Underground

Whereas the last edition of Delft Outlook was all about space, this one takes us underground – which is where a lot is happening in terms of research. Applied Earth Sciences students Claire Mulder and Frederikke Hansen went quite CSI at the forensic cemetery in Amsterdam as they investigated whether, and how, a body can be located underground.

Ramon Hanssen’s research into subsidence in the Netherlands might not be quite as exotic, but it certainly is just as exciting: an interactive subsidence map of the Netherlands shows that all of Holland is subsiding, and even faster than we had previously thought. In addition to known causes such as gas extraction, climate change also seems to be involved here.

I fully agree with Timo Heimovaara’s view that subterranean capacity should be optimally used for the benefit of society. We can now apply the knowledge acquired in research into oil and gas extraction to arrive at environmentally friendly applications, such as geothermal energy. As always, I am of the opinion that we as TU Delft should set a good example, which is what we will be doing with the planned geothermal well on campus. Besides providing sustainable heating for our buildings, it will serve as a geothermal research well.

A number of students had suggested a well like this as far back as 2008, but as the latest recipient of the Professor of Excellence Award Jenny Dankelman says: “Technical innovation takes time. You have to have the patience for this.” Meanwhile our campus is also developing at a steady rate above ground; read more about this later on in this issue.

Professor Tim van der Hagen,
President Executive Board