On April 24, 2026, at the invitation of Academician Shuilong Shen and Professor Wang Yanning from the Department of Civil Engineering, Professor Zoe Shipton, a Fellow of the UK Royal Academy of Engineering from the University of Strathclyde, visited our university. She delivered an academic lecture themed on underground thermal energy storage in abandoned mines. Faculty members and graduate students from the Department of Civil and Smart Construction Engineering participated in this academic exchange, exploring frontier industry technologies, sharing Chinese and international research experiences, actively exchanging innovative ideas on underground mine development, and building a high-level, international bridge for scientific communication.
Professor Wang Yanning extended a warm welcome and sincere gratitude to Fellow Shipton for her long journey. He briefly introduced the department's discipline construction, research directions, and achievements in talent cultivation, while also highlighting the robust engineering research strength and prominent academic standing of the University of Strathclyde. Professor Yang, Fellow Shipton's Chinese collaborator, supplemented the introduction with her own research experience, presenting the overall research status, policy support frameworks, and industrial implementation progress in the UK regarding geothermal energy storage in abandoned mines and the resource utilization of underground spaces. She also compared the differences and developmental advantages between domestic and international research. Both parties look forward to using this lecture as an opportunity to promote in-depth cooperation in academic research, the exchange of scientific ideas, and talent cultivation.
During the lecture, Fellow Zoe Shipton provided a comprehensive and in-depth sharing of the frontier research field of underground thermal energy storage development in abandoned mines. First, combining global new energy development trends with the pain points of the energy storage industry, she analyzed the significant importance of reusing abandoned mine resources and developing underground clean energy. She highlighted the core value of geological energy storage technology in solving the consumption challenges of wind and solar energy and promoting low-carbon sustainable development. Subsequently, using the Monktonhall abandoned mine as a practical engineering case study, she detailed key research elements such as the mine's geological structure, rock strata characteristics, and water environment, while deeply analyzing the engineering technical difficulties and solutions in the process of mine geothermal energy storage development. Combining this with the actual development of domestic mining areas, she engaged in deep discussions with the faculty present on practical approaches such as underground mine transformation, efficient geothermal resource development, and the secondary utilization of old mines, offering targeted research suggestions based on local engineering conditions.
Meanwhile, Fellow Zoe Shipton also shared her team's scientific research techniques in this field. She focused on the application of COMSOL Multiphysics multi-physics coupling simulation technology in simulating underground rock temperature and fluid fields. Centering on core research directions such as roadway stability, heat transfer efficiency, and environmental safety, she presented relevant numerical simulation results and technological breakthroughs. She also systematically elaborated on the research framework, module division, and feasibility study conclusions, presenting the faculty and students with top-tier international research thinking and practical experience.
Following the sharing, faculty and students actively asked questions, engaging in lively discussions with the Fellow on topics such as underground engineering transformation technology, the industrial implementation of geothermal energy storage, interdisciplinary integration, and international project collaboration. Graduate students raised inquiries focusing on professional learning, scientific research practice, and the application prospects of mine energy storage technology. Professor Yang provided detailed answers based on her own scientific research experience and the current state of industry development, patiently clarifying doubts for students and sharing learning and research methods. Fellow Zoe Shipton also provided professional responses to technical questions, creating a rich academic atmosphere. Additionally, the three parties had in-depth exchanges on joint graduate training, co-authoring academic papers, and co-building frontier research projects, reaching preliminary cooperation intentions.
This international academic exchange brought our faculty and students the latest international research achievements in the field of geothermal energy storage in abandoned mines, effectively broadening their research horizons and academic thinking. The analysis of the UK's industry status and the exchange on underground mine development brought by Fellow Zoe Shipton also provided brand-new reference directions for the department's related scientific research. It has further strengthened the academic ties between Shantou University and the University of Strathclyde, boosting the international development of the Department of Civil and Smart Construction Engineering in interdisciplinary fields such as underground space utilization and new energy engineering. In the future, the department will continue to build more international academic exchange platforms, introduce high-quality academic resources, deepen Sino-foreign scientific research cooperation, continuously improve the level of discipline research and the quality of talent cultivation, and contribute to the innovative development of the civil engineering field.
