Geothermal energy

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
ASHWITH B S
14030141ME012

WHATISGEOTHERMALENERGY?
Geothermal is the heat from the
Earth. It is clean and
sustainable. Resources of
geothermal energy range from
the shallow ground to hot water
and hot rock found few miles
beneath the Earths surface, and
down even deeper to the
extremely high temperatures of
molten rock called magma .

 The use of geothermal energy for heating purpose
is not new.
 Ancient people used it for heating and bathing
through hot springs.
 Using geothermal energy to produce electricity is a
new industry.
 A group of Italians first used it in 1911. The
Italians used the natural steam erupting from the
earth to power a turbine generator.

First Geothermal power plant in Larderello, Italy 1911

The rising hot water and steam trapped in permeable and porous rock to form
a geothermal reservoir.
Reservoirs can be discovered by :
Testing the soil
 Analysing underground temperature
Geothermal reservoirs can be found in places where we find :
 Geyser
 Boiling mud pot
 Volcano
 Hot springs
 Steam vents

GEYSER
A Geyser is a rare kind of hot
spring that is under pressure
and erupts, sending jet of water
and steam into the air. Geysers
are made from a tube like hole
in the earths surface that runs
deep into the crust .The tube is
filled with water. As the water
boils, the resulting pressure
forces a superheated column of
steam and water to the surface.
Geysers are located near active
volcanoes.

BOILING MUD POT
Mud pots form in high temperature
geothermal areas where water is in short
supply.The little water that is available rises
to the surface at a spot where the soil is rich in
volcanic ash, clay and other fine particulates.
The thickness of the mud usually changes
along with seasonal changes in the water
table. Mud pots are hot springs which do not
have much water.The water in a mud pot is
very acidic and it dissolves nearby rock into
small pieces of clay.This clay then mixes with
the hot water to create mud. Hot steam rising
from below causes the mud to bubble and
pop as the steam is released into the air.

VOLCANO
A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth,
that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma
chamber below the surface. Earth's volcanoes occur because its crust is broken
into 17 major, rigid tectonic plates that float on a hotter, softer layer in its
mantle.Therefore, on Earth, volcanoes are generally found where tectonic
plates are diverging or converging.

HOT SPRINGS
A hot spring is a spring produced by the
emergence of geothermally
heated groundwater that rises from the
Earth's crust. There are geothermal hot
springs in many locations all over the crust of
the earth.

• Space heating in homes
• Desalination
• Industrial processes
• Food dehydration plants
• Greenhouse heating
• Agriculture(crop drying & milk pasteurization)
• resorts and pools
• melting snow
Uses of geothermal energy
 Direct use
 Electricity production
• Flash steam power plant
• Dry steam power plant
• Binary cycle power plant

 Flash steam power plants use naturally occurring sources of underground hot
water and steam. Water that is hotter than 182°c is pumped into a low pressure
area. Some of the water flashes or evaporates rapidly into steam, and is
funnelled out to power a turbine and generate electricity. Any remaining water
can be flashed in a separate tank to extract more energy . Flash steam power
plants are the most common type of geothermal power plants.
 The volcanically active island nation of Iceland supplies nearly all its electrical
needs through a series of flash steam geothermal power plants .The steam
and excess warm water produced by the flash steam process heat icy sidewalks
and parking lots in the frigid arctic winter.
 The islands of the Philippines also sit over a tectonically active area, the “Ring
of Fire” that rims the Pacific ocean. Government and industry in the Philippines
have invested in flash steam power plants, and today the nation is second only
to the US states in its use of geothermal energy. In fact, the largest single
geothermal power plant is a flash steam facility in Maltibog, Philippines.

 Dry steam power plant take advantage of natural underground sources of
steam.The steam is piped directly to a power plant, where it is used to fuel
turbines and generate electricity . Dry steam is the oldest type of power
plant to generate electricity using geothermal energy.
 The first geothermal plant was constructed in Larderello, Italy, in 1911.
Today, the dry steam power plants at Larderello continue to supply
electricity to more than a million residents of the area.
 There are only two known sources of underground steam in the us:
Yellowstone national park inWyoming and the geysers in California. Since
Yellowstone is a protected area, the geysers is the only place where a dry
stream power plant is in use. It is one of the largest geothermal energy
complexes in the world, and provides about a fifth of all renewable energy in
California.

