ME165-1

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY RESOURCES

Week-8 Geothermal Energy
2015-2016 / 3T

Prepared By:
Engr. Estelito V. Mamuyac
24 February 2016

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

Geothermal Energy

The word geothermal originates from the Greek roots (ge),

meaning earth, and (thermos), meaning hot.
Geothermal energy is thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth.
Thermal energy is the energy that determines the temperature of
matter.
The Geothermal energy of the Earth's crust originates from the original
formation of the planet (20%) and from radioactive decay of minerals
(80%).
The geothermal gradient, which is the difference in temperature between
the core of the planet and its surface, drives a continuous conduction of
thermal energy in the form of heat from the core to the surface.

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
Geothermal Energy (contd.)
At the core of the Earth, thermal energy is created by radioactive decay
and temperatures may reach over 5000 degrees Celsius (9,000 degrees
Fahrenheit).
Heat conducts from the core to surrounding cooler rock. The high
temperature and pressure cause some rock to melt, creating magma
convection upward since it is lighter than the solid rock. The magma heats
rock and water in the crust, sometimes up to 370 oC (700 oF).
From hot springs, geothermal energy has been used for bathing since
Paleolithic times and for space heating since ancient Roman times, but it is
now better known for electricity generation. Worldwide, about 10,715
megawatts (MW) of geothermal power is online in 24 countries.

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
A geothermal power plant works by
pumping water down a deep
injection well. The water heats up
and escapes into the production well
as steam or super-heated water.

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

Enhanced Geothermal System

1. Reservoir
2. Pump house
3. Heat exchanger
4. Turbine hall
5. Production well
6. Injection well
7. Hot water to district heating
8. Porous sediments
9. Observation well
10. Crystalline bedrock

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
Geothermal Energy (contd.)
Geothermal power is cost effective, reliable, sustainable, and
environmentally friendly, but has historically been limited to areas
near tectonic plate boundaries.
Recent technological advances have dramatically expanded the
range and size of viable resources, especially for applications such
as home heating, opening a potential for widespread exploitation.
Geothermal wells release greenhouse gases trapped deep within
the earth, but these emissions are much lower per energy unit than
those of fossil fuels.

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
Geothermal Energy (contd.)
As a result, geothermal power has the potential to help mitigate
global warming if widely deployed in place of fossil fuels.
The Earth's geothermal resources are theoretically more than
adequate to supply humanity's energy needs, but only a very small
fraction may be profitably exploited.
Drilling and exploration for deep resources is very expensive.
Forecasts for the future of geothermal power depend on
assumptions about technology, energy prices, subsidies, and interest
rates.

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
Geothermal Energy (contd.)
Polls show that customers would be willing to pay a little more for
a renewable energy source like geothermal. But as a result of
government assisted research and industry experience, the cost of
generating geothermal power has decreased by 25% over the
past two decades.
In 2001, geothermal energy cost between two and ten cents per
kwh.

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
In 2010, the United States led the world in geothermal electricity production with
3,086 MW of installed capacity from 77 power plants. The largest group of
geothermal power plants in the world is located at The Geysers, a geothermal field
in California. The Philippines is the second highest producer, with 1,904 MW of
capacity online. Geothermal power makes up approximately 18% of Philippine
electricity generation.
Installed Geothermal Electric Capacity
Capacity (MW)
2007

Capacity (MW)
2010

Percentage
of national
production

United States

2687

3086

0.3%

Philippines

1970

1904

27%

Indonesia

992

1197

3.7%

Mexico

953

958

3%

Italy

810

843

1.5%

New Zealand

472

628

10%

Iceland

421

575

30%

Japan

535

536

0.1%

Iran

250

250

Country

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
Partial List of Geothermal Power Plants in the Philippines
Station

Capacity (MW)

Bacon-Manito Geothermal Power Plant

Commissioned

Community

Status

150

Bacon, Sorsogon

Operational

Leyte Geothermal Production Field

710

Ormoc City, Leyte (province)

