Synergistic priority utilization of multiple underground resources: Concept, methods, and application

Multiple major resources exist below the ground: space, water, geothermal energy, and geomaterials. While the necessity of using multiple underground resources (MURs) has been extensively studied, the literature lacks examinations assessing the interaction relationship of MURs and the method of clarifying the priority utilization type (including synergistic use and individual use) and its scope of MURs, which hinders the policy making and planning formulation of MURs synergistic utilization. This paper seeks to fills these above-mentioned gaps and proposes a scheme of the synergistic priority utilization of MURs in the public center and its surrounding of Hangzhou Sanjianghui area. First, exclusion, competition and accompaniment, three types of relationships existing among multiple underground resources including space, geothermal energy, water and geomaterials were identified upon the deep dissection of typical cases and research results of the interactions among underground resources. Second, based on the interactions of MURs and the multi-agent system (MAS), a method for simulating the interactions of MURs and clarifying the priority type and its scope of MURs utilization was developed. Finally, with the public center and its surrounding of Hangzhou Sanjianghui area as an example, the rationality of the method established in this study was verified. The results indicate that the priority of using underground space resources is 9.6 km² and 2.0895 × 10⁸ m³ for the geomaterial resources in the study area. The proposed method can fill the gap in decision support tools for using MURs. The findings of this work provide a sound understanding of MURs synergistic utilization mechanism, which is supposed to be conducive to the sustainable utilization of MURs and the formulation of MURs planning.