Get a detailed knowledge about the geothermal energy system . Its history, origin, various forms, and the potential usage and areas in the country

1. GEOTHERMAL
ENERGY

3. What is Geothermal Energy?
• 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%).

4. • Earth's internal heat is thermal energy generated
from radioactive decay and continual heat loss
from Earth's formation. Temperatures at the core–
mantle boundary may reach over 4000 °C
• The high temperature and pressure in Earth's
interior cause some rock to melt and
solid mantle to behave plastically, resulting in
portions of mantle convecting upward since it is
lighter than the surrounding rock. Rock and water is
heated in the crust, sometimes up to 370 °C

5. Looking briefly into the past
• The oldest known pool fed by a hot spring, built in
the Qin dynasty in the 3rd century BCE.
• Hot springs have been used for bathing at least
since paleolithic times .The oldest known spa is a
stone pool on China's Lisan mountain built in
the Qin Dynasty in the 3rd century BC, In the first
century AD, Romans conquered Aquae Sulis,
England, used the hot springs there to feed public
baths and underfloor heating. The admission fees
for these baths probably represent the first
commercial use of geothermal power.

6. • The world's oldest geothermal district heating system
in Chaudes-Aigues, France, has been operating since
the 14th century.
• The earliest industrial exploitation began in 1827 with
the use of geyser steam to extract boric
acid from volcanic mud in Larderello, Italy.
• In 1892, America's first district heating system
in Boise, Idaho was powered directly by geothermal
energy. A deep geothermal well was used to heat
greenhouses in Boise in 1926, and geysers were used
to heat greenhouses in Iceland and Tuscany at about
the same time.

7. • In the 20th century, demand for electricity led to the
consideration of geothermal power as a generating
source. Prince Piero Ginori Conti tested the first
geothermal power generator on 4 July 1904, at the
same Larderello dry steam field where geothermal
acid extraction began. It successfully lit four light
bulbs. Later, in 1911, the world's first commercial
geothermal power plant was built there.
• In 1960, Pacific Gas and Electric began operation of
the first successful geothermal electric power plant in
the United States at The Geysers in California. The
original turbine lasted for more than 30 years and
produced 11 MW net power.

8. SOURCES

9.  Hot water reservoirs
 Natural steam reservoirs
 Geo pressurised reservoirs
 Normal geothermal gradient
 Hot dry rocks
 Molten magma

11. INDICATIONS
 Hot springs
 Geysers
 Geothermal reservoirs
 Volcanoes

12. EXPLORATION
 Bubbling mud, geysers and hot pools are good
indicators of geothermal activity at the surface, but
what is going on underground?
Exploration methods
 Areas are explored, analysed and mapped
 Geological, geophysical and geochemical data are
combined
 Field models are developed
 Geothermal potential is assessed
 Drilling sites are identified

14. HOW IT IS OBTAINED?
 First, specialist geologists and engineers locate an
economic source of geothermal energy.
 Site selection is based on heat content, fluid
content, and permeability of the rock.
The methods used are:
 Geothermal drilling
 Heat exchangers
 Heat pump installation

15. GEOTHERMAL EXPLORATION SURVEYS
 Satellite imagery and aerial photography
 Volcanological studies
 Geologic and structural mapping
 Geographical analysis
 Temperature gradient hole drilling

17. EXAMINING OF ROCKS

18. DISCOVERY OF RESERVOIR

19. BASIC METHODS
AND
TECHNOLOGIES

24. Dry Steam Plants: These were the first type of plants created. They
use underground steam to directly turn the turbines.

25. Flash Steam Plants: These are the most common plants. These systems pull deep, high
pressured hot water that reaches temperatures of 3600F or more to the surface. This
water is transported to low pressure chambers, and the resulting steam drives the
turbines. The remaining water and steam are then injected back into the source from
which they were taken.

26. Binary Cycle Plants: This system passes moderately hot geothermal water
past a liquid, usually an organic fluid, that has a lower boiling point.
The resulting steam from the organic liquid drives the turbines. This
process does not produce any emissions and the water temperature
needed for the water is lower than that needed in the Flash Steam
Plants (2500F – 3600F).

28. Electricity Generation
There are 3 types of power plants:-
Dry steam power plant
Flash steam power plant
Binary cycle power plant

29. Dry Steam power plant
 Geothermal reservoir containing pure steam is required.
 Pure dry steam drives turbine.
 Very rare type of geothermal power plant.

30. Flash steam power plant
 Geothermal reservoirs containing both hot water & steam
is required.
 Pressure changing system is required.