Operational

Makiling-Banahaw Geothermal Power Plant

480

1979, 1980, 1984,

1996

Brgy. Bitin, Bay, Laguna

Operational

Malitbog Geothermal Power Station

233

1996

Malitbog, Southern Leyte

Operational

Mindanao Geothermal Production Field

106

Kidapawan City, North Cotabato

Operational

Northern Negros Geothermal Production Field

49

NW of Kanlaon Volcano

Operational

Palinpinon Geothermal Power Plant

193

1983, 1993 - 1994,

1995

Valencia, Negros Oriental

Operational

Tiwi Geothermal Power Plant

275

1979

Tiwi, Albay

Operational

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_power_plants_in_the_Philippines#Geothermal

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
Geothermal Exploration

The exploration of the subsurface in search of viable active geothermal

regions with the goal of building a geothermal power plant, where hot fluids
drive turbines to create electricity.
Exploration methods include a broad range of disciplines including geology,
geophysics, geochemistry and engineering.
Geothermal regions with adequate heat flow to fuel power plants are found in
rift zones, subduction zones and mantle plumes. Hot spots are characterized by
four geothermal elements:
1. Heat Source - Shallow magmatic body, decaying radioactive elements or ambient heat

2.
3.
4.

from high pressures

Reservoir - Collection of hot rocks from which heat can be drawn
Geothermal Fluid - Gas, vapor and water found within the reservoir
Recharge Area - Area surrounding the reservoir that rehydrates the geothermal system.

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

Phases of geothermal power development:

Exploration and reconnaissance
Pre-feasibility
Feasibility
Detailed design and construction
Operations and maintenance

GEOTHERMAL EXPLORATION STAGES

Exploration and reconnaissance

The fundamental purpose of the exploration and

reconnaissance phase is to determine if there exists a
commercially exploitable geothermal resource.
The first task is to perform a desk study, which entails
collection and analysis of all available existing data
regarding the geothermal field and the environment in order
to define the resource and scope of the following exploration
activities.

GEOTHERMAL EXPLORATION STAGES

Exploration and reconnaissance (contd.)

The desk study is followed up by field work, which usually
includes:
Geological mapping of important geological features in
order to get acquainted to the geological structure of the
geothermal system
Geochemical analysis of fluids from surface manifestations
or shallow wells if available to get indications on the
reservoir temperatures

GEOTHERMAL EXPLORATION STAGES

Exploration and reconnaissance (contd.)

Geophysical explorations, like resistivity measurements,

gravity and seismic profiling where needed, to get better
understanding of the subsurface features of the geothermal
resource

Drilling of shallow exploration wells (usually 50-300 m) to

measure temperature gradients in order to locate the upflow zone of hot fluids in the geothermal reservoir

GEOTHERMAL EXPLORATION STAGES

Prefeasibility

If the results from the exploration phase are positive, the

development moves to the pre-feasibility phase where the
exploration becomes more focused on the most favorable location.
Activities in the pre-feasibility phase may include:

More focused geophysical exploration

Drilling of slim wells (+300 m)
Environmental impacts assessment
Drilling of deep exploration well
Fluid chemical analysis
Production potential assessment
Pre-feasibility data analyzed and reported

GEOTHERMAL EXPLORATION STAGES

Feasibility

In the feasibility phase, the commercial level of the geothermal

resource is generally demonstrated by the following activities:
Environmental impact assessment
Drilling of production/injection wells
Fluid sampling and chemical analysis
Well testing and well logging
Conceptual modeling
Production potential assessment (reservoir modeling)
Preliminary design of power plant and surface equipment
Feasibility data analyzed and reported

GEOTHERMAL EXPLORATION STAGES

Detailed design and construction

If the geothermal project is feasible, power purchase agreements

have been reached and financing is secured, the project moves to
the detailed design and construction phase. Detailed design and
constructions begins with the following activities:
Production/injection wells and drilling platform design
Drilling of production/injection wells
Infrastructure facilities design and civil works
Detailed design of power plant and steam gathering system
Detailed design of power transmission lines and point of access
determined

GEOTHERMAL EXPLORATION STAGES

Detailed design and construction (contd.)

