Geothermal Power Plant

Geothermal power plants are used in order to generate electricity by the use of geothermal

energy (the Earth's internal thermal energy). They essentially work the same as a coal or nuclear power
plant, the main difference being the heat source. With geothermal, the Earth's heat replaces the boiler of a
coal plant or the reactor of a nuclear plant.
Geothermal power plants use hydrothermal resources that have both water (hydro) and heat
(thermal). Geothermal power plants require high-temperature (300°F to 700°F) hydrothermal resources
that come from either dry steam wells or from hot water wells. People use these resources by drilling
wells into the earth and then piping steam or hot water to the surface. The hot water or steam powers a
turbine that generates electricity. Some geothermal wells are as much as two miles deep.
Hot water or steam is extracted from the Earth through a series of wells and feeds the power
plant. In most geothermal plants the water pulled up from the ground is returned back to the subsurface.
The rate of water used is often larger than the rate of water returned, so make-up water supplies are
generally needed.
Parts of a Geothermal Power Plant
1. The geothermal vent is the first component of a geothermal plant. A geothermal vent is a deep
well drilled into the Earth that the power plant uses to tap into the Earth’s heat. A geothermal plant
may have two goals for its vent; most current geothermal plants draw superheated, pressurized
water upward; these are called flash steam plants. Geothermal plants may also simply dig far
enough underground, as many as three kilometers, to reach a point where the Earth is warm
enough to boil water, these are called dry steam vents.
2. Steam Generator. Another key component of a geothermal plant is the steam production unit,
which can take multiple forms. In a flash steam vent, superheated pressurized water is drawn from
its place underground to low-pressure tanks. The pressure of the Earth kept the water in liquid
form despite its high temperature, and by removing that pressure the hot water instantly turns to
steam, hence the term flash steam. In a dry steam plant, the plant technicians pump water to the
bottom of the vent where the Earth’s heat boils the water and turns it into steam.

.
3. Turbine Regardless of the plant type, both flash steam and dry steam plants pump the steam
from the geothermal vent to a large turbine. The steam passes this turbine, turning it in the process.
This turbine is attached to an electric generator, and as the turbine turns the generator turns the
mechanical energy into electric energy, thus converting the heat from the Earth into usable
electricity.
4. Condenser. After the steam passes through the turbine, it continues to a condenser chamber. This
chamber condenses the steam back into liquid water by cooling it. The excess heat lost as the
steam turns to liquid water may be used for other applications, such as heating or greenhouse
farming. The cooled liquid water is then typically pumped back into the ground to either restart the
boiling process for dry steam or to replenish the natural heated aquifer for flash steam plants.
Types
1. Dry steam power plant – the oldest and simplest type of geothermal used. Geothermal reservoir
containing pure steam is required. Pure dry steam drives the turbine. Very rare type of geothermal
power plant. It use steam directly from a geothermal reservoir to turn generator turbines. 
2. Flash cycle steam power plant –commonly used geothermal power plant. Geothermal reservoirs
containing both hot and steam is required. Pressure changing system is required. It takes high-
pressure hot water from deep inside the earth and convert it to steam to drive generator turbines.
When the steam cools, it condenses to water and is injected back into the ground to be used again.
Most geothermal power plants are flash steam plants. The hot water is pumped under great
pressure to the surface. When it reaches the surface the pressure is reduced and as a
result some of the water changes to steam.
3. Binary cycle power plant –do not use steam directly to spin turbines. Only the heat from the
underground water is used. Vapourized hydrocarbons are used to spin the turbine. Hydrocarbons
having lower boiling point such as isopentane isobutene, and propane can be used. No harmful gas
is emitted to the atmosphere because the underground water is never disclosed to outside. This is
the worldwide accepted power plant. It transfers the heat from geothermal hot water to another
liquid. The heat causes the second liquid to turn to steam, which is used to drive a generator
turbine.

