Port Said University Energy Resources

rd
Faculty of Engineering. 3 Year Mechanical Power Eng. Dept.
Mech. Power Eng. Dept. Sheet No. (7): Geothermal Energy

1. A single-flash geothermal steam plant receives geofluid from a reservoir having a temperature
of 240 ºC. The condenser temperature is 50 ºC. Neglect pressure losses in surface pipelines. Using
steam chart, determine the specific work output (in kJ/kg of geofluid) if the separator operates at
170 ºC. Assume the turbine efficiency decreases with moisture content according to the following
relation:

𝑥𝑥𝑖𝑖 + 𝑥𝑥𝑜𝑜
𝜂𝜂𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡 = 𝜂𝜂𝑡𝑡𝑑𝑑 × � �
2

where 𝑥𝑥𝑖𝑖 , 𝑥𝑥𝑜𝑜 are the moisture contents at the inlet and exit of the turbine respectively, 𝜂𝜂𝑡𝑡𝑑𝑑 is the
turbine efficiency using dry steam only =0.85.

2. In a single flash geothermal power plant, the turbine efficiency may be found as in the previous
question. The geofluid exists in the reservoir as a pressurized liquid at a temperature of T1 =270
ºC and h1 =1185 kJ/kg. The turbine exhaust temperature is T5 = 50 ºC. The productivity for an
average well is given by:

𝑚𝑚̇ = 100.23 − 2.339 × 10−2 𝑃𝑃 + 4.028 × 10−5 𝑃𝑃2 − 1.0210−7 𝑃𝑃3

Where P is the absolute wellhead pressure in kPa and 𝑚𝑚̇ is the total well flow in kg/s. If the
optimum separator temperature can be determined from the following relation:

𝑇𝑇1 + 𝑇𝑇5
𝑇𝑇3,𝑂𝑂𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃 = � �
2

a. Calculate the power output of the turbine in kW.

b. Calculate the ratio of the heat rejected from the geofluid in the condenser to the power output
of the turbine.
c. Assuming a dead state at T0 = 25 ºC and P0 = 1 bar, calculate the utilization efficiency of the
geofluid energy.

3. A dry-steam geothermal plant receives saturated steam at a temperature of 180 ºC. The
condenser operates at 50 ºC and the local dead-state temperature is T0 = 20 ºC. Assume 85% for
the dry expansion efficiency. Calculate the following:
a. The actual turbine isentropic efficiency.
b. The specific work output of the turbine in kJ/kg.
c. The net utilization efficiency if 5% of the turbine output is needed for all parasitic loads like
pump power.

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Port Said University Energy Resources
rd
Faculty of Engineering. 3 Year Mechanical Power Eng. Dept.
Mech. Power Eng. Dept. Sheet No. (7): Geothermal Energy

4. A dry-steam well is characterized by a pressure of P1= 2.5 MPa and saturated vapor. The
wellhead valve is set such that the steam is throttled to P2= 1.03 MPa at which condition the well
flows 25 kg/s. You may assume the turbine is adiabatic and has a constant isentropic efficiency of
75%.

a. Calculate the power in MW that the turbine will generate under the following two cases:
(i) There is no condenser and the turbine exhausts to the atmosphere at 100 kPa, and
(ii) There is a condenser that has a pressure of 13.8 kPa.
b. Calculate the utilization efficiency in both cases if the ambient temperature is 20 ºC and pressure
1 bar.

5. A counter flow, double-pipe heat exchanger is used in a geothermal binary plant to heat
isobutane, i-C4H10, from 20 ºC (enthalpy= 253.58 kJ/kg) to 70 ºC (enthalpy =741.08 kJ/kg). The
i- i-C4H10 flows at 100 kg/s; the brine enters at 100 ºC and leaves at 45 ºC. The overall heat transfer
coefficient is U= 568 W/m2 ºC, and brine specific heat, cb = 4.19 kJ/kg K

a. Required brine mass flow rate in kg/s.

b. Required heat transfer surface area in m2.
c. Efficiency in %, if T0=15 ºC.

6. A binary power plant uses propane, C3H8, as the cycle working fluid. The geothermal brine is
pumped from the reservoir and reaches the plant at a temperature TA= 420 K. The cycle employs
a supercritical pressure in the main heat exchanger, where the pinch-point temperature difference
is 5 ºC. The inlet conditions at the propane turbine are: T1= 400 K and P1 = 5.0 MPa; the turbine
exhausts at P2= 1.0 MPa. The turbine has an isentropic efficiency of 85% and the feed pump has
an isentropic efficiency of 80%. The gross turbine output is 1500 kW. You may ignore pressure
losses in heat exchangers and piping. Use the P-h diagram below:

a. draw a system schematic and the corresponding temperature-entropy process diagram.

b. Sketch the temperature-heat transfer diagram for the heat exchanger showing the brine cooling
line and the propane heating curve.

c. Determine the brine outlet temperature from the heat exchanger.

d. Calculate the mass flow rates in kg/s for: (i) propane and (ii) brine.

e. Calculate the net cycle thermal efficiency in %.

f. Calculate the net plant utilization efficiency for a dead-state temperature is 20 ºC and pressure 1
bar.

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Port Said University Energy Resources
rd
Faculty of Engineering. 3 Year Mechanical Power Eng. Dept.
Mech. Power Eng. Dept. Sheet No. (7): Geothermal Energy

Figure 1 Pressure-enthalpy, semilog diagram for propane, showing the liquid, liquid-vapor,
and superheated regions.