Energy beneath us.
Possibilities
ahead.
From climate control to power generation, CRETA connects subsurface understanding with the engineering needed to turn geothermal opportunities into viable projects.
Design around the load.
Engineer with the ground.
Ground-coupled systems exchange heat with the subsurface. We assess the demand, ground conditions and operating temperatures together to select a suitable system architecture.
Comfort with a considered
energy strategy.
Evaluate geothermal heating and cooling for new developments and retrofits, with attention to comfort, available land, installation access and the lifetime operating profile.
- Hourly and seasonal heating and cooling demand
- Horizontal or vertical ground heat exchangers
- Ground properties and thermal testing where warranted
- Integration with existing HVAC and hot-water systems
- Whole-system energy use and lifecycle economics
Connect thermal demand
across the facility.
Examine centralised and distributed configurations for offices, hotels, healthcare facilities, campuses and temperature-controlled industrial spaces.
- Coincident loads and opportunities for heat recovery
- Shared loops and district-scale thermal networks
- Equipment redundancy and maintenance access
- Hybrid heat rejection where ground balance requires it
- Metering, commissioning and operating performance
A climate strategy
built around the crop.
Integrate ground heat exchange with greenhouse heat gains, ventilation, humidity control and crop requirements. Select air-based or liquid-based approaches through site-specific analysis.
- Solar gains, shading and seasonal crop conditions
- Sensible and latent cooling loads
- Soil temperature, moisture and long-term thermal response
- Airflow, condensation, drainage and hygiene
- Water–energy trade-offs and monitored pilot operation
Cooling resilience.
With the subsurface in view.
Assess ground-coupled heat rejection and hybrid cooling architectures for data centres, integrating facility-water temperatures, continuous IT loads and reliability requirements.
- IT load, cooling architecture and supply-temperature limits
- Long-term ground heat accumulation under continuous rejection
- Liquid-cooling or air-cooling integration through suitable interfaces
- Free-cooling potential only where temperatures permit
- System energy, water demand and resilience assessment
Ground temperature, geology and annual heat balance govern performance. Heat pumps, pumps, fans and backup systems are selected according to the application; passive cooling is not assumed.
Where does the heat go?
Ground heat rejection = cooling load + compressor input.
Illustrative heat-pump energy balance, not a performance forecast or sizing tool. COP is a user-selected assumption. Ground exchange is assumed to carry the full heat-pump source/sink duty; pumps, fans, auxiliaries, heat recovery and losses are excluded. Real design uses measured conditions and equipment performance data.
Characterise the resource.
Build the development case.
Geothermal development brings together heat, fluid pathways, engineering and project economics. CRETA connects exploration and reservoir evaluation with risk assessment and power-plant design.
Locate the opportunity.
Define what must be tested.
Integrate geological mapping, structural interpretation, geophysics, geochemistry and available well information to develop a conceptual geothermal model.
- Regional screening and prospect ranking
- Temperature evidence and fluid-pathway interpretation
- Target definition, data gaps and uncertainty
- Exploration programme and appraisal-well objectives
Move from heat in place
to recoverable performance.
Evaluate reservoir geometry, temperature, permeability and fluid properties. Use well-test evidence and modelling to examine sustainable production and reinjection.
- Well-log interpretation and pressure/flow-test analysis
- Reservoir characterisation and resource uncertainty
- Production–reinjection scenarios and thermal breakthrough
- Forecasts, sensitivity analysis and monitoring needs
Make uncertainty visible
before committing capital.
Examine subsurface, drilling, operational and environmental risks alongside the consequences for project delivery and economics.
- Temperature, productivity and injectivity uncertainty
- Well integrity, corrosion, scaling and fluid chemistry
- Induced seismicity, subsidence and groundwater risks where relevant
- Risk register, mitigation actions and decision gates
Match the conversion system
to the proven resource.
Develop a plant design basis around production conditions, fluid chemistry, heat rejection and the electrical or thermal offtake.
- Binary/ORC, flash or other appropriate cycle screening
- Process heat-and-mass balances and equipment sizing
- Gathering, reinjection, cooling and electrical interfaces
- Net output after pumping, cooling and auxiliary demand
Connect technical evidence
with a practical delivery plan.
Develop phased implementation options and define the information needed for procurement, commissioning and long-term operation.
- Capital and operating cost estimates with stated basis
- Economic sensitivity and development scenarios
- Technical specifications and engineering coordination
- Commissioning criteria and performance-monitoring plans
Plant capacity and conversion technology follow the resource assessment. Temperature or depth alone does not establish commercially viable power generation.
A well’s original purpose
may not be its last.
Existing wells can offer subsurface access, historical data and installed infrastructure. CRETA evaluates whether depleted or inactive oil and gas assets can support a technically sound geothermal application.
Prove the thermal opportunity.
Then select its next use.
Repurposing is assessed case by case. Re-entry, remediation and conversion costs can outweigh the value of the available heat.
Direct heat & heat-pump integration
Assess recoverable heat for nearby buildings, agricultural facilities, thermal networks or suitable processes. Heat pumps may raise the delivery temperature where required.
- Match source temperature and flow to a real heat demand
- Consider transport distance, fluid isolation and chemistry
- Evaluate reinjection, thermal decline and operating energy
Power generation where justified
Screen generation options, including binary cycles, where well deliverability and temperature support a viable net output.
- Use measured or defensibly corrected temperature data
- Account for production and reinjection pumping
- Compare net generation with workover and plant costs
Closed-loop well conversion
Evaluate an isolated downhole heat exchanger where the well geometry and integrity permit it. Heat transfer through the well and surrounding formation can constrain output.
- Review casing, cement, completion and usable diameter
- Model thermal resistance and time-dependent heat recovery
- Assess circulation losses and conversion requirements
Co-produced heat from active fields
For wells still in production, assess heat recovery from produced fluids alongside the existing oil and gas operation.
- Understand fluid rates, temperatures and separation needs
- Protect hydrocarbon operations and materials compatibility
- Evaluate heat use or generation without assuming viability
Completion records, barriers, integrity tests, ownership and access.
Temperature profiles, flow history, chemistry and recovery behaviour.
Demand location, conversion options, reinjection and operating limits.
Workover scope, approvals, lifecycle economics and closure obligations.
Questions worth
answering early.
A credible geothermal strategy makes its assumptions explicit. These distinctions shape both the engineering and the commercial case.
Does geothermal cooling require a compressor?
Can the ground absorb heat indefinitely?
Can every depleted oil or gas well become a geothermal asset?
What could geothermal
do for your project?
Tell us your application, location and current stage. We can discuss the evidence required, the study scope and the next engineering decision.
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