Geothermal energy and therapy uses in Romanian spas

Abstract

There are about 160 thermal spas in Romania, of which Felix Spa is the largest and probably the best known. This paper presents the Felix Spa geothermal reservoir and the therapeutic effects of the water extracted from it. As the wellhead temperatures are rather low (40-50°C), some possible energy uses are studied. One possibility presented here is a heat pump assisted heating system for a typical hotel. Another possibility is a heating system for the recovery hospital, for which two options are analysed: 1) Floor heating using only geothermal energy; 2) Space heating with the existing cast iron radiators, with geothermal energy supplying the base load, and with gas fired peak load boilers. The final part of the paper deals with the Calimanesti-Caciulata spa, presenting the results of an INCO-COPERNICUS project carried out in 2001-2002 for design and completion of a heating system using geothermal water and the combustible gases separated from it.