31. Binary cycle power plant
 Does not use steam directly to spin turbines.
 Vapourized hydrocarbons are used to spin the turbine.
 Hydrocarbons having lower boiling point such
as isopentane, isobutane and propane can be used.
 No harmful gas is emitted to the atmosphere.

32. Turbine & generator:-

33. Thermal efficiency of the plants
 The thermal efficiency of these plants is low around
7-10% because geothermal fluids are at low temperatures
compared to steam in boilers.
 By the laws of thermodynamics this low temperature
limits the efficiency of heat engines in extracting useful
energy during the generation of electricity.
 The efficiency of the system does not affect operational
costs as it would for a coal or other fossil fuel plant, but it
does factor into the viability of the station.

34. Cost
 Direct use of geothermal energy is absolutely cheaper than other energy
sources.
 Cost of electricity generation depends upon certain factors:
Temperature and depth of resource
Type of resource (steam, liquid, mix)
Available volume of resource
Size and technology of plant
 The initial investment is high.
 They cost around US $0.05 to $0.08 (Rs. 2.772 to Rs. 4.4352) per kWh
 Once the capital cost is recovered, the price can decrease to below US
$0.05 (Rs 2.2772) per kWh

36. • Air conditioning
• Industrial processes
• Drying
• Greenhouses
• Aquaculture
• Hot water
• Resorts and pools
• Melting snow

37.  Most of New Zealand’s geothermal energy goes
to produce electricity, but it can be used for any
processes where heat is required. The heat is
used for digesting wood pulp, drying timber and
paper, and generating electricity.

38.  The world’s only geothermally heated prawn farm was
established in 1987 on the banks of the Waikato River,
next to the Wairākei power station. The farm heats its
own water with heat exchangers, which draw heat
from the power station’s waste water before it flows
back into the Waikato River.

39.  Geothermal waters are used for heating
greenhouses on a small scale (covering 10 hectares
in total), specially for the commercial, out-of-
season production of vegetables, flowers and fruit.

40.  There are 18 district heating systems
operating in the western United States.
 Over 270 cities in the western U.S. Are close
enough to geothermal reservoirs to use
district heating.

41. Hot water from one or more geothermal wells is piped through
a heat exchanger plant to heat city water in separate pipes. Hot
city water is piped to heat exchangers in buildings to warm the
air.

42. In some places, geothermal water is piped from wells to
heat single homes or whole residential or commercial
districts. This truck-mounted drill rig is drilling a well for
use in Klamath Falls, Oregon.

43. These pumps are used to pump the
heated water to buildings in a district
heating system, after it has passed
through the heat exchanger.

44. This is a "plate type" heat exchanger which passes hot
geothermal water past many layers of metal plates,
transferring the heat to other water passing through the
other side of each plate.

46. GEOTHERMAL
ENERGY IN
INDIA

47.  India has reasonably good potential for geothermal; the potential
geothermal provinces can produce 10,600 MW of power.
Though India has been one of the earliest countries to begin
geothermal projects way back in the 1970s, but at present there are no
operational geothermal plants in India. There is also no installed
geothermal electricity generating capacity as of now and only direct
uses (eg. Drying) have been detailed.
 More than 300 hot spring locations have been identified by Geological
survey of India (Thussu, 2000). The surface temperature of the hot
springs ranges from 𝟑𝟓 𝒐C to as much as 𝟗𝟖 𝒐C. These hot springs have
been grouped together and termed as different geothermal provinces
based on their occurrence in specific geotectonic regions, geological
and structural regions such as occurrence in orogenic belt regions,
structural grabens, deep fault zones, active volcanic regions etc.
General Scenario:

48. Potential sites:
Province Surface
Temp C
Reservoir
Temp C
Heat Flow Thermal
gradient
Himalaya >90 260 468 100
Cambay 40-90 150-175 80-93 70
West coast 46-72 102-137 75-129 47-59
Sonata 60 – 95 105-217 120-290 60-90
Godavari 50-60 175-215 93-104 60

50. Geothermal Field
Estimated (min.) reservoir
Temp (Approx)
Status
Puga geothermal field 240oC at 2000m From geochemical and deep
geophysical studies (MT)
Tattapani Sarguja (Chhattisgarh) 120oC - 150oC at 500 meter and
200oC at 2000 m
Magneto telluric survey done by
NGRI
Tapoban Chamoli (Uttarakhand) 100oC at 430 meter Magneto telluric survey done by
NGRI
Cambay Garben (Gujrat) 160oC at 1900 meter (From Oil
exploration borehole)
Steam discharge was estimated
3000 cu meter/ day with high
temperature gradient.
Badrinath Chamoli (Uttarakhand) 150oC estimated Magneto-telluric study was done
by NGRI
Deep drilling required to
ascertain geothermal field
Surajkund Hazaribagh (Jharkhand) 110oC Magneto-telluric study was done
by NGRI.
Heat rate 128.6 mW/m2
Manikaran
Kullu (H P)
100oC Magneto-telluric study was done
by NGRI
Heat flow rate 130 mW/m2
Kasol
Kullu (H P)
110oC Magneto-telluric study was done
by NGRI

