Medical Hydrology and Balneology: Environmental Aspects

Technical audit of the thermal water cooling
systems and energy enhancement
Dubourg K (1) , Delpy L (2) , Lironcourt J (3) , Cambar J (1)
(1) Institut du thermalisme, Dax, France
(2) Cluster aqui o thermes, Dax, France
(3) Saint gaudens, France
karine.dubourg@u-bordeaux2.fr
Introduction and Objectives
Natural mineral waters from Dax and its surroundings (France) present hot temperatures,
named hyperthermal waters, ranging from 54 to 62 °C. They necessitate a
very high energy potential to be cooled so as to use them for treatments at 35°C in
rheumatology and 28°C in phlebology.
Materials and Methods
In order to know the cooling systems from the 18 thermal centres (Dax and
Saint-Paul-les-Dax- France), a technical audit was realised thanks to a questionnaire
enabling:
• to assess the geothermal potential of the natural mineral water.
• to take inventory of the various cooling systems and to assess the energy
spending needed for each centre to cool the thermal fluid.
• to correlate the various factors so as to think about the creation of energy
enhancement systems and thus to decrease the expensive exploitation costs when
the cooling system is not optimised.
• To set the thermal spa city as a national reference in terms of sustainable
development.
Results
Among the 18 audited centres, 9 possess a geothermal energy upper than the energy
produced by the city gas.
The energy produced by the gas for heating purposes could then be replaced by
the energy potential of the thermal water circulating in the thermal spas.
Conclusions
For this approach to be implemented, more personalised audits should be realised
with costs depreciation for each centre.
Keywords: Natural Mineral Water, Hydrotherapy Centre, Technical Audit, Geothermal
Potential, Cooling System
Balnea
2012, núm. 6, 323
323
ISBN: 978-84-669-1887-0
978-84-669-3482-4