9/13/2016

GeothermalBasicsBasics

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UpdatedbyLeslieBlodgettGEA2014
GeothermalenergytheheatoftheEarthisaclean,renewableresourcethatprovidesenergyintheU.S.andaroundtheworld.The U.S.
hasbeenusingcommercial,largescalegeothermalpowerplantsatdeepresourcetemperatures(between200Fand700F)sincethe1960s.
Geothermalenergydevelopmentandproductionisathrivinginternationalmarket.

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1.1.Whatisgeothermalenergy?
1.2.Whatisabaseloadpowersource?Whatisadispatchablepowersource?
1.3.Howdoesaconventionalgeothermalpowerplantwork?
1.4.Howdogeothermalheatpumpswork?
1.5.Howdodirectuseapplicationswork?

Application

1.1.Whatisgeothermalenergy?
Heat has been radiating from the center of the Earth for some 4.5 billion years. At 6437.4 km (4,000 miles) deep, the center of the Earth
hoversaroundthesametemperaturesasthesun'ssurface,9932F(5,500C)(Figure1).Scientistsestimatethat42millionmegawatts(MW)
ofpowerflowfromtheEarthsinterior,primarilybyconduction
Geothermalenergyisarenewableresource.Oneofitsbiggestadvantagesisthatitisconstantlyavailable.Theconstantflowofheatfrom
theEarthensuresaninexhaustibleandessentiallylimitlesssupplyofenergyforbillionsofyearstocome.
TheNationalEnergyPolicyActof1992(Sec.1202)andthePacificNorthwestElectricPowerPlanningandConservationActof1980(Sec.
12H,839a(16),page84)bothdefinegeothermalenergyasarenewableresource.
Figure1:EarthsTemperatures

The uses of geothermal for heat and other purposes were indigenous practices across a variety of world cultures: The Maoris in New
ZealandandNativeAmericansusedwaterfromhotspringsforcookingandmedicinalpurposesforthousandsofyears.AncientGreeksand
Romans had geothermal heated spas. The people of Pompeii, living too close to Mount Vesuvius, tapped hot water from the earth to heat
their buildings. Romans used geothermal waters for treating eye and skin disease. The Japanese have enjoyed geothermal spas for
centuries.
Nersesian,page334
A viable geothermal system requires heat, permeability, and water. Developers explore a geothermal reservoir to test its potential for
developmentbydrillingandtestingtemperaturesandflowrates.
Rainwaterandsnowmeltfeedundergroundthermalaquifers(Figure2).Whenhotwaterorsteamistrappedincracksandporesunderalayer
ofimpermeablerock,itformsageothermalreservoir.
Figure2:TheFormationofaGeothermalReservoir

AttheLarderello,Italydrysteamfield,PrincePieroGinoriContifirstprovedtheviabilityofgeothermalpowerplanttechnologyin1904(Figure
3).Larderelloisstillproducingtoday.

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1.2.Whatisabaseloadpowersource?Whatisadispatchablepowersource?
A baseload power plant produces energy at a constant rate. In addition to geothermal, nuclear and coalfired plants are also baseload.
Becausetheenergyisconstant,itspoweroutputcanremainconsistentnearly24hoursaday,givinggeothermalenergyahighercapacity
factorthansolarorwindpower,whichmustwaitforthesuntoshineorthewindtoblow,respectively.Thismeansageothermalplantwitha
smallercapacitythanasolarorwindplantcanprovidemoreactual,deliveredelectricity.
Capacity and capacity factor essentially refer to the distinction between megawatts (MW) and megawatthours (MWh). MW is a unit of
powerortherateofdoingwork,whereasMWhisaunitofenergyortheamountofworkdone.OneMWhisequalto1MW(1millionwatts)
appliedovertheperiodofanhour.Ingeothermaldevelopment,onemegawattisroughlyequivalenttotheelectricityusedby1,000homes.
A geothermal plant can also be engineered to be firm, flexible, or load following, and otherwise support the needs of the grid. Most
geothermal plants being built now have adjustable dispatching capabilities. In addition to geothermal, natural gas is dispatchable. This
meansageothermalplantcanmeetfluctuatingneeds,suchasthosecausedbytheintermittencyofsolarandwindpower.
GEATheValues
1.3.Howdoesaconventionalgeothermalpowerplantwork?
Aftercarefulexplorationandanalysis,wellsaredrilledtobringgeothermalenergytothesurface,whereitisconvertedintoelectricity.Figure
4showsthegeothermalinstalledcapacityintheU.S.from1975to2012,separatedbytechnologytype.
Figure4:TotalU.S.GeothermalInstalledCapacitybyTechnology(MW)19752012

TheUSGShasdefinedmoderatetemperatureresourcesasthosebetween90Cand150C(194to302F),andhightemperaturegeothermal
systemsasthosegreaterthan150C.
Figures57depictthethreecommercialtypesofconventionalgeothermalpowerplants:flash,drysteam,andbinary.
In a geothermal flash power plant, high pressure separates steam from water in a steam separator (Figure 5) as the water rises and as
pressuredrops.Thesteamisdeliveredtotheturbine,andtheturbinethenpowersagenerator.Theliquidisreinjectedintothereservoir.
UnderonethirdoftheinstalledgeothermalcapacityintheU.S.iscomprisedofflashpowerplants,withthemajorityinCalifornia.
U.S.GeologicalSurvey
GEAAnnual2012,page7
Figure5:FlashPowerPlantDiagram,Photo:DixieValley,NV,FlashPlant

