DMS-TOUGE is a MATLAB-based tool and open-access standalone application that estimates different important economic indices for a defined geothermal scenario, provides MCDM ((Multi Criteria Decision Making) analysis and facilitates the decision-making process. Among other outputs related to performance such as yearly or monthly production data, calculated avoided CO2 emissions, the economic outputs are the system’s levelized cost of energy (sLCOE), net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR) that are usually used to evaluate the potential energy production related projects. The available end-use options are electricity generation, direct-use heating power production, and combined heat and power (CHP). Evaluations are made for EGS resources with temperatures from 50-170°C, and either for an air-cooled or water-cooled binary power plant.
Figure 1: Schematic description of the main processes in Decision-Making Support Tool for Optimal Usage of Geothermal Energy (DMS-TOUGE)
A separate module within DMT – multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) matrix has a role to process raw data into a decision. MCDM subprocess is performed by using the weighted decision matrix (WDM) and the weights are obtained using the Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method. For proper MCDM function, it is necessary to define appropriate criteria that will allow comparison of different EGS options on specific site and comparison of different sites for application of specific EGS option. Relative importance for each criterion highly depends on decision-maker’s preferences based on preferred aspects of planned investment and his background of expertise. There are twenty-eight criteria defined within MCDM that can be classified into five main groups: geological setting, technology, economy/finance, society, and environment.
The DMS-TOUGE User Manual provides a comprehensive overview of this MATLAB-based tool, how to use it, its limitations, and how to interpret the obtained results. It designates the parameters that can be implemented manually (by the user), as well as those that are pre-defined as fixed default values or automatically imported from external databases. Moreover, since the tool itself is a user-friendly application, the manual lists and describes the main application, as much as all the sub-applications that are needed to obtain optimal results for the desired scenario. Description of the application and sub-applications consist of an introductory part, their purposes, and how to use them. By defining a different set of input parameters, the user creates different scenarios of end-application of geothermal energy at the chosen site and geological setting. Furthermore, after gathering all the input parameters and conducting techno-economic analysis, the user is additionally provided with multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) analysis. An additional feature of the DMS-TOUGE is the Oil2Water conversion methodology and the Excel-based tool for the economic evaluation of the end-of-life conversion process of mature and/or abandoned oil or gas fields into geothermal ones.
Figure 2: The visual appearance of the standalone DMS-TOUGE application
When you access the link you will find the following files:
- DMS-TOUGE Application, an .exe file (and .txt file (readme). Please read the .txt file before running the application itself);
- “User Manual” which describes the standalone DMS-TOUGE application and how to use it in details
- “Excel templates” folder which contains prepared default Excel templates for those data that could be imported by the user
Access to the application and download it through the following link: