Prof. Dr. Thomas Kohl
- Geothermal Energy & Reservoir Technology
- Office Hours: Di 9:30 - 10:30 Uhr (nur im Semester und nach Voranmeldung)
- Room: 216
CS 50.40 - Phone: +49 721 608-45220
- thomas kohl ∂does-not-exist.kit edu
- geothermics.agw.kit.edu/english/
Adenauerring 20b
76131 Karlsruhe
Profile
Research Fields
- Deep geothermal systems (with focus on induced seismicity and geomechanical fracture behavior)
- Numerical methods
- Coupled thermal-hydraulic-mechanic-chemical processes in fractured rock
- Stress field analysis
Curriculum Vitae
Professor Dr. Thomas Kohl holds the Chair of Geothermal Energy and Reservoir Technology at the Institute of Applied Geosciences and is head of the Geoenergy subtopic in the MTET (Materials and Technologies for the Energy Transition) program in the Helmholtz Association.
Following his graduation from the Technical University of Karlsruhe with a degree in geophysics, Thomas Kohl assumed the role of research assistant at the CNRS in Paris, specialising in seismology. In 1992, he obtained his doctorate from ETH Zurich, researching coupled processes in deep geothermal systems. Following the successful completion of his habilitation, he was appointed as a lecturer at ETH Zurich in 1999, a position he held in recognition of his proven expertise in the field of subsurface systems, with a particular focus on geothermal applications. The code FRACTure on coupled hydraulic-thermal-mechanical processes, which has gained international recognition, was employed to characterize the behavior of fractured rock reservoirs in complex subsurface conditions. This position was held concurrently with his role as co-founder of GEOWATT AG in Zurich. He assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer at GEOWATT AG, a medium-sized enterprise derived from ETH, from 2003 until 2011. In this capacity, Kohl participated in European and national research projects and successfully implemented numerous geothermal research projects in Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, the USA, and France.
At KIT in Karlsruhe, his research is centred on the investigation of thermal-hydraulic-mechanical-chemical processes (THMC) in fractured reservoirs and high-temperature geothermal heat storage systems (geothermal batteries). Of particular interest are the origin of induced seismicity and the flow through fractures with rough surfaces, and their effects on reservoir behaviour.
Thomas Kohl is one of the initiators of the European Geothermal Workshop (EGW), which was originally held jointly with the University of Strasbourg and is now organised at the european level. He is an active participant in scientific committees on an international level. At KIT, he has established a number of teaching modules and is involved in international master's programmes. Furthermore, he fulfils the role of Editor-in-Chief for both the Geothermal Energy Journal and the special issues of Geothermics. In addition to this, he is a member of the International Heat Flow Commission (IASPEI) and the EERA JPGE management board. He has delivered numerous presentations and invited talks at high-level scientific conferences and is the author of more than 100 reviewed manuscripts in renowned journals. He is engaged in collaborative endeavours pertaining to a multitude of industrial projects on a global scale. Since 2017, he has served as the spokesperson for the working group "Geothermal Energy" of the German Geophysical Society. Thomas Kohl is co-initiator and coordinator of the large-scale research infrastructure projects GeoLaB and DeepStor.
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