Dry Steam plants Flash cycle steam plants Binary Cycle Plants
Definition of Terms:

1. Magma – molten metal within the earth which is basically nickel-iron in composition whose
stored energy heats the surrounding water thereby producing steam or hot water.
2. Well-Bore Product – the effluent coming out from the geothermal well as produced after drilling.
This can be purely steam or hot water, or a mixture of both.
3. Steam-dominated geothermal field – refers to a geothermal plant with its well producing all
steam as the well-bore product.
4. Liquid-dominated geothermal field – the well-bore product for this type of field is practically all
hot water, pressurized.
5. Fumarole – a crack in the earth through which the geothermal substances passes.

Sources of Geothermal power Plant

1. Hot spring - a discharge of hot (>35–40°C) water from a vent at the Earth’s surface.
2. Steam vent - A bimetal-operated air vent that allows air to leave steam piping and radiators, but
closes when steam strikes the surface. 
3. Geyser – a  hot spring characterized by intermittent, turbulent discharges of boiling water and
steam. A hole in the ground from which hot water and steam come out. It is a hot spring in which
water intermittently boils, sending a tall column of water and steam into the air.

Hot springs and geysers also are manifestations of volcanic activity. They result from the interaction
of groundwater with magma or with solidified but still-hot igneous rocks at shallow depths.
Performance of Flashed-Steam Geothermal Plant

The T-S Diagram

1
2 3
6

5 4

mg = mass flow rate of ground water

ms = mass flow rate of steam entering turbine
mw = mass of cooling water requirement

Throttling process (1-2)

h1 = h2 = (hf + x hfg)2
where: x = quality after throttling
Mass flow rate of steam entering the turbine: Mass flow rate of steam and ground
water
ms = x(mg)
Turbine Output = ms (h3- h4) ŋt
ŋt = turbine efficiency

Generator output = ms (h3- h4) ŋt ŋ e

ŋ e = generator efficiency

Heat rejected in the condenser = ms (h4- h5)

Turbine output
Overall Plant Efficiency = m g h1

Condenser cooling water requirement; mw

ms (h 4−h5 )
mw = mass of cooling water requirement = C (t −t )
p 2 1
Assign:
1. A flashed-steam geothermal powerplant is located where underground hot water is
available at 15MPa and 300℃ . To produce a steam-water mixture in the separator
where the unflashed water is removed, this water is throttled to a pressure of 1MPa.
The flashed steam which is dry ad saturated passes through the steam collector and
enters the turbine at 1MPa and expands to 1atm. The turbine efficiency is 80% and
the generator efficiency is 95%. For a generator output of 12MW, calculate the
ground water flow rate in kg/hr required for continuous operation. Note: at 15MPa
and 300℃ , h= 1337.3 KJ/kg, s = 3.2260; at 1MPa, hf=762.81, hfg= 2015.3,
hg=2778.1, sg=6.5865. Answer: 512,870 kg/hr

2. A liquid dominated geothermal power plant with a single flash separator receives
water at 204℃ . The separator pressure is 1.04MPa. A direct contact condenser
operates at 0.034MPa. The turbine has a polytropic efficiency of 0.75. For a cycle
output of 50MW, what is the mass flow rate of the well-water in kg/s? Note: at
204℃ , hf=870.51 KJ/kg; at 1.04MPa, hf=770.38, hfg=2009.2, hg=2779.6, sg=6.5729;
at 0.034MPa, hf=301.40, hfg=2328.8, sf=09793, sfg=6.7463. answer: 2444
3. A liquid dominated geothermal plant with a single flash separator receives water at
250℃ . The separator pressure is 1.2MPa. The condenser operates at 0.030MPa. The
turbine has a polytropic efficiency of 80%. For a cycle output of 40MW, what is
mass flow rate of the well-water in kg/sec? answer: 591.34

Steam properties:
At 250℃ , h = 1085.36 KJ/kg
At 1.2MPa, hf =798.65 KJ/kg, hfg = 1986.2KJ/kg, hg=2784.8, sf=2.2166, sfg=4.3067
At 0.030MPa, hf=289.23 KJ/kg, hfg=2336.1 KJ/kg, sf=0.9439, sfg=6.8247