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Inageothermaldrysteampowerplant, steam alone is produced directly from the geothermal reservoir and is used to run the turbines that
power the generator (Figure 6). Because there is no water, the steam separator used in a flash plant is not necessary. Drysteam power
plantsaccountforapproximately50%ofinstalledgeothermalcapacityintheU.S.andarelocatedinCalifornia.
Figure6:DrySteamPlantDiagram,Photo:TheGeysers,CA,DrySteamPlant

In 1981 at a project in Imperial Valley, California, Ormat Technologies established the technical feasibility of the third conventional type of
largescale commercial geothermal power plant: binary. The project was so successful that Ormat repaid its loan to the Department of
Energy (DOE) within a year. Binary geothermal plants have made it possible to produce electricity from geothermal resources lower than
302F(150C).ThishasexpandedtheU.S.industrysgeographicalfootprint,especiallyinthelastdecade.
BinaryplantsuseanOrganicRankineCyclesystem,whichusesgeothermalwatertoheatasecondliquidthatboilsatalowertemperature
thanwater,suchasisobutaneorpentafluoropropane.Thisiscalledaworkingfluid(ormotivefluidinFigure7).Aheatexchangerseparates
thewaterfromtheworkingfluidwhiletransferringtheheatenergy.Whentheworkingfluidvaporizes,theforceoftheexpandingvapor,like
steam,turnstheturbinesthatpowerthegenerators.Thegeothermalwateristhenreinjectedinaclosedloop,separatingitfromgroundwater
sourcesandloweringemissionratesfurther(seesection5).MostnewgeothermalplantsunderdevelopmentintheU.S.arebinary.
GEAAnnual2012,page7
Figure7:BinaryPowerPlant,Photo:Burdett,NV,BinaryPowerPlant

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Hybridpowerplantsallowfortheintegrationofnumerousgeneratingtechnologies.InHawaii,thePunaflash/binarycombinedcycle system
optimizes both flash and binary geothermal technologies. Geothermal fluid is flashed to a mixture of steam and liquid in a separator. The
steamisfedtoaturbineasinaflashsteamgeneratorandtheseparatedliquidisfedtoabinarycyclegenerator(Figure8).
Figure8:Flash/BinaryPowerPlantDiagram,Photo:Puna,Hawaii,Flash/Binary

AnothertypeofhybridplantisEnelGreenPowerssolargeothermalplantinStillwater,Nevada.
1.4.Howdogeothermalheatpumpswork?
Animalsburrowundergroundforwarmthinthewinterandtoescapetheheatofthesummer.Thesamebasicprincipleofconstant,moderate
temperature in the subsurface is applied to geothermal heat pumps (GHPs). GHPs utilize average ground temperatures between 40and
70F.In1948,aprofessoratOhioStateUniversitydevelopedthefirstGHPforuseathisresidence.Agroundwaterheatpumpcameinto
commercialuseinOregonaroundthesametime.

AlsocalledageoexchangesystemorGroundSourceHeatPump.
GeothermalExchangeOrganization
U.S.DepartmentofEnergyAHistory
Figure9:GeothermalHeatPumpDiagram

GHPheatingandcoolingsystemscirculatewaterorotherliquidstopullheatfromtheEarththroughpipesinacontinuousloopthroughaheat
pumpandconventionalductsystem.Forcooling,theprocessisreversedthesystem extracts heat from the building and moves it back
intotheEarthloop.Theloopsystemcanbeusedalmosteverywhereintheworldatdepthsbelow10ftto300ft.GHPsareusedinall50
statesandareover45%moreenergyefficientthanstandardheatingandcoolingsystemoptions.

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Homeowners who install qualified GHPs are eligible for a 30% federal tax credit through December 31, 2016. They can be buried
convenientlyonapropertysuchasunderalandscapedarea,parkinglot,orpond,eitherhorizontallyorvertically(Figure9).AGHPsystem
canalsodirecttheheattoawaterheaterunitforhotwateruse.
U.S.EnvironmentalProtectionAgencyHeatPumps
1.5.Howdodirectuseapplicationswork?
Geothermalheatisuseddirectly,withoutapowerplantoraheatpump,forapplicationssuchasspaceheatingandcooling,foodpreparation,
hotspringbathingandspas(balneology),agriculture,aquaculture,greenhouses,snowmelting,andindustrialprocesses.Geothermaldirect
usesareappliedataquifertemperaturesbetween90Fand200F.
ExamplesofdirectuseapplicationsexistallacrosstheU.S.Boise,IdahosCapitolBuildingusesgeothermalfordirectheatingandcooling.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt frequented Georgias healing hot springs and founded the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for polio
treatmentin1927.AndtheCityofKlamathFalls,Oregonbeganpipinghotspringwatertohomesasearlyas1900.
Inatypicalgeothermaldirectuseconfiguration,geothermalwaterorsteamisaccessedandbroughttoaplateheatexchanger(Figure10).
New direct use projects in numerous states, including some on Indian reservations, are encouraged by the provisions of the Geothermal
SteamActAmendmentspassedbyCongressin2005(seesection4).
GeothermalExchangeOrganization
KlamathFalls,Cityof
Figure10:DirectUseGeothermalHeatingSystemConfiguration

Evenmoreinformation...
Wegotmanyofthediagramsshownherefromourfriendsathttp://geothermal.marin.org.
Formoreongeothermalheatinguses,visitwww.geoexchange.organdhttp://www.igshpa.okstate.edu.
Formoreinformationabouttheabovefourtypesofpowerplants,accessGEAsSurfaceTechnologyReport.
SeediscussionofEGSinsection3.
NextPage:CurrentUse

GEA>geothermalbasics>Basics

GeothermalEnergyAssociation,209PennsylvaniaAvenueSE,Washington,DC20003.Telephone:(202)4545261.Fax:(202)4545265

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