51. Total thermal installed capacity in MW: 203.0
Direct use in TJ/year 1,606.3
Direct use in GWh/year 446.2
Capacity factor 0.25
HISTORICAL CAPACITY & CONSUMPTION DATA:
 Panx Geothermal
 LNJ Bhilwara
 Tata Power
 Thermax
 NTPC
 Avin Energy Systems
 GeoSyndicate Power Private Limited
Geothermal companies:

52. • "Geothermal Energy - Initiative and Development"
conference. Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University
organised the event, which took place on 26 July 2013
in Gujarat's capital city Gandhinagar.
• Companies involved in the Indian geothermal projects
include ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) in
Gujarat. The company has started exploring clean
energy to create growth opportunities and maximize
shareholder value.
• ONGC started cooperation with Belgian company
Talboom last year
RECENTLY A PROJECT IS BEING DEVELPOED IN INDIA:

53. • MeSy India
MeSy India acts as technical arm to governmental
institutions in the conduction of scientific and
geothermal research projects, and stimulates new R&D
projects in collaboration with Indian national research
institutions and international organizations, in
particular in the field of techniques and earthquake
mechanisms, reservoir induced seismicity, advanced
mining technologies, ground water production
stimulation, use of geothermal energy, hazardous
underground waste storage.
• Geological Survey of India
• National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad
• Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Dehradun
Geothermal researchcentres:

54. EFFECTS ON THE
ENVIRONMENT
OF GEOTHERMAL
ENERGY

55.  DEPLETION OF RESOURCES:
The process of extracting geothermal fluids for power
generation typically removes heat from natural reservoirs at
over 10 times their rate of replenishment. This imbalance may
be partially improved by injecting waste fluids back into the
geothermal system.
 DAMAGE TO NATURAL GEOTHERMAL
FEATURES:
Natural features such as hot springs, mud pools, sinter
terraces, geysers, fumaroles (steam vents) and steaming
ground can be easily, and irreparably, damaged by geothermal
development.

56.  SUBSIDENCE :
Extracting geothermal fluids can reduce the pressure in
underground reservoirs and cause the land to sink. The largest
subsidence on record is at Wairākei, where the centre of the
subsidence bowl is sinking at a rate of almost half a metre every
year. In 2005 the ground was 14 metres lower than it was
before the power station was built. As the ground sinks it also
moves sideways and tilts towards the centre. This puts a strain
on bores and pipelines, may damage buildings and roads, and
can alter surface drainage patterns.

57.  POLLUTING WATERWAYS :
Geothermal fluids contain elevated levels of arsenic, mercury,
lithium and boron because of the underground contact between
hot fluids and rocks. If waste is released into rivers or lakes
instead of being injected into the geothermal field, these pollutants
can damage aquatic life and make the water unsafe for drinking or
irrigation.
A serious environmental effect of the geothermal industry is
arsenic pollution. Levels of arsenic in the Waikato River almost
always exceed the World Health Organisation standard for
drinking water of 0.01 parts per million.

58.  Air emissions :
Geothermal fluids contain dissolved gases which are released
into the atmosphere. The main toxic gases are carbon dioxide
(CO2) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S). Both are denser than air and
can collect in pits, depressions or confined spaces. These gases
are a recognised hazard for people working at geothermal
stations or bore fields, and can also be a problem in urban areas.
Carbon dioxide is also a greenhouse gas, contributing to
potential climate change.

59. ADVANTAGES
OF
GEOTHERMAL
ENERGY

60. 1. Significant Cost Saving :
Geothermal energy generally involves low running costs since it
saves 80% costs over fossil fuels and no fuel is used to generate
the power. Since, no fuel is require so costs for purchasing,
transporting and cleaning up plants is quite low.
2. Reduce Reliance on Fossil Fuels : Dependence
on fossil fuels decreases with the increase in the use of
geothermal energy. -
With the sky-rocketing prices of oil, many countries are
pushing companies to adopt these clean sources of energy.
Burning of fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases which are
responsible for global warming .

