilities in design, project management and technical supervision.
Engineering Expertise Built on Hydrocarbon Industry Experience
Our specialists have experience on projects connected to major participants in the Hungarian hydrocarbon and energy industries. This expertise in surface technologies, pressure-containing systems and process engineering is directly applicable to geothermal systems.
Systems-Level and Process Engineering Perspective
Alongside individual design tasks, we place strong emphasis on optimisation opportunities and the performance of the complete system.
Support Across the Complete Project Lifecycle
From concept design through construction supervision, technical responsibility can remain with a single partner, supporting coordinated delivery.
Flexibility Across Project Sizes
Our support can be applied from smaller assignments to complex geothermal systems and the delivery of major power-plant projects.
Additional Capacity on the Client Side
Where sufficient internal capacity is not available, we can provide the required engineering support by assuming project-management and technical-supervision responsibilities.
Safety and Regulatory Compliance
Our work takes account of the relevant standards and water-management, safety and environmental requirements.
By combining engineering design, project management and technical supervision, Chess Energy provides its partners with a consistent engineering approach throughout the complete project lifecycle.
Let’s Discuss Your Project
Are you planning a geothermal system for safer, more efficient and sustainable long-term operation, or do you have a project that requires engineering support for coordinated delivery and technical supervision?
Let’s discuss how effective system design, project-level coordination and independent technical supervision can support safe operation, cost-effective performance and long-term system optimisation.
Further questions about geothermal system design, project management, technical supervision or individual technology areas are addressed in the FAQ section below.
Frequently Asked Questions – Geothermal Engineering Support
What is the difference between geothermal energy and deep geothermal energy?
Geothermal energy refers to the utilisation of heat from the Earth, including shallower solutions that typically use heat pumps.
Deep geothermal energy is based on extracting heat from deeper layers of the Earth’s crust, typically at depths of 1,500-3,000 metres. Due to the higher temperature level, it may be suitable for direct heat utilisation or electricity generation.
What can geothermal energy be used for?
The heat contained in produced thermal water can be used for district heating or industrial heat supply and, where the temperature is sufficiently high, for electricity generation in a geothermal power plant using ORC technology.
The appropriate utilisation route is determined primarily by the temperature of the energy source and the local demand profile.
When is a feasibility study justified for a geothermal project?
A feasibility study is typically justified during the early project phase, before major investment decisions are made.
It can help assess utilisation options, expected performance and commercial viability before the more costly drilling and construction phases begin.
Why is modelling important for geothermal systems?
Modelling can help predict heat and fluid-flow behaviour and support system sizing and definition of operating parameters.
This can contribute to lower losses and more stable, economical long-term operation.
What is reinjection, and why does it affect long-term operation?
Reinjection means returning cooled thermal water to subsurface formations after its heat has been utilised.
An appropriate reinjection strategy can help maintain reservoir pressure and support responsible reservoir use, thereby influencing long-term system performance and sustainability.
Which permitting tasks may arise in geothermal projects?
Geothermal projects may involve water-management, mining and environmental permitting requirements.
Proper preparation of the required documentation can be an important part of compliant project progression.
Which factors can influence the long-term performance of a geothermal system?
Long-term performance may be influenced by reservoir characteristics, reinjection strategy, hydraulic design of the surface system, temperature-level matching and gas separation.
Systems-level design and continuous optimisation can support stable and economical long-term operation.
What does the investor receive at the end of a geothermal project?
The objective is to deliver an optimised, reliable and economically operating geothermal system.
In addition to the physical implementation, detailed models and operating strategies are typically available to support future operation.
What engineering support may be required from design through implementation?
Depending on the nature of the project, support may include project management and independent technical supervision during construction in addition to design.
Chess Energy provides standalone services in all three areas, allowing the support model to be tailored to the specific project.
When should geothermal power generation be assessed?
Assessment of ORC-based power generation is typically justified where the temperature of the energy source is sufficiently high for electricity generation.
In such cases, it is appropriate to evaluate the principal parameters of a potential power plant and the opportunities for combined heat and power utilisation.
