AIMS 1, To show that geothermal energy can in many cases be used to generate eect, ‘hat there are vaiousrypes of conventional povrer plant that can operste with ‘geothermal fui, and thatthe plants designed and constracted specifically for geothermal ‘uids have now been thoroughly ted and ‘ested and that their efcency i saisfctory 2, To.show that lewiy of geothermal ‘origin com be compete compared to lectcty produced from conventional fuels, provided thc we are well aware of the ‘particular characterises ofthis form of, nergy and its consents 23, To provide abroad overview ofthe main technical and economic characterises of geothermal generating plans OBJECTIVES ‘When you have completed thls chapter you should be abl to: 1. Discuss the general concepss of geothermal powerplants 2. Describe the basic technical features of the plane ype considered = atmospheric exhaust conventional steam turbine = condensing exhaust convenional team. turbine = binary plant ~ biphase roy sepamtorrurboalterator. 13. Give indicative costs and scheduling ‘information for geothermal power plants 44 Discuss the main economic elements relevent geothermal plants and the associated power planning aspecs. “The approach taken in preparing this chapter ‘sto provide only the basic techies! background ofthe plant types. Emphases ‘een pled on dealing the economic and technical eharatristis that inuence the choice of en appropriate pantn-- able 2.1 Expected manufacture and erection mes for @ ‘peal well-hesd development ‘oa ad 7 : (oo) mosphere trast 30) 9 i. 5 tmogpharie “4 cia (wy 10 : : ats malncained aa very low absolute pressure, ypically ‘out 0.10 bars, Because ofthe greater pressure drop across ‘condensing urine, approximately twice as much power as ith an atmospheric exhaost turbine is generated from a -ven steam flow, at typical inlet conditions. However, the un of s condenser and the asociated cooling towers 1d pumping equipment significantly increases the cost of ve toral plant. In adition, power consumption is required or the main cooling water purnps and cooling cower fans, ‘ah total station aussary power consumption being typi- ally approximately 4.6 per cent ofthe gross generation. the reason the exhaust steam must be condensed is that an pactcal amount of work would be required to pump the tld from the low pressure conditions inthe condenser ik ‘ere not frst convered tothe liquid state. A simplified ‘hematic of @ condensing steam turbine plant is shown igure 23. ‘The maximum siz ofa rurbinetsimlted by the ls-stage lade length, which traditionally used eo be limited t0 2prosimutely G60 um, but ia wecent years Tew bee ‘tended upto 765 mm fora 50 Hz machine. The steam pro- tucion pressures appropriate for geothermal generation are ‘playin the ange of 3 barat 15 bara (see Hudson, 1988, eo for technical dscusson of separator and turbine inlet pres- sure optimization), which is considerably lower than fora {oss uel-ied thermal power plant. Because ofthe relatively low density of steam at these pressures, and the limiting length of the last-sage blades, the maximum capacity of geothermal condensing carbines was typlcally limited 10 55. 0 60 MW fora dovble-flow turbine with 660m lst-sage Dledes. However, machines of LIOMW capacity have recently been mannfscrured (for example, Wayang Windu Unit 1), using a turbine inlet pressure of 10bara and 765 mn ls-stage blades. This maximum capacity fs consid erably smaller than avetlable for Tosilfuel-ied thermal ‘units, which are commenly 600 101,000 MW, and limits the ‘economy of scale that canbe achieved fo Increased unt size with geothermal units “Turbine staes less chan approximately 35 MW, atypical turbine saler pressures of approximately 6.5 bara, would generally be singlelow machines (¢he steam flows in only ‘one direction) and mounted at ground level with an over- head exhaust duct to an adjacent ground-level condenser. Double-low machines would generally be mounted on at clevated pedestal with an underhung condenser. The fen- ‘topic efficiency for geothermal turbine would typically ‘ange between 8] and 85 percent, wih a turbine generator mechanical efficiency 0f 96.3 per cent, ‘The 55 MW doublelow turbine became somewhat of a industry semdard during the 1980s and early 1990s, A dia- ram ofthe Ansaldo 55 MW double-fow machine is shown, In Figure 2.6, and this is typical ofthe standard approach of the botom-entzy steam pipework and underhung condenser tat fecal wed ‘A more comprehensive process schematic for a geo thermal condensing unit(s shown in Figure 2.7 and wl be ‘used to discuss som of the pertinent features ofthe cyle iva gure 2.5 Condensing cycle simplified schematic Figure 2.6 Ansaldo 55 MW double‘low geothermal rurbine iectitycencation ED Figure 2.7 Condensing eye process echematc Condenser ‘As there sno need to recover the condensate for reuse inthe process cycle, direct contact condensers are generally used forcondensing the curbine exhaust steam. These incomporate bbanks of spray nozzles through which cooling water is assed inorder to condense the stm. The condensed stam smd cooling water are mixed together in the condenser and ‘pumped dre to the cooling tower for recirculation. The moun of fd being aded to the cooling water by stars condensation typically exceeds that being lost by cooling ‘ower evaporation and drift los, and generally there wil be 4 requirement to dispose of, ypically, approximately 20 per ‘ent of the turbine steam flow as condense blowdown. The et addition of uid to the cooling iru, however, avoids the need for continuous cooling water make-up, as Is ‘equired for convenconal thermal plants (to compensate for ‘evaporation los and the blowdown flow required to main- ‘ain water quali). In order to reduce the amount of non-condensable gas hat dissolves in the cooling water, and also to employ more tHlectve counterlow heat exchange, the las part of the con- ‘densaton process is undertaken ina separate go5-cooling zone where the steam and gas flow are directed vertically upwards Typically, approximately 10 per cent ofthe steam wll be condensed inthe gs cooling zone, equitng approx- ‘mately 1 percent of the total coling water low, snd there- fore only this relatively smal proportion ofthe cooling waver flow will be exposed to the very high non-condensible gas Dart pressures (which are the driving force for dissolving the gas in the water) tha wil apply atthe end ofthe con- densaton path, ‘Where non-condensable gas content Is high, and envi= ronmental regulations require a bydrogen sulfide (HS) abatement system to be employed, «surateshelland.tube ‘condenser will gneraly be used. The condensed seam is ‘sill generally mixed in wit the reieulating cooling water, after being separately pumped from the condenser; bowerer, thie arrangement minimizes the amount of non-condensable {gs that dissolves inthe cooling water ome of which would be relessed to the atmosphere during passage of the water