Wettelrode pilot project

Photo: H. Zobel /

As part of the extensive renovation of the museum area in the Röhrig-Schacht Wettelrode mining experience center, a pilot plant for the geothermal use of mine water was put into operation in 2013. The heat is extracted from the Segen-Gottes-Stollen, a drainage tunnel in the Sangerhausen mining district, and transferred to a heat pump installed above ground via a circulation pipe in the shaft tube. The heat from the mine is integrated into the museum's heating system. The existing mine water is highly mineralized and attacks the metallic transfer surfaces of the heat exchangers.

For the first time, mine water heat exchangers made entirely of plastic have been used in Wettelrode. During the inspection and maintenance of the underground system in the seventh year after commissioning, no changes to the transfer surfaces were found that would impair its function. 

RBFK played a key role in the planning and implementation of the project as part of the ReSource project. The experience of mine water utilization is valuable for the heat planning that RBFK is driving forward in the district of Mansfeld Südharz. Climate-neutral heat generated from mine water is to be made available to the population at competitive costs.