HighCon – High-performance concrete for underground large-scale thermal energy storages

A key technology in the transformation of our energy supply towards a higher share of renewable but significantly more volatile energy sources is represented by underground large-scale thermal energy storages (ULTES) for the short-, medium- and seasonal storage of heat in district and local heating networks as well as applications in industry. As experience from research and implementation projects has shown, one of the most significant, still unresolved key issues of ULTES technology is the cost-effective production and warranty of the permanent functionality of the sealing layer (liner) in direct contact with hot water. A decisive criterion for the economically successful and widespread implementation of ULTES technology in the future is therefore the need to develop long-term stable and cost-effective concrete liners. The objective of the present research project “HighCon” results from this necessity: The development of novel, hot-water optimised high-performance concrete materials as thin-layer sealing elements for use in ULTES, the development of novel testing methods for these materials as well as the conceptual development of novel structural wall, floor and cover superstructures and their required construction methods. The results obtained will be processed and made available in direct cooperation along the entire ULTES value chain, which is by nature strongly dominated by SMEs. Thus both the expansion and the technological leadership of Austrian companies, in particular domestic SMEs, will be targeted in a promising construction technology topic.