 Binary cycle power plants use a unique process to conserve water and
generate heat.Water is heated underground to about 107º - 182ºc.The hot
water is contained in a pipe, which cycles above the ground.The hot water
heats a liquid organic compound that has a lower boiling point than water.The
organic liquid creates steam, which flows through a turbine and powers a
generator to create electricity.The only emission in this process steam.The
water in the pipe is recycled back to the ground, to be re-heated by the Earth
and provide heat for the organic compound again.
 The Beowawe geothermal facility in the US state of Nevada uses the binary
cycle to generate electricity.The organic compound used at the facility is an
industrial refrigerant (tetrafluroethane).This refrigerant has a lower boiling
point than water, meaning it is converted into gas at low temperatures.The
gas fuels the turbines, which are connected to electrical generators.

The simplest models have one injection well
and two production wells. Pressurized cold
water is sent down the injection well where
the hot rocks heat the water up. Then
pressurized water of temperatures greater
than 2000F is brought to the surface and
passed near a liquid with a lower boiling
temperature, such as an organic liquid like
butane. The ensuing steam turns the
turbines .Then, the cool water is again
injected to be heated. This system does not
produce any emissions. US geothermal
industries are making plans to
commercialize this new technology.

Global view of geothermal energy

Top 10 biggest geothermal power plants in the world
• The Geysers Geothermal complex, California, United States of America
The Geysers Geothermal complex located about 121 km north of San Fransisco,California, is comprised of18 power
plants making it the biggest geothermal installation in the world.The complex has an installed capacity of 1517
MW and active production capacity of 900 MW.
Calpine owns 15 power plants in the complex, with a combined net generating capacity of about 725MW, while two
power plants are jointly owned by Northern California PowerAgency and SiliconValley Power, plus US Renewables
Group, which owns the Bottle Rock Power Plant. Ram Power is constructing a new 26MW geothermal power plant
at the complex.
The complex covers an area of approximately 78km². Production from the geothermal field commenced in 1960
and reached its peak in the 1980s.The turbines suppliers for the power plants in the complex includeToshiba and
Mitsubishi Steam.
• Larderello Geothermal complex, Italy
Larderello Geothermal complex, comprising of 34 plants with a total net capacity of769MW, is the second biggest
geothermal power plants in the world.The power produced from the geothermal field, located inTuscany, Central
Italy, accounts for ten percent of all geothermal energy produced worldwide and caters for 26.5% of regional
power needs.
Enel Green Power owns the power plants at the complex serving approximately two million families,8700
residential and business customers and 25 hecters of greenhouses. Reservoir depths at the geothermal field range
700m to 4000m below the surface.The first plant at the geothermal field was commissioned a century ago, in 1911
making it the first of its kind in the world

The first Larderello power plant had a generating capacity of 250kW comprising of a turbine designed and built
byTosi Electrochemical Company.The geothermal plants at the field were rebuilt after they were destroyed
duringWorldWar ii.
• Cerro Prieto Geothermal Power Station, Mexico
At 720MW,Cerro Prieto Geothermal Power station in south Mexicali, Baja California in north Mexico, is the
second third geothermal plant in the world.
The power plant, like all other geothermal fields in Mexico, is owned and operated by the Commission Federal de
Electricidad (CFE).The power station features four plants, comprising of 13 units .The first plant was
commissioned in 1973, while fourth plant was commissioned in 2000.
The turbines at the complex include four 110MW condensing type, four 110Mw double-flash type, four single-
flash of 37.5MW each, four single-flash of 25MW each and one 30MW single-flash.They were supplied byToshiba
and Mitsubishi heavy industries. A fifth plant, which will comprise of two 50MW turbines I currently under
construction.
• Makban Geothermal Complex, Philippines
MakbanGeothermal power complex, also known as Makiling-Banahaw power plants, is located in the
municipalities of bay and Calauan in the Laguna province and SantoTomas in the Batangas province. It is the
fourth biggest geothermal power facility in the world with an output capacity of 458MW.
The geothermal power complex is owned by AP Renewables a wholly- owned subsidiary of aboitiz power.The
complex of six power plants comprising an area of 10 units including a binary plant with five 3MW units and one
0.73MW unit.

The complex covering an area of 700ha, commenced operations in 1979. Mitsubishi Heavy industries was one of the
turbine suppliers for the plants at the complex.
• CalEnergy Generation’s Salton Sea Geothermal Plants, United States
CalEnergyGeneration’s Salton Sea Geothermal Plants include a cluster of 10 generating geothermal plants in
Calipatria, near the Salton Sea in Southern California’s imperialValley.With a combined generating capacity of
340MW, it is the fifth largest geothermal facility in the world.
Unit 1 with an out put capacity of 10MW was the first to come in 1982. it was built by a joint venture comprising of
UnionOil Company and Southern California Edison.The 10th field came online in 2000. CalEnergy generation is
currently developing new projects in the area including the Black Rock Project which will consist of three new
50MW geothermal plants.
• Hellisheidi Geothermal Power Plant, Iceland
Hellisheidi geothermal power plant is a flash steam, combined heat and power plant(CHP) located at Mount
Hengill, approximately 20kM east of the capital city of Reykjavik.The plant has production capacity of 303MW of
electrical energy and 400MW of thermal energy.
The sixth largest geothermal power plant is owned by Orkuveita Reykjavikur. It was constructed by Mannvit
Engineering andVerkis Engineering. Power generated from the plant is supplied primarily to the nearby aluminium
refineries.
The power plant was commissioned in 5 phases from 2006-2011. it covers an area of approx. 13000m² . Six high
pressure turbines for the plant were supplied by Mitsubishi, while a low pressure turbine was supplied byToshiba.

• Tiwi Geothermal Complex, Philippines
Tiwi Geothermal Complex is located atTiwi in the province of Albay, about 300kM south-east of Manila.The
complex is the seventh biggest geothermal facility in the world.
TheTiwi complex is owned by Aboitiz Power’s subsidiary AP renewables . It comprises of three power plants
featuring two units each. Drilling works at the geothermal field commenced in 1972and the power plant became
operational in 1979.
The project was developed by national power corporation and PhilippineGeothermal, Mitsui and F.F.Cruz were the
construction contractors.The power plant useToshiba generator units.
• Malitbog Geothermal Power Plant, Indonesia
The 232.5MW MalitbogGeothermal power station located approximately 25kM north of Ormoc city in Leyte island
is the 8th biggest geothermal power plant in the world.
The plant was earlier owned byVisayas Geothermal Power Company which later transferred the ownership rights
to Philippine National oil-Energy development Company.The plant is currently owned by Energy development
Corporation. Power from the field is supplied to the Luzon Island.
The Maltibog geothermal power plant construction commenced in 1993 and was completed in 1996. it was built by
Sumitomo Corporation and Fuji Electric.The plant features three 77.5MW single-cylinder double flow condensing
turbines supplied by Fuji electric.

• WayangWindu Geothermal Power Plant, Indonesia
WayangWindu Geothermal Power Plant is located in Pangalengan, approximately 40kM south of BandungCity in
the province of west Java.The plant with an output capacity of 227MW, is the 9th biggest in the world.
Magma Nusantara Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of star Energy, operates the field. Engineering services for
the 1st two units were provided by Acecom. Major contrators involved in the plants construction included
Sumitomo corporation, Fuji Electric and Rekayasa industry.
The 1st unit of the power plant started [operation in 2000. it is comprised of an 110MW turbine by fuji electric .The
second unit featuring a 117MW turbine, was commissioned in 2009. the 3rd unit , with a generation capacity of
127MW, was expected to be commissioned in mid 2014.
• Darajat Power Station, Indonesia
Darajat power station is located at Garut in Pasirwangi District, west Java. It is the 10th biggest plant in the world,
with an installed capacity of 259MW. It is managed by GPPAmoseas Indonesia, a subsidiary of ChevronTexaco.
The power station comprises of 3 plants serving the provinces of Java and Bali.
The plants were commissioned respectively in 1994, 2000 and 2007. Plants ii and iii share common facilities
including the steam gathering system.
The latest commissioned plant was built byThiess Contractors Indonesia in collaboration with Kanematsu
Corporation. It features a turbine supplied by Mitsubishi heavy industries.The turbine for the second plant was also
supplied by MHI . Hyundai Engineering supplied the equipment's for the first two plants.

Existing capacity and new capacity inTurkey, 1984-2015,in MW

India has a huge potential to become a leading contributor in generating eco friendly and cost
effective geothermal power. Around 6.5 percent of electricity generation in the world would be
done with the help of geothermal energy in India and would have to play a bigger role in the
coming years in this direction. In India studies for locating geothermal energy source were
undertaken by the geological survey of India over the last three decades after which around 340
hot springs were traced .
Chattisgharh government has decided to establish the first geothermal power plant of the
country in the newly formed state Balrampur. State government has granted permission for the
installation of geothermal power plant atTattapani area of Balrampur district to the NTPC.The
Tattapani geothermal field is the most promising geothermal resource in central India.
The MoU(memorandum of understanding) was signed by director Shailendra Shukla and
NTPC executive director Ajit Kumar in the presence of secretary energy Aman Singh regional
executive director NTPC N Ganguly and MDs of electricity companies of Chattisgharh.
NTPC has already started exploratory work in the area . It has also started talks with ONGC(Oil
and Natural Gas Corp. Ltd) and other international organisations for drilling operation.
Thus India has set a foot in producing green and renewable energy.
INDIA AND GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