Service providers contracted for detailed design,
engineering, procurement, construction and project
management

Construction of the power plant and facilities

Training of operators and commissioning

GEOTHERMAL EXPLORATION STAGES

Operation and maintenance

After commissioning, the geothermal power plant starts to
render normal service of providing sustainable energy to
the clients.

With normal maintenance and responsible reservoir

management and utilization, a geothermal power plant can
provide renewable energy to the clients for decades.

TYPES OF GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS

There are essentially 3 types of geothermal

systems in commercial use in the world:
1) Dry steam plants
2) Flash steam plants

3) Binary plants

TYPES OF GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS

1. Dry steam plants - Similar to conventional steam plants.

TYPES OF GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS

Dry steam plants

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4zA_YPCyHs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAUlLQIj_wk

Old Faithful is a cone geyser located in Wyoming, in Yellowstone National Park in

the United States. Old Faithful was named in 1870 during the Washburn-LangfordDoane Expedition and was the first geyser in the park to receive a name..

TYPES OF GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS

Dry steam plants (contd.)

Steam plants use hydrothermal fluids that are primarily
steam.
The steam goes directly to a turbine, which drives a
generator that produces electricity.
The steam eliminates the need to burn fossil fuels to run
the turbine. (Also eliminating the need to transport and
store fuels.)
This is the oldest type of geothermal power plant.

TYPES OF GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS

Dry steam plants (contd.)

It was first used at Lardarello in Italy in 1904. Steam
technology is used today at The Geysers in northern
California, the world's largest single source of geothermal
electricity.
These plants emit only excess steam and very minor
amounts of gases.

TYPES OF GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS

Flash Steam Plants: Most
common type of geothermal
power generation plants in
operation today

Single flash plants: Hot water after

separation from the steam is

evaporated by using part of the power
and fed back to the steam plant.
Double flash plant: The hot water is
evaporated to steam a second time, just
as in single-flash plants.
Multiple flash plants: The same is
repeated several times until all hot
water is used economically.

TYPES OF GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS

Flash and double flash cycle (contd.)

Hydrothermal fluids above 360F (182C) can be used in
flash plants to make electricity.
Fluid is sprayed into a tank held at a much lower pressure
than the fluid, causing some of the fluid to rapidly
vaporize, or "flash."
The vapor then drives a turbine, which drives a generator.
If any liquid remains in the tank, it can be flashed again in
a second tank (double flash) to extract even more energy.

TYPES OF GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS

Binary cycle: The hot water is utilized in heat exchangers
to evaporate ammonia or freon in a closed Rankin cycle.

TYPES OF GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS

Binary cycle (contd.)

Most geothermal areas contain moderate-temperature
water (below 400F). Energy is extracted from these fluids
in binary-cycle power plants.
Hot geothermal fluid and a secondary (hence, "binary")
fluid with a much lower boiling point than water pass
through a heat exchanger. Heat from the geothermal fluid
causes the secondary fluid to flash to vapor, which then
drives the turbines.

TYPES OF GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS

Binary cycle (contd.)

Because this is a closed-loop system, virtually nothing is
emitted to the atmosphere.
Moderate-temperature water is by far the more common
geothermal resource, and most geothermal power plants
in the future will be binary-cycle plants.

