Launch of Leyla Cogalan’s thesis on energy microtunnels
Leyla Cogalan, who holds a Master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Lille, began her doctoral studies at the University of Lille on 1st October 2025. Her research aims to study the potential for integrating low-enthalpy geothermal energy into microtunnels to meet the heating and cooling needs of commercial and residential buildings. The thesis is supervised by Professor Hussein Mroueh (University of Lille, main funder), with co-supervision by Nicolas Berthoz (head of the geotechnical division at the CETU), and the participation of Bessac, a company specialising in the construction of microtunnels (Pascal Moliner, sales director).
This doctoral work is a continuation of research carried out in recent years on different types of energy geostructures (piles, voussoirs, diaphragm walls, etc.). The common principle is to install heat exchange tubes in the structure to extract heat from the ground in winter or inject heat from neighbouring buildings in summer, thereby heating or cooling these structures, helping to reduce the carbon footprint of the structure while eliminating the use of fossil fuels.
We’ll be back with more news in three years’ time, when we hope to see some impressive results!