IM11. Geothermal Power Plant

Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY

Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya
INSTRUCTIONAL MODULE
IM No.: ME21-1S-2021-2022
College: COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Campus: BAMBANG CAMPUS
DEGREE Bachelor of Science in COURSE NO. ME 21

PROGRAM Mechanical Engineering
SPECIALIZATION COURSE TITLE Power Plant Engineering
th
YEAR LEVEL 4 Year TIME FRAME 6 hrs WK NO. 13 IM NO. 11
I. UNIT TITLE/CHAPTER TITLE: Geothermal Power Plant
II. LESSON TITLE:
1. Introduction
2 Types of Geothermal Power Plant
3. Example problems
III. LESSON OVERVIEW: This module gives the students an understanding on the working principle,
types, and performance evaluation of geothermal power plant.
IV. DESIRED LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. Discuss the working principle of a geothermal power plant

4. Evaluate the performance of a geothermal power plant.
V. LESSON CONTENT:
1. INTRODUCTION
We live between two great sources of energy, the hot rocks beneath the surface of the earth and the
sun in the sky. Our ancestors knew the value of geothermal energy; they bathed and cooked in hot
springs. Today we have recognized that this resource has potential for much broader application.
The term geothermal comes geo meaning earth and thermal meaning heat. Heat from the Earth, or
geothermal from the Greek — Geo (Earth) + thermal (heat) — energy can be and already is accessed
by drilling water or steam wells in a process similar to drilling for oil.
The core of the earth is very hot, and it is possible to make use of this geothermal energy. These are
areas where there are volcanoes, hot springs, and geysers, and methane under the water in the
oceans and seas. In some countries, such as in the USA water is pumped from underground hot water
deposits and used to heat people’s houses.
2. TYPES OF GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANT
2.1. Dry or Superheated steam

Figure 12.1 shows a schematic of a vapor-dominated power system. Dry steam from the well (1) at
around 200°C and almost saturated at the bottom of the well at 35 bars is passed through the well head
(2). Pressure drops through the well cause it to slightly superheat at the well head (2) at (~7 bar). It
then goes through a centrifugal separator to remove particulate matter and then enters the turbine after
an additional pressure drop (3). Processes 1–2 and 2–3 are throttling processes with constant enthalpy.
The steam expands through the turbine and enters the condenser at 4.
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Because turbine flow is not returned to the cycle but re-injected back into the earth, a direct contact
condenser of the barometric or low level may be used. The turbine exhaust steam at 4 mixes with the
cooling water (7) that comes from a cooling tower. The mixture of 7 and 4 is saturated water at (5) that
is pumped to the cooling tower (6). Some portion of cooled water is re-circulated back, while small
portion is re-injected back to the ground.
Fig. 12.1. Vapor-dominated power system.
2.2. Liquid-dominated systems
2.2.1. Flashed steam system. This system is used for water in the higher temperature range. Water
from the underground reservoir at 1 reaches the well head at 2 at a lower pressure. Process 1–2 is
essentially a constant enthalpy throttling process that results in a two-phase mixture of low quality at 2.
This is throttled further in a flash separator resulting in a still low but slightly higher quality at 3. This
mixture is now separated into dry saturated steam at 4 and saturated brine at 5. The latter is re-injected
into the ground.
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Fig. 12.2. Liquid-Dominated Single-Flash Steam System
The dry steam, a small fraction of the total well discharge and at pressures below 8 bar, is expanded in
a turbine to 6 and mixed with cooling water in a direct-contact condenser with the mixture at 7 going to
a cooling tower in the same fashion as the vapor-dominated system. The balance of the condensate
after the cooling water is re-circulated to the condenser and is re-injected into the ground (Figure 12.2).
2.2.2. Total flow concept. In flashed steam system, some useful energy is discarded with the
separated brine regardless of how many stages of separation are used. Thermodynamically, therefore,
direct expansion of the fluid from the well head to the condenser has the potential of converting the
greatest fraction of available energy in the fluid to mechanical work. This means that the total well-head
flow is to be expanded to the condenser pressure. Hot brine from the well at 1 is throttled to 2, where it
becomes a two-phase mixture of low quality. Instead of separating the two phases at this point, the full
flow is expanded to 3 condensed to 4, and re-injected into the ground at 5. The flow in the flashed
steam turbine and hence the work per unit flow from the well head is only a small fraction equal to the
quality in the
flash separator, x3, of the total flow and work that would occur in the latter (Figure 12.3).
Fig. 12.3. Liquid-Dominated Total Flow Concept
2.3. Binary Cycle Power Plant (Liquid Dominated Systems)