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

Environmental Impact
Gas emissions
Chemical pollutants
Equipment pollutions
Land stability
Land and water usage

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Gas emissions

Fluids drawn from the deep earth carry a mixture of gases,

notably carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), methane
(CH4) and ammonia (NH3).
These pollutants contribute to global warming, acid rain, and
noxious smells if released.
Existing geothermal electric plants emit an average of 122
kilograms (270 lb) of CO2 per megawatt-hour (MWh) of
electricity, a small fraction of the emission intensity of conventional
fossil fuel plants.
Plants that experience high levels of acids and volatile chemicals
are usually equipped with emission-control systems to reduce the
exhaust.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Chemical pollutants
In addition to dissolved gases, hot water from geothermal sources
may hold in solution trace amounts of toxic elements such as
mercury, arsenic, boron, and antimony.

These chemicals precipitate as the water cools, and can cause

environmental damage if released.

The modern practice of injecting cooled geothermal fluids back

into the Earth to stimulate production has the side benefit of
reducing this environmental risk.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Equipment pollutions
Direct geothermal heating systems contain pumps and
compressors, which may consume energy from a polluting
source.

This parasitic load is normally a fraction of the heat

output, so it is always less polluting than electric heating.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Equipment pollutions (contd.)
However, if the electricity is produced by burning fossil fuels, then
the net emissions of geothermal heating may be comparable to
directly burning the fuel for heat.
For example, a geothermal heat pump powered by electricity
from a combined cycle natural gas plant would produce about
as much pollution as a natural gas condensing furnace of the
same size.
Therefore the environmental value of direct geothermal heating
applications is highly dependent on the emissions intensity of the
neighboring electric grid.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Land stability

Plant construction can adversely affect land stability.

Subsidence has occurred in the Wairakei field in New
Zealand.
In Staufen im Breisgau, Germany, tectonic uplift occured
instead, due to a previously isolated anhydrite layer
coming in contact with water and turning into gypsum,
doubling its volume.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Land stability (contd.)

Enhanced geothermal systems can trigger earthquakes as
part of hydraulic fracturing.

The project in Basel, Switzerland was suspended

because more than 10,000 seismic events measuring up
to 3.4 on the Richter Scale occurred over the first 6
days of water injection.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Land and water usage

Geothermal has minimal land and freshwater

requirements.
Geothermal plants use 3.5 square kilometres (1.4 sq mi)
per gigawatt of electrical production (not capacity) versus
32 square kilometres (12 sq mi) and 12 square kilometres
(4.6 sq mi) for coal facilities and wind farms respectively.
They use 20 litres (5.3 US gal) of freshwater per MWh
versus over 1,000 litres (260 US gal) per MWh for
nuclear, coal, or oil.

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY - RENEWABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY

Renewability

Geothermal power is considered to be renewable because any

projected heat extraction is small compared to the Earth's heat content.
The Earth has an internal heat content of 1031 joules (31015 TWhr).
About 20% of this is residual heat from planetary accretion, and the
remainder is attributed to higher radioactive decay rates that existed in
the past.
Natural heat flows are not in equilibrium, and the planet is slowly
cooling down on geologic timescales.
Human extraction taps a minute fraction of the natural outflow, often
without accelerating it.

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY - RENEWABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability

Geothermal power is also considered to be sustainable thanks to

its power to sustain the Earths intricate ecosystems.
By using geothermal sources of energy present generations of
humans will not endanger the capability of future generations to
use their own resources to the same amount that those energy
sources are presently used.
Further, due to its low emissions geothermal energy is considered
to have excellent potential for mitigation of global warming.

REFERENCES
Textbooks
Renewable Energy Technologies, Jean-Claude Sabonnadiere, 2009
Energy Conversion, D. Yogi Goswami, Frank Kreith, 2008
Power Plant Engineering, 3rd Edition, PK Nag, 2008, Tata McGraw Hill

Web

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_energy
http://www.camelclimatechange.org/articles/view/160957/
http://www.discoversolarenergy.com/solar/geothermal.htm
http://www.mannvit.com/GeothermalEnergy/GeothermalDevelopment/
http://energyalmanac.ca.gov/renewables/geothermal/types.html

Youtube Videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_9dNx13f4U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHSNBzHCvMI