Geothermal

Power Plants

Geothermal Energy
The

term geothermal comes from the

Greek word geo meaning earth and
thermal meaning heat.

energy

can be and already is accessed

by drilling water or steam wells in a
process similar to drilling for oil.

Geothermal Energy
Geothermal

fields were first discovered in 1847 by

William Bell Elliot, explorer surveyor

Areas

used for geothermal energy

Volcanoes
Hotsprings
Geysers(hole in the ground that shoots hot water)

Geothermal Energy
Geothermal

energy is an enormous,
underused heat and power resource that
is

clean (emits little or no greenhouse gases),

reliable (average system availability of
95%), and
homegrown (making us less dependent on
foreign oil).

Geothermal Energy
The

center of the earth is estimated at

Temperature up to 10,000 K due to decay
process of radioactive isotopes.

The

total steady geothermal energy flow

towards earth's surface is 4.2 1010 KW

Average

flow energy is only 0.063 W/m2.

Application
First

application of geothermal energy

was for

Heating
Cooking
Medicinal purposes

Generation

of Electricity

Geothermal energy
General
1.

2.

objectives of geothermal energy:

Reduction of dependence on
nonrenewable energy and stimulation of
the states economy through
development of geothermal energy.
Mitigation of the social, economic, and
environmental impacts of geothermal
development.

Site Selection of Geothermal

Some

locations with water at 120C at 200

to 500 m depths
Na-Ca-Cl-SO4 contents
Some shallow depth reservoir with water
at 80 to 110C.

Geothermal Power Plant

The

first mechanical conversion was in

1897 when the steam of the field at
Larderello, Italy, was used to heat a boiler
producing steam which drove a small
steam engine.

The

first attempt to produce electricity

also took place at Larderello in 1904 with
an electric generator that powered four
light bulbs

Geothermal Power Plant

Geothermal Power Plant

1914-

8.5 MW of electricity was being

produced
1944- Larderello was producing 127 MW
1981-360 MW after World War II

Types of Geothermal Power

Plants
Flash

Steam
Binary cycle

Flash Steam Power Plant

Flash

steam power plants are the most

common.

They

use geothermal reservoirs of water

with temperatures greater than 182C.

This

very hot water flows up through wells

in the ground under its own pressure.

Dry Steam Power Plant

Binary Cycle Power Plant

Operate on water at lower temperatures of

about 107182C.
Use organic compound with a low boiling
point.
The working fluid is vaporized in a heat
exchanger and used to turn a turbine. The
water is then injected back into the ground to
be reheated. The water and the working fluid
are kept separated during the whole process,
so there are little or no air emissions.

Flash Steam Power Plant

Geothermal heat pump

system
Direct-Use

Piped Hot Water Warms

Greenhouses and Melts Sidewalk Snow.

Geothermal

Heat Pumps use Shallow

GroundEnergy to Heat and Cool Buildings

 Direct-Use

Piped Hot Water Warms Greenhouses

and Melts Sidewalk Snow.

Hot water near Earths surface can be piped directly

into facilities and used to heat buildings, grow plants in
greenhouses, dehydrate onions and garlic, heat water
for fish farming, and pasteurize milk.
Some cities pipe the hot water under roads and
sidewalks to melt snow.

 Geothermal

Heat Pumps use Shallow Ground

Energy to Heat and Cool Buildings.

A geothermal heat pump system consists of pipes

buried in the shallow ground near the building, a heat
exchanger, and ductwork into the building.
In winter, heat from the relatively warmer ground goes
through the heat exchanger into the house.

In summer, hot air from the house is pulled

through the heat exchanger into the
relatively cooler ground. Heat removed
during the summer can be used as no-cost
energy to heat water.