Binary cycle geothermal power generation plants differ from Dry Steam and Flash Steam systems in
that the water or steam from the geothermal reservoir never comes in contact with the turbine/
generator units. In the Binary system, the water from the geothermal reservoir is used to heat another
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“working fluid” which is vaporized and used to turn the turbine/generator units. The geothermal water,
and the “working fluid” are each confined in separate circulating systems or “closed loops” and never
come in contact with each other. The advantage of the binary cycle plant is that they can operate with
lower temperature waters (225°F–360°F), by using working fluids that have an even lower boiling point
than water (Figure 12.4).
Fig. 12.4. Binary Cycle Power plant.
3. EXAMPLE PROBLEMS
1. A liquid dominated geothermal plant with a single flash separator receives water at 204 C. The
separator pressure is 1.04 MPa. A direct-contact condenser operates at 0.034 MPa. The turbine has a
polytropic efficiency of 75%. For a cycle output of 50 MW, what is the mass flow rate of the well-water
in kg/s?
Steam properties:
At 204 C: hf = 870.51 kJ/kg
At 1.04 MPa: hf = 770.38, hfg = 2009.2, hg = 2779.6, sg = 6.5729
At 0.034 MPa: hf = 301.40, hfg = 2328.8, sf = 0.9793, sfg = 6.7463
Solution:
Fig. 12.5. Schematic for Example Problem 1.
At state 3, 1.04 MPa, sat.

h3 =2779 . 6 kJ /kg
s 3 =6 .5729 kJ/kg−K
At state 4, 0.034 MPa, s4 = s3.
s 4 =s f + x 4 s fg
6 .5729=0 .9793+x ( 6. 7463 )
x 4 =0 . 829
h 4 =hf +x 4 hfg
h 4 =301. 4 + ( 0 . 829 )( 2328 . 8 )=2232 .3 kJ /kg
Wt
ms =
( h3−h 4 ) ηt
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50 , 000
ms = =121 .8 kg/ s
(2779 . 6−2232. 2 )( 0. 75 )
At state 1 and state 2
h2 =h1 =870. 51 kJ/kg
h2 =h f +x 2 h fg
870 .51=770. 38+ x 2 ( 2009 .2 )
x 2=0. 049836
ms =x 2 m g
121. 8=( 0 .049836 ) m g
mg =2444 kg/ s Ans.
2. A geothermal plant has a capacity of 20 MW. The turbine efficiency is 85%, generator efficiency is
92%. If the quality after throttling is 15% and each well discharged 400,000 kg/hr, determine the
number of wells required if the change of entropy at entrance and exit of the turbine is 600 kJ/kg.
Solution:
mass of ground water
No. of wells=
well capacity
mass of steam
Mass of ground water , mgw =
quality after throttling
ms = mass of steam
Plant Capacity=( Turbine Output ) η g ηT
Turbine Output=ms Δh
Turbine Output
ms =
( Δh ) η g ηT
20 , 000 kJ /s
ms = =42 .625 kg/ s
( 600 kJ /kg ) ( 0.85 )( 0 . 92 )
( 42. 625 kg /s )( 3600 sec/hr )
mgw = =1 , 023 ,000 kg/hr
0 . 15
1,023,000
No. of wells= =2 .557
400,000
Use 3 wells
3. A 2000 kw geothermal plant has a steam flow to the turbine at 20 kg/sec. The quality after throttling
is 20% and enthalpy of ground water is 800 kJ/kg. Determine the overall efficiency of the plant in
percent.
Solution:
Plant Output
Overall efficiency , ηo =
mgw h1
m s 20
m gw = = =100 kg /sec
x 0. 20
20000
ηo = =0 .25=25 %
( 100 ) ( 800 ) Ans.
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4. The schematic of a single-flash geothermal power plant with state numbers is given in Fig. P12.6.
Geothermal resource exists as saturated liquid at 230°C. The geothermal liquid is withdrawn from the
production well at a rate of 230 kg/s and is flashed to a pressure of 500 kPa by an essentially
isenthalpic flashing process where the resulting vapor is separated from the liquid in a separator and is
directed to the turbine. The steam leaves the turbine at 10 kPa with a moisture content of 5 percent and
enters the condenser where it is condensed; it is routed to a reinjection well along with the liquid
coming off the separator. Determine the power output of the turbine and the thermal efficiency of the
plant. Answers: 10.8 MW, 5.3 percent,
Fig. 12.5. Schematic for Example Problem 4.
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VI. LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Answer the question below systematically.

What are the types of geothermal power plants? Discuss their working principles.
VII. EVALUATION (Note: Not to be included in the student’s copy of the IM)
VIII. ASSIGNMENT
1. In a geothermal plant site, pressurized ground water is available. The power generated is 50 MW
with a generator efficiency of 90%. The mechanical efficiency is 80%. The enthalpy entering and
leaving the turbine are 2700 kJ/kg and 1900 kJ/kg, respectively. The mass of returned water is 90% of
well bore product. Draw the schematic and T-s diagram and determine the number of steam wells if it
has a capacity of 25 kgs per unit.
2. In a geothermal power plant, the enthalpies of the ground water and the turbine inlet are 1500 kJ/kg
and 3500 kJ/kg respectively. If the enthalpy of the hot water in the flash tank is 700 kJ/kg and the mass
flow rate of steam is 15 kg/s, what is the mass flow rate of ground water?
3. In a geothermal power plant, the mass flow rate of ground water is 400 kg/s and the quality after
throttling is 20%. If the turbine power is 80 MW, what is the change in enthalpy of steam at the inlet and
outlet of the turbine?
IX. REFERENCES
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Onkar Singh (2009). Applied Thermodynamics (3rd Edition). New Delhi: New Age International
Publishers
A.K. Raja, Amit Prakash Srivastava, and Manish Dwivedi (2006). Power Plant Engineering. New Delhi:
New Age International Publishers
Yunus A. Cengel and Michael A. Boles, (2010). Thermodynamics (5th edition). USA: McGraw-Hill
Yunus A. Cengel, Michael A. Boles, and Mehmet Kanoğlu, (2019). Thermodynamics (9th edition). USA:
McGraw-Hill
Disclaimer: This document does not claim any originality and cannot be used as a substitute for
prescribed textbooks. This information presented here is merely a collection by the faculty member for his
respective teaching assignments. Various sources as mentioned at the end of the document as well as
freely available material from the internet were consulted for preparing this document. The ownership of the
information lies with the respective authors or institutions. Further, this document is not intended to be used
for commercial purpose and the faculty member is not accountable for any issues, legal or otherwise,
arising out of use of this document. The faculty member makes no representations or warranties with
respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this document and specifically disclaim any
implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
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Republic of the Philippines

NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY

College: COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

DEGREE Bachelor of Science in COURSE NO. ME 21

I. UNIT TITLE/CHAPTER TITLE: Geothermal Power Plant

II. LESSON TITLE:

IV. DESIRED LEARNING OUTCOMES:

1. Discuss the working principle of a geothermal power plant

2. TYPES OF GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANT

2.1. Dry or Superheated steam

Fig. 12.1. Vapor-dominated power system.

2.2. Liquid-dominated systems

Fig. 12.2. Liquid-Dominated Single-Flash Steam System

Fig. 12.3. Liquid-Dominated Total Flow Concept

2.3. Binary Cycle Power Plant (Liquid Dominated Systems)

Fig. 12.4. Binary Cycle Power plant.

Fig. 12.5. Schematic for Example Problem 1.

At state 3, 1.04 MPa, sat.

Fig. 12.5. Schematic for Example Problem 4.

VI. LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Answer the question below systematically.

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