Polytechnic University of the Philippines,

College of Engineering,
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Sta. Mesa, Manila 1016

POWER PLANT DESIGN with RENEWABLE ENERGY

Title:

Geothermal Power Plant (Binary Cycle)

MEEN 30305

Submitted by:
Tabalno, Lars Eric G.
Untalan, Jerich O.

Section
BSME 4-3

Submitted to:
Engr. CORPUS, ROBERT MICHAEL BARIA

Date Submitted:
FEBRUARY, 2023
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 Project

Description 1.0
Project Location and Area 1.1
Site Accessibility 1.1.1
Project Impact Areas 1.1.2
Project Rationale 1.2
Project Alternatives 1.3
Site Selection 1.3.1
Technology Selection 1.3.2
Resources 1.3.3
Project Size 1.4
Project Components 1.5
Modular Diesel Generators 1.6
Project Schedule 1.7
Stakeholder Engagement 1.8
Manpower Requirement 1.9
Project Cost 1.10
Identification of Environmental Aspects 1.11
ABBREVIATIONS
Super heater – a superheater is a device used to convert saturated steam or wet steam into
superheated steam or dry steam.
Re heater – removes the moisture and increases steam temperature after a partial expansion.
Open heater – open heat exchanger is one in which extracted steam is allowed to mix with the
feedwater.
Pre-heater – is any device designed to heat air before another process (for example, combustion
in a boiler with the primary objective of increasing the thermal efficiency of the process. They
may be used alone or to replace a recuperative heat system or to replace a steam coil.
Turbine – a machine that transforms rotational energy from a fluid that is picked up by a rotor
system into usable work or energy. Turbines achieve this either through mechanical gearing or
electromagnetic induction to produce electricity.
Generator – a device that converts motive power (mechanical energy) or fuel-based power
(chemical energy) into electric power for use in an external circuit. Sources of mechanical
energy include steam turbines, gas turbines, water turbines, internal combustion engines, wind
turbines and even hand cranks.
Condenser Air-Cooled – An air-cooled condenser (ACC) is a direct dry cooling system where
steam is condensed inside air-cooled finned tubes. The cool ambient air flow outside the finned
tubes is what removes heat and defines the functionality of an ACC. In thermal power plants (T),
the steam from the turbine exhaust flows into the ACC where condensation occurs. Then the
condensate returns to the boiler (B) in a closed loop. Since the steam coming from the turbine is
at a low pressure, the ACC works at a pressure close to a vacuum, and non-condensable gases
(G) are removed continuously by an air evacuation unit.
Production Well – a development well used for production of petroleum or of water for
injection purposes. Subsea completed well: development well completed with the wellhead either
on the seabed or on a template, and connected to a production or injection facility.
Injection Well – a device that places fluid deep underground into porous rock formations, such
as sandstone or limestone, or into or below the shallow soil layer. The fluid may be water,
wastewater, brine (salt water), or water mixed with industrial chemical waste.
1.0 Project Description
Geothermal energy is a crucial complement to variable renewable energy sources like wind and
solar power since it is one of the few renewable energy technologies that can deliver baseload
power and increase power system reliability.

1.1 Project Location and Area

The proposed project will be utilizing a 6.2 hectares industrial lot in Maibarara Sto. Tomas
Batangas. Figure 1 show the location map and aerial photograph of the proposed project site
location (14*08'24'N 121*09'47E) figure 2 proposed site of the project.
1.1.1 Site Accessibility
By land transportation, main access to the project site is via the E2 expressway. Alternatively, it
may also be accessed through water transport via the Laguna de Bay.

1.1.2 Project Impact Areas

Project planning has considered the actions and resources required to sustain the project outcome
throughout the project life. At the technical level, these include planning for additional
investments, such as drilling of makeup production wells during operation and capacity building
for GDE Geo Dipa Energi in geothermal reservoir management. Significant additional efforts are
also under way to strengthen institutional capacity. GDE has done a staffing analysis in planning
for the establishment of the project management unit to ensure that sufficient permanent staff are
hired to support the operations of the power plants after commissioning. In addition, the capacity
of both the project management unit and corporate staff in financial management, procurement
and contract management, and overall project management will be strengthened.
FIGURE 1

FIGURE 2
1.2 Project Rationale
The project will support the expansion of Maibarara site, Philippines geothermal generating
capacity to contribute to the sustainability, resiliency, and sufficiency of the electricity system. It
is aligned with the following Sustainable Development Goals on access to affordable, reliable,
sustainable, and modern energy for all and urgent action to combat climate change and its
impacts. The project will support GDE, a state-owned geothermal company focused on the
development and use of geothermal resources, to commission an additional 32 megawatts (MW)
of geothermal electricity generating capacity.

Schematic Diagram
1.3 Project Alternatives
1.3.1 Site Selection
The main factors determining influence on location of geothermal power plants are: the
temperature and the capacity of the source, the depth of resources available and the degree of
mineralization of water sources as well as their efficiency.

1.3.2 Technology Selection Resources

Geothermal Power Plants
Geothermal power plants draw fluids from underground reservoirs to the surface to produce
steam. This steam then drives turbines that generate electricity. There are three main types of
geothermal power plant technologies: dry steam, flash steam, and binary cycle. The type of
conversion is part of the power plant design and generally depends on the state of the subsurface
fluid (steam or water) and its temperature.

Reheat and Regenerative Cycle

1. Dry Steam Power Plant
Dry steam plants use hydrothermal fluids that are already mostly steam, which is a relatively rare
natural occurrence. The steam is drawn directly to a turbine, which drives a generator that
produces electricity. After the steam condenses, it is frequently reinjected into the reservoir.
2. Flash Steam Power Plant
Flash steam plants are the most common type of geothermal power plants in operation today.
Fluids at temperatures greater than 182°C/360°F, pumped from deep underground, travel under
high pressures to a low-pressure tank at the earth’s surface. The change in pressure causes some
of the fluid to rapidly transform, or “flash,” into vapor. The vapor then drives a turbine, which
drives a generator. If any liquid remains in the low-pressure tank, it can be “flashed” again in a
second tank to extract even more energy.
3. Binary-Cycle Power Plant
Binary-cycle geothermal power plants can use lower temperature geothermal resources, making
them an important technology for deploying geothermal electricity production in more locations.
Binary-cycle geothermal power plants differ from dry steam and flash steam systems in that the
geothermal reservoir fluids never come into contact with the power plant’s turbine units. Low-
temperature (below 182°C/360°F) geothermal fluids pass through a heat exchanger with a
secondary, or "binary," fluid. This binary fluid has a much lower boiling point than water, and
the modest heat from the geothermal fluid causes it to flash to vapor, which then drives the
turbines, spins the generators, and creates electricity.

1.3.3 Resources
Geothermal resources are reservoirs of hot water that exist or are human made at varying
temperatures and depths below the Earth's surface. Wells, ranging from a few feet to several
miles deep, 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, including electricity generation, direct
use, and heating and cooling.

1.4 Project Size

The proposed power plant will have a total generation capacity of 32 megawatts. The total land
area that will be utilized for the proposed project is approximately 6.2 hectares.
1.5 Project Components
All five components associated with the basic binary cycle (preheater, evaporator, turbine,
condenser and pump) are steady flow devices and can be analyzed as steady flow processes. In
this analysis, the kinetic and potential energy changes are usually small relative to the work and
heat transfer terms and are usually neglected. The heat exchangers do not involve any work, and
the pump and the turbine are assumed to be isentropic. The heat exchangers are assumed to be
well insulated, and all the heat transfer is between the geothermal fluid and the working fluid.
The following presents the main equations for energy analysis along with a short discussion of
the main components.
1. Preheater and Evaporator
The preheater and evaporator (Figure 1) are the first components in a binary power cycle. They
receive the fluid from the geothermal production wells. These components are heat exchangers
where the geothermal fluid, as a heat source, transfers some of its energy to the cold working
fluid of the binary cycle. Point S1 is the entry of the geothermal fluid to the evaporator; at this
point, the temperature and mass flow of the fluid are determined by the geothermal reservoir
properties. Point S3 is the outlet of the geothermal fluid from the preheater and this point has two
temperature design criteria. The first criterion is applied when the fluid coming from the
preheater is considered for further utilization. A good example of this is in a district heating
system, with an inlet temperature of around 80 - 85°C.
FIGURE 1:
Schematic diagram for a preheater and evaporator

The second criterion is associated with scaling problems; the outlet temperature must be kept as
high as possible in order to avoid scaling on the geothermal fluid side in the heat exchangers.
Point 1 is the entry of the working fluid, fed by the working fluid pump, into the preheater; point
3 is the outlet of the working fluid vapor towards the turbine. The condition at point 3 is
determined by the cycle and turbine requirements; for a binary cycle, this point would be
saturated or slightly superheated.
Considering the entire package as a thermodynamic system where the amount of heat transfer to
the working fluid is equal to the heat losses from the geothermal fluid, the energy balance
equation is given as:
m˙ gf(hS1 — hS3) = m˙ wf(h3 — h1) (1) where m˙ gf = Mass of geothermal fluid;
m˙ wf = Mass of working fluid; and
h = Values of enthalpies at each specific point.

