GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

A
Seminar
On

“GEOTHERMAL ENERGY”
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements
for Diploma in Mechanical Engineering

By

Mr. Vaghode Pratik Maroti

(Roll No: 192257)
Third Year Mechanical Engg. (Div. B)

Under the Guidance of

Prof. D. V. Dabhade

Department of Mechanical Engineering

(NBA Accredited for 6 Years)

Government Polytechnic, Nashik

(An Academically Autonomous Institute of Govt. of Maharashtra)

Academic Year 2021-22

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GOVERNMENT POLYTECHNIC NASHIK

(An Academically Autonomous Institute of Govt. of Maharashtra)

Samangaon Road, Nasik Road, Nashik- 422 101 (MS)

Web www.gpnashik.ac.in, Phone (0253)2461221

Email: info@gpnashik.com, Web: www.gpnashik.com, Phone (0253)2461221, Fax: (0253)2450236

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the Seminar entitled as ‘GEOTHERMAL ENERGY’ has been
successfully completed by Mr. Vaghode Pratik Maroti of Third Year Mechanical
Engineering- Div. A (Roll No. 192257) in partial fulfillment of requirements of Diploma in
Mechanical Engineering from Government Polytechnic, Nashik during academic year 2021-
22.

Prof. D. V. Dabhade Prof. R. N. Khadse

Guide Head of Dept.

Prof. D. P. Nathe
Principal

Date:
Place: Nashik

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Acknowledgement

It gives me an immense pleasure to submit this seminar report on ‘GEOTHERMAL

ENERGY’. I tried my level best to present this topic into compact and to the point framework.

I wish to express my sincere thanks with profound gratitude to my guide Prof. D. V. Dabhade
for his valuable guidance and constant encouragement without which it would have been
impossible for me to present and complete this seminar successfully.

I would like to extend my sincere and true thanks to my HoD, Prof. R. N. Khadse for the
facilities provided to me.

I thank all the staff members of the department for the cooperation extended to me

I am extremely grateful to Principal, Prof. D. P. Nathe.

Let me not forget to thank all my friends for their assistance and help.

It is my pleasant privilege to express my sincere gratitude to my beloved parents, without their

blessings I would not be here at this stage of my life.

Above all, I thank Almighty for everything I have received in my life

Apologies to those whose help is not acknowledged.

Mr. Vaghode Pratik Maroti

Roll No. : 192257
III Year, Mech. Engg.
Govt. Polytechnic, Nashik

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Abstract

Electricity is produced by geothermal in 24 countries, five of which obtain 15-22% of their

national electricity production from geothermal energy. Direct application of gen

thermal energy (for heating, bathing etc.) has been reported by 72 countries. By the end of
2004, the worldwide use of geothermal energy was 57 TWh/yr of electricity and 76 TWh/yr
for direct use. Ten developing countries are among the top fifteen countries in op of the latter
li geothermal electricity production. Six developing countries are among the top fifteen
countries reporting direct use. China is at the top e r list. I It is considered possible to increase
the ins-talled world geothermal electricity capacity from the current 10 GW to 70 GW with
present technology, and to 140 GW with enhanced technology. Enhanced Geothermal Systems,
which are still at the experimental level, have enormous potential for primary energy recovery
using new heat-exploitation technology to extract and utilise the Earth's stored thermal energy.
Present investment cost in geothermal power stations is 2-4.5 million euro/MWe, and the
generation cost 40-100 euro/MWh. Direct use of geothermal energy for heating is also
commercially competitive with con ventional energy sources. Scenarios for future development
show only a moderate increase in traditional direct use applications of geothermal resources,
but an exponential increase is foreseen in the heat pump sector, as geothermal heat pumps can
be used for heating and/or cooling in most parts of the world. CO2 emission from geothermal
power plants in high-temperature fields is about 120 g/kWh (weighted average of 85% of the
world power plant capacity). Geothermal heat pumps driven by fossil fuelled electricity reduce
the CO2 emis-sion by at least 50% compared with fossil fuel fired boilers. If the dectricity that
drives the geothermal heat pump is produced from a renewable energy source like hydropower
or geothermal energy the emission savings are up to 100%.

Geothermal energy is available day and night every day of the year and can thus serve y sources
which are only available intermittently. Renewable as a suppleres can contribute significantly
more to the mitigation of climate change by energy sources cooperating than by competing.

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INDEX

Chapter Chapter Name Page

Nos. Nos.
1 Introduction 6-7
2 History of Geothermal Energy 8-9

3 How Geothermal Energy Works 10-11

4 Geothermal Power Plant 12

4.1 Dry Steam Power Plant 13

4.2 Flash Steam Power Plant 13
4.3 Binary Steam Power Plant 14
4.4 Hybrid Power 15
5 Geothermal Energy Benefits 16-17

6 Advantages of Geothermal Energy 18-19

7 Disadvantages of Geothermal Energy 20

8 Enviromental Effects 21

9 Characteristics and Applications of 22

Geothermal Energy

10 Geothermal Energy Costs 23-24

11 Conclusion 25

References 26
•

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1. INTRODUCTION

Geothermal energy is the energy that lies within the earth. It is one of the most
renewable sources of energy which is never going to extinct and can be found
almost anywhere - as far away as remote deep wells or may be closer to your
home.
Energy inside the earth is never going to deplete and will remain as a source of
heat, for millions and millions of years and we can harness that energy that is
going to be cheaper and can help us to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels
and global warming and public health issues that result from their use.
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%). The geothermal
gradient, which is the difference in temperature between the core of the planet
and its surface, drives a continuous conduction of thermal energy in the form of
heat from the core to the surface.
At the core of the Earth, thermal energy is created by radioactive decay and
temperatures may reach over 5000 degrees Celsius (9,000 degrees Fahrenheit).
Heat conducts from the core to surrounding cooler rock. The high temperature
and pressure cause some rock to melt, creating magma convection upward since
it is lighter than the solid rock. The magma heats rock and water in the crust,
sometimes up to 370 degrees Celsius (700 degrees Fahrenheit).
Worldwide, about 10,715 megawatts (MW) of geothermal power is online in 24
countries. An additional 28 gigawatts of direct geothermal heating capacity is
installed for district heating, space heating, industrial processes, desalination
and agricultural applications.
Geothermal power is cost effective, reliable, sustainable, and environmentally
friendly, but has historically been limited to areas near tectonic plate
boundaries. Recent technological advances have dramatically expanded the
range and size of viable resources, especially for applications such as home
heating, opening a potential for widespread exploitation. Geothermal wells
release greenhouse gases trapped deep within the earth, but these emissions are
much lower per energy unit than those of fossil fuels. As a result, geothermal
power has the potential to help mitigate global warming if widely deployed in
place of fossil fuels.
Geothermal energy works by drilling holes in the Underground river and
extraction of groundwater to the surface. Once at the surface this hot water is
circulated through pipes over an additional pipe containing a fluid that has a
lower boiling point.
This low boiling point means that the steam will be capable of powering
turbines to produce electricity. After the couple used to drive turbines,
condensed and recycled back into the system.

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Recirculation of liquid water means that geothermal energy is a renewable

energy source and produce low emissions. Geothermal energy produce few
emissions harmful gases as the water contains small quantities of nitric acid,
sulphur and other contaminants that causes low pollution. However, the amount
released is less than 1% of carbon emitted or other conventional energy sources.
There are many advantages of geothermal energy. It is pure: geothermal energy
plants do not have to burn fuel to produce steam turbines, which will help
conserve and reduce consumption of non-renewable fossil fuels, which in turn
reduces emissions of greenhouse gases. Moreover, geothermal plants use less
land per megawatt than almost any other kind of energy that does not damage
the environment through dams and mining.

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2. HISTORY OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

History says that the first use of geothermal energy occurred more than 10,000
years ago in North America by American Paleo-Indians. People used water
from hot springs for cooking, bathing and cleaning.

The first industrial use of geothermal energy began near Pisa, Italy in late 18th
century.
In 1904, Italian scientist Piero-Ginori Conti invented the first geothermal
electric power plant in which steam was used to generate the power. With the
above experiment, the first geothermal plant in USA started in 1922 with a
capacity of 250 kilowatts. It produced little output and due to technical glitch
had to be shut down. However, in 1946 first ground-source geothermal heat
pump installed at Commonwealth Building in Portland, Oregon. Today there are
more than 60 geothermal power plants operating in USA at 18 sites across the
country
In 1973, when oil crisis began many countries began looking for renewable
energy sources and by 1980'sgeothermal heat pumps (GHP) started gaining
popularity in order to reduce heating and cooling costs.
As effect of climate change started showing results, governments of various
countries joined hands to fight against it, for which Kyoto Protocol was signed
in Japan in 1997, laid out emission targets for rich countries and required that
they transfer funds and technology to developing countries, 184 countries have
ratified it.

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Geothermal power today supplies less than 1% of the world's energy, needs but
it is expected to supply 10-20% of world's energy requirement by 2050.
Geothermal power plants today are operating in about 20 countries which are
actively visited by earthquakes and volcanoes.
The International Geothermal Association (IGA) has reported that 10,715
megawatts (MW) of geothermal power in 24 countries is online, which is
expected to generate 67,246 GWh of electricity at present. This represents a
20% increase in online capacity since 2005. IGA projects growth to 18,500 MW
by 2015. In 2010, the United States led the world in geothermal electricity
production with 3,086 MW of installed capacity from 77 power plants. The
largest group of geothermal power plants in the world is located at The Geysers,
a geothermal field in California.The Philippines is the second highest producer,
with 1,904 MW of capacity online. Geothermal power makes up approximately
18% of Philippine electricity generation.

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3. HOW GEOTHERMAL ENERGY WORKS

Our planet, Earth, is covered with the thick outer shell called crust, which
is made up of many different rock layers and plates whose components keeps on
shifting and changing. Under Earth's crust, there is a layer of hot and molten
rock called magma. Heat is continually produced there, mostly from the decay
of naturally radioactive materials such as uranium and potassium.

The amount within the earth's surface contains 50,000 times more energy
than all the oil and natural gas resources in the world. So, due to extreme heat
inside the earth these rocks start developing cracks and release energy in the
form of water or heat on to the earth's surface.

Geothermal power plant

To get that heat, water is pumped down an "injection well". Then it filters
through the cracks in the rocks where they are at a high temperature. The water
then returns via the "recovery well" under pressure in the form of steam. That
steam is captured and is used to drive electric generators.

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How much geothermal energy can be useful depends on several factors

for e.g.: location, how hot the water gets, the rocks inside the earth and amount
of water pumped into the area. If the rocks are not hot enough or cool down
naturally this presents a problem for geothermal power stations.

The areas with the highest underground temperatures are in regions with
active or geologically young volcanoes and these hot spots occur where the
crust is thin and can let the heat through. The Pacific Rim, often called the Ring
of Fire for its many volcanoes, has many hot spots, including some in Alaska,
California, and Oregon.

Nevada has hundreds of hot spots, covering much of the northern part of
the state. For this reason geothermal power stations can be found in Italy, New
Zealand, Iceland, Japan, the Philippines and the United States. These are all
areas that contain volcanic rock.

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4. GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANT

The earth's crust is a rich source of energy and fossil fuels are only part of
the story. Thermal energy or heat is stored deep inside the earth. To put it in
perspective, the heat in the upper ten kilometres of the Earth's crust is 50000
times the energy of all oil and gas reserves in the world!

The word "geothermal" literally means "Earth" plus "heat. Geothermal

Resources is the largest source of energy worldwide and used by people for
centuries. This is a renewable resource and can be produced over and over again
for years to come since earth has abundant amount of heat energy stored inside
it, therefore it will not disrupt the ecological balance of our planet. Geothermal
operating around the world is proof that the heat inside the earth is easily
converted to electricity in geologically active areas.

Deep underground there are rivers just like on the surface. They are really
hot, as the magma is close to the river or around them, warming the surface of
the rock. Geothermal plants are reliable and can be used 24 hours a day, every
day of the year. Because geothermal power plant sits on top of the fuel source,
they are less prone to the interventions in the production of electricity due to
weather, natural disasters or issues of transport; therefore it is ideal for
developing countries.

There four three types of geothermal steam plants depending on the way the
energy is generated:

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4.1 Dry Steam Power Plant

The first is the dry steam power plant which is used to generate power directly
from the steam generated inside the earth. In this case, we do not need
additional heating boilers and boiler fuel, as steam or water vapour fill the wells
through rock catcher and directly rotates the turbine, which activates a generator
to produce electricity. This type of power plant is not common since natural
hydrothermal reservoirs dry steams are very rare.

Dry Steam Power Plant

4.2 Flash Steam Power Plant

The most common type of geothermal power plant, flash steam plants use
waters at temperatures greater than 360F. As this hot water flows up through
wells in the ground, it is collected in a flash tank where drop in pressure causes
the liquid to boil into steam. The steam is separated from the liquid which is
then used to run turbines which in turn generate power. The condensed steam is
returned to the reservoir.

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Flash Steam Power Plant

4.3 Binary Steam Power Plant

This type of plant uses high temperature geothermal water to heat another fluid
which has a lower boiling point than water. This fluid vaporizes to steam, drives
the turbines, then condenses to liquid to begin the cycle again. The water, which
never comes into direct contact with the working fluid, is then injected back into
the ground to be reheated. Since the most resources are with lower temperature
the binary steam power plants are more common

Binary Steam Power Plant

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4.4 Hybrid Power

Some geothermal fields produce boiling water as Well as steam, which are also
used in power generation. In this system of power generation, the flashed and
binary systems are combined to make use of both steam and hot water.
Efficiency of hybrid power plants is however less than that of the dry steam
plan.

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5. GEOTHERMAL ENERGY BENEFITS

Geothermal energy is renewable energy source and will continue to produce

energy for over several years since it's available in abundant at few selected
areas where volcanic activity takes place.

Below are few facts that many of you don't know. So, just have a look at them
and see how wind energy can become as the major source of power generation
if it is harnessed up to its potential.

1. Geothermal energy is the renewable source of energy because energy is

produced continuously inside the earth.

2. Geothermal energy is clean and safe and today supplies less than 10% of
world energy.

3. Geothermal energy has been in existence of over 100 years (since ancient
times) when people used to harness it for taking bath, heating homes, cooking
food etc.

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4. The positioning of geothermal power stations is greatly affected by

geological activity. Areas with active volcanoes and earthquakes are most
suitable to extract geothermal energy.

5. Geothermal energy can be found in the form of volcanoes, hot springs and
geysers.

6. Basically three types of geothermal plants to extract energy from beneath the
earth: Dry steam, Flash steam, and Binary power plant.

7. Geothermal energy is used for heating homes and offices, generate power,
grow plants in greenhouses, under roads and sidewalks to prevent ice formation.
8. Geothermal energy is one of the greatest sources of energy available on the
planet but due the geological reasons, we are not able to harness the energy
everywhere.

9. Geothermal energy has very low emissions of greenhouse gases and the other
gases that are produced during the process of extraction are not harmful to the
environment.

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6. ADVANTAGES OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

As our reliance on fossil fuels have started to increase, geothermal energy is

seen as the new source of power generation by digging out the heat stored inside
the earth. Though not used fully due to factors such as location and high costs
but in the years to come when fossil fuels would start to diminish, it will turn
out to be the cheapest source of power generation. Geothermal energy suffers
from its own advantages and disadvantages as described below.

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

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these clean sources of energy. Burning of fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases
which are responsible for global warming.

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.

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7. DISVANTAGES OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

Energy created from geothermal power is safe, clean, simple, and reliable and
environment friendly as it is extracted from deep within the earth’s surface. But
despite these advantages, geothermal energy is not being used widely.
Geothermal energy suffers from its disadvantages as described below.

1. Not Widespread Source of Energy: Since this type of energy is not widely
used therefore the unavailability of equipment, staff, infrastructure, and 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.

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.

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 cannot 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.

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8. ENVIROMENTAL EFFECTS

Fluids drawn from the deep earth carry a mixture of gases, notably carbon
dioxide (CO2), hydrogen sulphide (H2S), methane (CH4) and ammonia(NH3).
These pollutants contribute to global warming, acid rain, and noxious smells if
released. Existing geothermal electric plants emit an average of 122 kilograms
(270 lb) of CO2 per megawatt-hour (MW·h) of electricity, a small fraction of
the emission intensity of conventional fossil fuel plants.[43] Plants that
experience high levels of acids and volatile chemicals are usually equipped with
emission-control systems to reduce the exhaust.
In addition to dissolved gases, hot water from geothermal sources may
hold in solution trace amounts of toxic elements such as mercury,arsenic, boron,
and antimony.[44] These chemicals precipitate as the water cools, and can cause
environmental damage if released. The modern practice of injecting cooled
geothermal fluids back into the Earth to stimulate production has the side
benefit of reducing this environmental risk.
Geothermal has minimal land and freshwater requirements. Geothermal
plants use 3.5 square kilometres (1.4 sq mi) per gigawatt of electrical production
(not capacity) versus 32 square kilometres (12 sq mi) and 12 square kilometres
(4.6 sq mi) for coal facilities and wind farms respectively. They use 20 litres
(5.3 US gal) of freshwater per MW·h versus over 1,000 litres (260 US gal) per
MW·h for nuclear, coal, or oil.

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9. CHARACTERISTICS AND APPLICATIONS OF

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

Geothermal energy is an enormous, underused heat and power resource that is

clean (emits little or no greenhouse gases), reliable (average system availability
of 95%), and home grown (making us less dependent on foreign oil).
Geothermal resources range from shallow ground to hot water and rock several
miles below the Earth's surface, and even farther down to the extremely hot
molten rock called magma. Mile-or-more-deep wells can be drilled into
underground reservoirs to tap steam and very hot water that can be brought to
the surface for use in a variety of applications.

The general characteristics of geothermal energy that make it of

significant importance for both electricity production and direct use include:

• Extensive global distribution; it is accessible to both developed and

developing countries.
• Environmentally friendly nature; it has low emission of sulphur, CO2 and
other greenhouse gases.
• Indigenous nature; it is independent of external supply and demand
effects and fluctuations in exchange rates.
• Independence of weather and season.
• Contribution to the development of diversified power sources.

Geothermal energy can be used very effectively in both on- and off-grid
developments, and is especially useful in rural electrification schemes.

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10. GEOTHERMAL ENERGY COST

Geothermal energy is the clean energy and has enormous potential in

fulfilling the energy needs for some of the countries. Geothermal energy does
not produce waste or generate greenhouse gases and is actually free which
means it costs nothing. Since it is the heat contained inside the earth and that
heat will be produced for long period of time even when non-renewable
resources would start to diminish.

However, to harness that energy comes with the price tag, since you need
some method to extract that energy from inside the earth. The most common
method to extract that energy is through the use of geothermal power plant. The
other method which is mostly used by residential households is by the use of
underground pipes. The investment costs, mainly in drilling and equipment of
the pipes accompanied by the cost of the pump.
The main factors which can influence the decision for the use of
geothermal energy are geographical exploration to identify a suitable site,
development of the site, construction of the power plant, hire skilled
professionals who can operate the plant and transfer skilled manpower to those
locations. Other factors which also come into the picture are cost to the
environment, operation and maintenance.
If you are a residential consumer, the main costs associated with it are
labour, fitting of long pipes under the ground. However that cost can soon be
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recovered within few years with the advantages that it offers in the long term.
Homes can have residential solar powered systems that supply both heat and
energy, along with a geothermal heating system.
If compared this cost to the installation of heating system that uses fuel or
and any other energy source, that cost of installing and maintaining a
geothermal heating system may cost more by a significant amount. But, once
the system is installed the costs associated with the geothermal heating systems
are much less than other heating systems.
Governments of various countries offer incentives and rebates to
residential as well as industries to make use of geothermal energy where it is
possible to harness that energy. Everyone pays huge bills to heat or cool their
homes that have long winters or hot an humid summers. Then cost of
geothermal energy can easily recovered in the long term advantages that will
accrue to the customer. Geothermal energy offers a great solution to high energy
bills. With this, your dependence on the fossil fuels will be decreased and you
will help in making this world pollution free.

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11. CONCLUSION

Geothermal power can become a valuable source of energy if properly

harnessed. Continued energy shortages have created added interest in
geothermal energy for both power generation and direct applications. The
technology is expensive and it is necessary that for real breakthrough the cost be
reduced substantially.
It is concluded by the Geologist that there are more than one type of
geothermal energy. The most common type is the hydrothermal energy.
Different methods must be used to determine the existence of geothermal
reservoirs and its type. The detection process may be expensive as it requires
drilling up of wells and testing temperatures deep underground but once the
plant is set up it can serve as an outstanding source of renewable energy. So it is
very important for all countries to look for availability of geothermal resources
in their territory. As proper utilization of geothermal energy can greatly enhance
a nation’s net production of electrical energy or in other words can significantly
reduce the consumption of fossil fuels used up by conventional methods of
producing electrical energy.
Development of geothermal energy has some implications on the
environment. Environmental problems associated geothermal developments are
physical disturbance of site, noise, disposal, groundwater contamination, by
fluids and air pollution especially by hydrogen sulphide.
Additional and often less manageable problems relate to serious social,
economic and institutional impacts that generally accompany large scale
geothermal development. Which follows as a result of low cost geothermal
power development plans should include careful ground work to mitigate
impact on areas with geothermal resources.

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REFERENCES

• http://www.nrel.gov/clean_energy.html

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

• http://www.renewableoil.com/pages/applications.html

• www.google.com

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