Geothermal field Estimated reservoir
temperature(approx.)
Puga geothermal field 240°c art 2000 meter
Tattapani Sarguja
(Chattisgarh)
120°c-150°c at 500 meter and
200°c at 2000 meter
Tapoban Chamoli
(Uttarkhand)
100°c at 430 meter
Cambay Garden
(Gujarat)
160°c at 1900 meter
Badrinath Chamoli
(Uttarkhand)
150°c
Surajkund Hazaribagh
(Jharkhand)
110°c
Manikaran
Kullu (HP)
100°c
Kasol
Kullu (HP)
110°c

Pros of Geothermal energy
• Renewable: Geothermal energy is extracted from earths core and will be available as long as earth exists. It is
therefore renewable and can be used roughly 4-5 billion years.
• Environment Friendly: Geothermal energy is green in all aspects of its production and use, when it comes to
the process of developing and making it, geothermal power is practically completely emission free.There is
absolutely zero carbon used when it comes to the production of this type of power.
• No Fuel: no Fuel is used at all during the production and use of the energy. Because there is absolutely no
mining or transportation related to the process, which means that there aren’t trucks emitting fumes and gas,
which means that the atmosphere is not being affected by the process.
• Abundant Supply: with geothermal energy, there is no shortages or other sorts of problems that sometimes
occur with other types of power.They are not subject to the same issues as solar or wind power, which means
that you wont get a shortage because the weather isn’t cooperating with what you want.There is practically
boundless supply.
• Significant Saving for Home Owners: there has been a tremendous increase in the number of homeowners
who want to utilize geothermal energy for heating and cooling purposes.The results is that less energy is used
for heating homes and offices which results in significant savings for home owners.
• Smallest Land Footprint: Geothermal energy extracts heat from hot water move the turbines that produce
electricity.To extract energy, substantial amount of piping is required to be laid underground. Geothermal
energy has the smallest land footprint of any major energy source in the world.

• Innovation inTechnology: When it comes to green energy, geothermal energy is one of the first types that is
being explored. New innovations are coming out for it all the time , which means that it will likely be easier to
deal with some of the difficulties with the technology as time goes on. It can also be manufactured
underground. New innovations that are coming out are basically guaranteed to be able to use lower
temperatures in the future iterations of the technology as well.

• Suitable to Particular Region: Everything that deals with geothermal power seems to be really far away from
everything that is in and around the area. Prime destinations are exceptionally zone specific, so you cannot
really find geothermal power outside of those areas.Also the prime destinations are frequently a long way from
urban areas, which means they are virtually useless when it comes to cities and such.
• High Initial Costs: For those residential owners who are thinking to use geothermal energy, high upfront costs
is something that turns out to be a huge setback to them. For an averaged sized home, installation of
geothermal heat pumps costs between $10,000 - $20,000 .
• Surface Instability:Geothermal has become infamous for causing earthquakes as setting up of geothermal
power plants can alter the lands structure. A process called hydraulic fracturing is an integral part for building a
large scale and efficient geothermal system power plants that can trigger earthquakes.
• Environment concerns: There are some environmental concerns.Water use is one of the big concerns,
because geothermal power uses a lot of water in its processes and such.There are also a number of different
compounds that go into the water and ground as a result of the process, including so₂ and silica discharges,
both of which can harm the environment if you are not careful about it.
• High temperatures Needed: The process is not exactly an easy one for you to execute, boring into warmed
rock is extremely troublesome, in order for geothermal processes to begin, you also need the area in question
to be at least 350°F, otherwise the process may not occur as you wish them to.
Cons of Geothermal Energy

Obviously, Geothermal energy has a great potential as a
clean, green and naturally occurring renewable source
of energy. Geothermal hot water can be used for many
application that require heat including heating buildings,
rising plants in green houses, drying crops, heating
water at fish farms, and several industrial process, it
can be used for generating electricity as well. It is
therefore necessary to explore the possibility of setting
up more geothermal power plants to use the naturally
occurring renewable source of energy.

Geothermal energy

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