ENERGY GEOTECHNICS - 2025/6
Module code: ENGM270
Module Overview
ENGM270 Energy Geotechnics is a postgraduate module focused on the geotechnical design principles essential for contemporary and emerging energy infrastructure projects. The curriculum encompasses shallow geothermal energy systems, renewable energy foundations for both offshore and onshore wind turbines, offshore oil and gas installation foundations, and nuclear power systems. Specialised lectures cover high-level nuclear waste disposal and carbon geo-sequestration. Key topics include heat transport in soils, geothermal energy pile systems, and offshore wind turbine foundation design, supplemented by practical coursework on numerical modelling of geothermal systems. The module is designed for students with a foundational understanding of soil and structural mechanics, equivalent to a final-year Bachelor of Engineering.
Module provider
Sustainability, Civil & Env Engineering
Module Leader
CAO Benyi (Sust & CEE)
Number of Credits: 15
ECTS Credits: 7.5
Framework: FHEQ Level 7
Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A
Overall student workload
Independent Learning Hours: 98
Seminar Hours: 18
Tutorial Hours: 4
Guided Learning: 10
Captured Content: 20
Module Availability
Semester 1
Prerequisites / Co-requisites
None
Module content
Indicative content includes
- Shallow Geothermal Energy Systems
Heat transfer in the ground, ground source heat pump (GSHP), vertical loop heat exchanger, horizontal loop heat exchanger, water source heat pump (WSHP), thermal response test (TRT), ground thermal properties (thermal conductivity, heat capacity, diffusivity), design of GSHP based on British code of practice, Numerical modelling of energy piles, Energy foundations and earth contact underground structures (geothermal energy pile foundation, base slab, diaphragm wall, basement wall and tunnel), heating and cooling structures (building, pavement, bridge decks), Thermo-Mechanical (TM) design of geothermal energy pile, installation of heat exchanging loops, construction of thermal pile, ground thermal recovery and recharge
- Wind and marine turbine foundations
Conceptual design of wind farms (site layout, geology of the site, spacing, overall structure, types of turbines and turbine characteristics), Loading on wind turbines foundations (wind spectrum, wave spectrum, 1P loading, 3P loading), Types of foundations (Onshore and Offshore: monopile, suction caisson, tripod, tetrapod, floating system, jacket), Installation of offshore foundations, Design considerations (effects of cyclic loading, ultimate capacity, natural frequency estimates, accumulation of rotation, fatigue design), Dynamic-Soil-Structure-Interaction, Designing foundations based on codes of practice.
- Foundations for Offshore Oil and Gas installations
Different types of foundations, foundation design considerations for gravity base structure, jacket structures, floating structures such as FPSO's, TLP's, offshore site investigations, design of pipelines (upheaval buckling, on-bottom pipelines), design of foundations based on API method
- Nuclear Power Plant Foundation
Foundation design solutions for a nuclear reactor building, dynamic soil-structure issues, site investigation required for analysis and design, codes of practice, case studies.
- Nuclear Waste Disposal
Type and source of nuclear waste, hazardous waste management and waste disposal policy, high-level nuclear waste disposal, design and construction of nuclear waste repository (deep geological disposal facility), design of engineering barrier, unsaturated soil behaviour, total suction, matric suction, water retention curves, thermal properties, thermo-consolidation, Thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) analysis, theoretical formulation and constitutive modelling, determination of material parameters for numerical modelling
- Carbon Geo-sequestration
Carbon sequestration technologies, carbon capture and subsurface geological storage (geo-sequestration), enhanced oil recovery (EOR), saline aquifers and sedimentary rocks reservoir, enhanced coal bed methane (ECBM) recovery, abandoned mines, supercritical CO2, flow and mechanical characteristics of porous rocks, stress-strain relationships, rock failure criteria, determination of mechanical properties, measurement and modelling of rock permeability
Assessment pattern
| Assessment type | Unit of assessment | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Coursework | 40 |
| Examination | Open Book Examination (2-HOUR) | 60 |
Alternative Assessment
N\A
Assessment Strategy
The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate
- Knowledge and understanding of the principles of specialist foundation design is assessed through open book examination.
- Solving open-ended problems such as a foundation design using numerical modelling, real data and the ability to interpret soil test data to obtain the design parameters is assessed through coursework.
