ME-403

Power Plants
Instructor: Dr. Muhammad Farhan Ausaf
 What is Geothermal Energy?

• Geo (Greek for earth)

Thermal (heat)
• Temp. of Shallow
Crust (upper 10 ft.)
Constant 13-24°C
• Up to 8,000°C at
Molten Core (approx.
4,000 mi. to center of
core)
 What is Geothermal Energy Cont’d?

• Earth’s Crust Thickness: 3 to 35 Mi.

– Temperature Increases With Depth
• Gradient: (17-30°C / km)
• Basic Geothermal Systems Take
Advantage of:
– Heat Differential Between Ground and
Indoor Air Temperatures – Heat Pump
– Earth as a Natural Heat Source – Power
Plants
 Types of Geothermal Resources?

• Geothermal Sources are Classified Based on:

(1) Temperature, (2) Physical State of H20 (i.e.
water or steam), and (3) Type of Energy Usage
• Primary Classification is Resource Temperature:
– Low Temperature Reservoir: 50-200 °F (10-
94 °C)
– High Temperature Reservoir: >200 °F
 Types of Reservoirs Cont’d
• Low Temperature Reservoirs:
– Available almost anywhere on earth
– Predominantly Used for Heat Pumps
• Space Heating
– Other Common Uses:
• Hot Water Production
• In Greenhouses to Grow Flowers, etc.
• Industrial Uses: dry wood, pasteurize milk,
grow fish, etc.
 Types of Reservoirs Cont’d
• High Temperature Reservoirs:
– Availability:
• Can Occur Within a Couple of Miles of
Earth’s Surface Where Earth’s Crust Is Very
Thin – i.e., Closer to Molten Magma at Core
– Suitable for Commercial Production of
Electricity
• Power Plants Need High Capacity
Geothermal Reservoir – Water / Steam
>220°F (105°C)
– Greatest Potential for Energy Output
 Benefits of Geothermal Power
Generation

• Little to No Pollution
– Flash Plants Emit Only Excess Steam
– Binary Plants Have No Air or Liquid
Emissions!
• Expected to Be Dominant Type in Future
– Lake County – Home of “The Geysers”
Geothermal Plants – is One of the Only
Counties to Meet CA’s Stringent Air Quality
Standards.
Benefits of Geothermal Power Cont’d

• Emission of Low
Quantities of
Greenhouse
Gasses
• Homegrown
– Decreases
Dependency On
Foreign Energy
 Benefits of Geothermal Power Cont’d

• As Opposed to Burning Fossil Fuels, Current

Geothermal Use Prevents the Yearly Emission
of:1
– 22 MM tons of CO2
– 200k tons of SO2
– 80k tons of NOx
– 110k tons of Particulates
 Benefits of Geothermal Power Cont’d
• Some Plants Produce Scale Which Is
High in Minerals (Zinc and S) and can
be sold for a Profit!
• No Fuel Usage (storage, transfer,
disposal, mining)
• Plants Have Very Little Down Time -
Avg. Availability is 90% or greater
 Benefits of Geothermal Power Cont’d

• Minimal Land Use Compared to Other

Energy Sources
• Requires 400 M2 of Land Per GW of
Power Over a 30 Year Period1
– Compare That to Coal and Nuclear Plants
Which Require Land for Plant, Mining for
Fuel, Storage of Fuel and Wastes, Etc.
 Disadvantages of Geothermal Energy
Cont’d

• Start-up Costs Are High

– Geothermal Plants Require Significant Capital
Expenditures, But the Fuel Is Free
– Cost - $1,500-$5,000 / Installed kW Depending
on Plant Size, Resource Temp. And Chemistry1
• Cost Of Power to Consumer
– Currently, $0.05 to $0.08 / Kwh2
– Needs to Be $0.03 to Be Competitive
 Disadvantages of Geothermal Energy Cont’d

• Water can be corrosive to plant pipes, equipment

• Some high mineral / metal wastewater and solid
waste is produced
• Smelly gasses – H2S, Ammonia, Boron
• Release of steam and hot water can be noisy
 What Makes a Good Geothermal Reservoir
for Generating Electricity?

• Hot Geothermal Fluids Near Surface (<1-2 mi.)

– Preferably in Excess of 300°F, but Electrical
Generation Is Occurring at Temps. In the
Low 200’s°F.
• Proximity to Population Base
• Low Mineral and Gas Content
• Proximity to Transmission Lines
 TYPES OF GEOTHERMAL POWER
PLANTS

• Different Types of Plants are Required

to Take Advantage of the Particular
Characteristics of Each Specific
Geothermal Site
• Main Types of Geothermal Power
Plants:
– Dry Steam (Vapor dominated sytems)
– Flash Steam
– Binary Cycle
 Dry Steam Geothermal Plants
• Uses Steam From
Geothermal Reservoir
Directly
• Only Requires
Removal of Rock
Fragments From
Steam Prior to
Entering Turbines
• Only Emissions Are
Water Vapor
Dry Steam Geothermal Plants Cont’d
 Dry Steam Geothermal Plants Cont’d
• 1-2 throttling (pressure drops and water is
superheated)
• 2-3 particulate matter removed and additional
pressure drop
• 3-4 expansion in turbine
• 4-5 condensation by mixing with water at 7
• 5-6 pumped to cooling tower
• 7 is output from cooling tower to condenser
• The balance is reinjected into ground
Dry Steam Geothermal Plants Cont’d
 Why Haven’t We Built More Dry Steam
Geothermal Plants?
• Pro:
– Lowest Technology Required – Lowest
Capital Costs
• Con:
– Ideal Conditions Required
• Few Sites Available (Very Rare).
 Flash Steam Geothermal Power Plants

• Injection of Deep, High-

pressure Water Into
Low-pressure Tanks;
Water “Flashes” to
Steam Used to Drive
Turbines
• Excess Water
Returned to Maintain
Pressure in Reservoir
Flash Steam Plants Cont’d
 Flash Steam Plants Cont’d
• 1-2 throttling to form a two phase mixture of low
quality
• 2-3 further throttling in a flash separator
• 3-4 dry saturated steam for work
• 3-5 saturated brine reinjection
• 4-6 turbine work
• 6-7 condensation by mixing with water at 9
• 7-8 pumped to cooling tower
• 9 is output from cooling tower to condenser
• The balance is reinjected into ground
Flash Steam Plants Cont’d
Double Flash System
Double Flash System Cont’d
 Binary Cycle Geothermal Power Plants

• Moderately Hot Water

(<175 °C) Passed
Through Heat
Exchanger
• Heat Transferred to
Secondary Fluid (Low
B.P. Fluids (i.e.,
Propane or Isobutane)
Which Is Vaporized
(“Flashed”)
Binary Cycle Plants Cont’d
Binary Cycle Plants Cont’d