Superior through experience:

GEOTHERMAL CONDENSERS
Geothermal energy, the heat from inside our earth, is gaining increasing significance worldwide as a promising option among the renewable sources of energy. Not least because geothermal energy can be used to generate base load electricity in an environmentally sound manner due to its high availability. As early as the 1990s, Balcke-Drr started to develop and produce the first surface condensers for commercial power generation in geothermal power plants. Today, drawing on an extensive wealth of experience, we supply all-in-one geothermal condenser systems: turbine condenser with tube cleaning system, evacuation system, pumps and deaerator. In addition, we are the only manufacturer worldwide to offer the Cold End from one single source from condenser system to the cooling water circuit right up to the cooling tower. Using a comprehensive optimization concept, we ensure that all the system components are optimally dimensioned technically and the capital expenditure and operating costs are kept to a minimum. Our cogeneration condenser is a technologically unique product which was developed for combined heat and power generation. This innovative type of condenser supplies district heating efficiently in vacuum operation mode and eliminates the need for a separate heating condenser.

3D model of a geothermal condenser

PROFILE

Long-term experience in the design and manufacture of geothermal condensers References in Europe and Asia Supply of all-in-one condenser systems: turbine condenser with tube cleaning system, evacuation system, pumps and deaerator Optimization and supply of the Cold End (condenser and cooling tower) from one single source Special configurations such as cogeneration condensers for combined heat and power supply Condenser design with highly efficient gas extraction involving minimal electrical power consumption for vacuum pumps

Condenser modules for the 2x50 MW Reykjanes geothermal power plant in Iceland

TECHNOLOGY Geothermal steam which is condensed in the turbine condensers is, in most cases, highly corrosive. It contains contamination with a high proportion of non-condensable gases which are composed primarily of carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and small quantities of other gases. The proportion of gas can amount to up to 10% and is therefore more than 5,000 times greater than in conventional power plants. As these extreme operational conditions primarily require a highly effective gas extraction system, apart from good corrosion resistance, the design of our geothermal surface condensers incorporates the following features:

4x40 MW Hellisheidi 1-4 geothermal power plant, Iceland: The scope of supply includes the complete Cold End which can be controlled to supply power and district heating according to actual requirements.
COLD END COOLING TOWER

CONDENSER

Gas coolers with a large subcooling capacity to minimize the extraction volume flow and the power consumption of the vacuum pumps Multiple gas extraction ports to prevent any accumulation of gas within the tube bundle Thermohydraulic design not affected by influence of contamination during operation Shell and support plate structure made completely of stainless steel

COOLING WATER CIRCUIT

Diagram of Cold End

APPLICATION 3x55 MW Salak geothermal power plant, Indonesia: The three condensers commissioned in 1997 are among the largest geothermal surface condensers in the world, each with a structural weight of 207t.

The cogeneration condensers are designed so that during winter operation a large proportion of the thermal output of the turbine exhaust steam is used to heat district heating water and only a small proportion to generate electricity, while in summer electricity generation has priority. The condensers were each fitted with three combi tube bundles which can be individually connected in standby mode as required depending on the mode of operation winter or summer.

Combi tube bundle of cogeneration condenser

Stainless steel support structure during the fabrication process

BALCKE-DRR GMBH ERNST-DIETRICH-PLATZ 2 40882 RATINGEN GERMANY 49(0)21 02 16 69-0 BDINFODE@CTS.SPX.COM BALCKE-DUERR.COM
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As surface condensers fundamentally offer both technical and also economic advantages in respect of H2S separation which is both protective of the environment and human health, the power plant operator decided against direct contact condensers when planning the plant.