- Coursework (Learning outcomes assessed 6, 8, 9, 10, 11,12, 13 and 14)
- Examination (Learning outcomes assessed 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7)
Module aims
- to discuss the energy challenge and introduce a new emerging discipline
- to provide an appreciation of the complexity of foundation design in offshore and the technolgical challenges in deep water hydrocarbon exploration
- to introduce the different types of foundations for energy projects and the guiding design principles
- to provide ability to carry out analysis and design of foundations for offshore wind turbine, oil and gas installations, nuclear power station
- to provide the ability to recognise the uncertainties in foundation design and need for site investigation
- to provide an understanding in the geotechnical design and numerical modelling aspects of shallow geothermal energy systems
- to understand design challenges involved in deep geological storage facilities related to nuclear waste disposal, carbon geosequestartion
Learning outcomes
| Attributes Developed | ||
| 001 | Choose foundation options for different energy projects | KCPT |
| 002 | Compare the advantages and limitations of different types of foundations | KCPT |
| 003 | Make an appropriate choice of analysis methods to be used for offshore wind turbine foundation design and evaluate the loads | KCPT |
| 004 | Make an appropriate recommendation of soil testing required, and interprete soil testing data to obtain the design parameters. | KCPT |
| 005 | Carry out design of some of the foundations using appropriate codes of practice | KCPT |
| 006 | Perform numerical modelling analysis of shallow geothermal energy systems | KCPT |
| 007 | Analysis of porous rock behaviour to predict its flow and mechanical behaviour to assess its suitability for carbon sequestration | KCPT |
| 008 | Independent learning skills | T |
| 009 | Oral & written communication | T |
| 010 | Graphical presentation of data | T |
| 011 | Synthesis of data | T |
| 012 | 3D spatial awareness | T |
| 013 | Use of word processor, spreadsheet, drawings | T |
| 014 | Critical thinking | T |
Attributes Developed
C - Cognitive/analytical
K - Subject knowledge
T - Transferable skills
P - Professional/Practical skills
Methods of Teaching / Learning
The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:
- Provide specialist knowledge of geotechnical engineering related to energy infrastructure, primarily through seminars.
- Utilise finite element software to analyse shallow geothermal energy systems through the Coursework.
- Design renewable energy systems, such as offshore wind farms.
The learning and teaching methods include:
Specialist seminars, captured content, and coursework tutorials to enhance problem-solving skills.
The topics covered include:
- Geothermal energy system seminars and coursework tutorials
- Wind and marine foundations seminars/tutorials
- Foundations for offshore oil and gas installation seminars/tutorials
- Nuclear power plant foundations seminars/tutorials
- Nuclear waste disposal seminars/tutorials
- Carbon geo-sequestration seminars/tutorials
- Solar farm foundation seminars/tutorials
- Directed and guided reading
Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.
Reading list
https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: ENGM270
Other information
Surrey's Curriculum Framework is dedicated to nurturing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience.
This module is designed to help students develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities in the following areas:
- Digital Capabilities: Utilise industry-standard software, PLAXIS, to analyze engineering problems.
- Employability: Engage in coursework focused on shallow geothermal energy systems, incorporating practical data to enhance employability.
- Global Capabilities: Study international codes of practice for foundation design to broaden global opportunities.
- Sustainability: Explore sustainable technologies such as Offshore Wind Turbines, Ground Source Heat Pumps, and other renewable energy infrastructures covered in this module.
Programmes this module appears in
| Programme | Semester | Classification | Qualifying conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sustainable Energy MSc | 1 | Optional | A weighted aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the module |
| Sustainable Energy with Industrial Practice MSc | 1 | Optional | A weighted aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the module |
| Civil Engineering MEng | 1 | Optional | A weighted aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the module |
| Advanced Geotechnical Engineering MSc | 1 | Compulsory | A weighted aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the module |
| Structural Engineering MSc | 1 | Optional | A weighted aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the module |
| Civil Engineering MSc | 1 | Optional | A weighted aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the module |
| Infrastructure Engineering and Management MSc | 1 | Optional | A weighted aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the module |
| Bridge Engineering MSc | 1 | Optional | A weighted aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the module |
Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.