61. 3. No Pollution : This is one of the main advantage of using
geothermal energy since it does not create any pollution and help
in creating clean environment. Being the renewable source of
energy, geothermal energy has helped in reducing global warming
and pollution. Moreover, Geothermal systems does not create any
pollution as it releases some gases from deep within the earth
which are not very harmful to the environment.
4. Direct Use : Since ancient times, people having been using
this source of energy for taking bath, heating homes, preparing
food and today this is also used for direct heating of homes and
offices. This makes geothermal energy cheaper and affordable.
Although the initial investment is quite steep but in the long run
with huge cost saving it proves quite useful.

62. 5. Job Creation and Economic Benefits :
Government of various countries are investing hugely in creation of
geothermal energy which on other hand has created more jobs for
the local people
Though above said advantages prove that geothermal energy has big
capability in itself in creating clean and safe environment and also it
is an excellent source of cheap, reliable, simple, clean and
renewable power but it also suffers from few drawbacks which is
why it is not being utilized everywhere to its full capacity.
6.It is a non-renewable source of energy.
7. There is no wastage or generation of byproducts.

63. 10. Maintenance cost of geothermal power plants is very less.
11. These power plants does not occupy much space and thus
help in protecting environment.
12. Unlike solar energy,it is not dependent on weather
conditions.

64. DISADVANTAGE
S OF
GEOTHERMAL
ENERGY

65. 1. Not Widespread Source of Energy : Since this type of
energy is not widely used therefore the unavailability of
equipment, staff, infrastructure, training pose hindrance to the
installation of geothermal plants across the globe. Not enough
skilled manpower and availability of suitable build location pose
serious problem in adopting geothermal energy globally.
2. High Installation Costs : To get geothermal energy,
requires installation of power plants, to get steam from deep
within the earth and this require huge one time investment and
require to hire a certified installer and skilled staff needs to be
recruited and relocated to plant location. Moreover, electricity
towers, stations need to set up to move the power from
geothermal plant to consumer.

66. 3. Can Run Out Of Steam : Geothermal sites can run out of
steam over a period of time due to drop in temperature or if too
much water is injected to cool the rocks and this may result huge
loss for the companies which have invested heavily in these
plants. Due to this factor, companies have to do extensive initial
research before setting up the plant.
4. Suited To Particular Region : It is only suitable for
regions which have hot rocks below the earth and can produce
steam over a long period of time. For this great research is
required which is done by the companies before setting up the
plant and this initial cost runs up the bill in setting up the
geothermal power plant. Some of these regions are near hilly
areas or high up in mountains.

67. 5. May Release Harmful Gases : Geothermal sites may
contain some poisonous gases and they can escape deep within
the earth, through the holes drilled by the constructors. The
geothermal plant must therefore be capable enough to contain
these harmful and toxic gases.
6. Transportation : Geothermal Energy can not be easily
transported. Once the tapped energy is extracted, it can be only
used in the surrounding areas. Other sources of energy like
wood, coal or oil can be transported to residential areas but this
is not a case with geothermal energy. Also, there is a fear of toxic
substances getting released into the atmosphere.
7. Only few sites have the potential of geothermal
energy.

68. 8. Most of the sites, where geothermal energy is
produced, are far from markets or cities, where it needs to be
consumed.
9. Total generation potential of this source is too small.
10. There is always a danger of eruption of volcano.
11. Installation cost of steam power plant is very high.
12. There is no guarantee that the amount of energy which is
produced will justify the capital expenditure and operations costs.
13. It may release some harmful, poisonous gases that can escape
through the holes drilled during construction.

69. FUTURE OF GEOTHERMAL
ENERGY
The first geothermal power plant is established in 1911
in Larderello, Italy.
Currently only 24 countries are able to produce
electricity from geothermal energy in large scale
producing a total of 11,700 MW of electricity.
But it only comprises for about less than 0.4% of the
worlds electricity consumption.
This is mainly due to the fact that there is 75-80%
chance of failure for exploratory well digging and
geothermal energy is not available at all places.

70. Due to these facts developing countries like India is
unable to install a geothermal power plant due to high
risk and unavailability of geothermal energy.
To support the establishment of geothermal power
plants the International Geothermal Association(IGA)
and International Renewable Energy Alliance(REN
alliance) has funded more than 10 projects and more
than 65 countries are its members
 so in order to overcome these limitations research is
going on at IGA,Bocham,Germany to produce
geothermal power more efficiently at low installation
costs

71. a geothermal power plant in Utah, U.S.A

72. CONCLUSIONS &
SUMMARY