Sustainability aspects of thermal water production in the region of Hajdúszoboszló-Debrecen, Hungary

As geothermal energy usage becomes more conspicuous the long-term effects of thermal water extraction become more significant. The greatest extent of exploitation in East Hungary occurs in the area of Hajdúszoboszló and Debrecen. The extracted thermal water is utilized mainly by their baths. In this paper, the sustainability of this system was examined with a steady state hydrodynamic model. The solid model is based on sequence stratigraphic interpretation while the hydraulic conductivity values were estimated based on the values of geophysical well-logs. The closely spaced wells cause a great subregional decrease of hydraulic head, particularly in the most intensively extracted layer, i.e. the layer of the delta front facies. The effects of extraction by the two spatial groups of wells intersect resulting in decreased profitability of subsequent wells. However, rationalizing thermal water utilization using water from shallower zones simultaneously may have beneficial effects on the yield distribution among the different layers.