If the heat capacity of the geothermal fluid is assumed to be known, in the energy balance the
enthalpy difference may be replaced by the difference in temperature:
m˙ gfCpgf(TS1 — TS3) = m˙ wf(h3 — h1) (2) where Cpgf = Specific heat of geothermal fluid;
and
T = Temperatures at each specific point.
The temperature-heat transfer or temperature- enthalpy difference diagrams play a central role in
the design of heat exchangers (preheater, evaporator and condenser). Figure 7 provides a
diagram for a hot geothermal fluid and a cold working fluid in the preheater and evaporator. The
hot fluid must be cooled from the inlet temperature (TS1) to the outlet temperature (TS3),
whereas the cold working fluid must be heated from the inlet temperature (T1) to the outlet
temperature (T3). The direction of these processes is indicated by the arrows in the figure. The
temperatures and mass flow rates are assumed to be fixed. The abscissa represents the total
amount of heat that is passed from the geothermal fluid to the working fluid. It can be shown
either in percentages or in heat units. The minimum temperature difference in the heat
exchanger, between the geothermal fluid and the working fluid, is called the pinch-point, and the
value of that difference is designated the pinch-point temperature difference, ΔTpp.
FIGURE 2: Temperature – heat transfer diagram for preheater (PH) and evaporator; Points 1-2-3
correspond to T1, T2 and T3 and are known values obtained from the working fluid process
In the analysis of this diagram, points 1, 2 and 3 are known from the cycle thermodynamics
analysis. Therefore, the preheater and evaporator may be analyzed as follows:
Preheater Evaporator
m˙ gfCpgf(TS2 — TS3) = m˙ wf(h2 — h1) (3)
m˙ gfCpgf(TS1 — TS2) = m˙ wf(h3 — h2) (4)
The pinch-point temperature difference is generally known from the manufacturer’s
specifications; this allows TS2 to be found from the known value for T2 as follows:
TS2 = T2 + ΔTpp (5)
where ΔTpp = Pinch-point temperature difference.
While it is theoretically possible for the pinch-point to occur at the cold end of the preheater
(TS3), this practically never happens.
2. Turbine
The binary cycle turbine converts the vapor thermodynamic energy of the working fluid to
mechanical work on the turbine shaft; this shaft is coupled to the generator where electricity is
produced. The thermodynamic analysis of the turbine in binary cycles follows the same
assumption as for steam turbines. Figure 2 show the turbine from the cycle flow diagram for
reference in the following analyses. Point 3 is the vapor inlet to the turbine, and point 4 is the
turbine exit. The ideal turbine is isentropic, that means the entropy at the inlet point is the same
as at the outlet point. The vapor enthalpy change in the real turbine is the enthalpy change in the
ideal turbine multiplied by the turbine isentropic efficiency. The work output of the real turbine
is this enthalpy change multiplied by the working fluid mass flow through the turbine.
FIGURE 2:
Schematic diagram for a turbine

W˙ T = m˙ wf(h3 — h4) = m˙ wf 5t (h3 — h4s) (6) where W˙ T = Work output of the

turbine; and
ηt = Turbine isentropic efficiency.
It is important to note that the selection of the working fluid defines some parameters in the
turbine design.
3. Condenser
The condenser is another heat exchanger in the binary cycle. The condenser exchanges heat
between the cooling fluid cycle and the working fluid vapor. The turbine exhaust vapor exits the
turbine and is led to the condenser where it is condensed by the cooling fluid. The condenser
may be water or air cooled. This process occurs at a constant pressure (isobaric condensation).
FIGURE 3: Schematic diagram for a condenser and a wet cooling system

Figure 3 shows the condenser scheme from the cycle flow diagram for reference in the following
analyses. The calculations for the condenser are roughly the same in both cases as the
temperature profile of cooling fluid (air or water) is very close to linear. At point 4, the vapor
comes from the turbine. At point 5, the vapor reaches the dew point and it is at this point that the
condensation process starts. Point 6 is the condensed fluid, normally saturated liquid, moving
towards the working fluid pumps. Point CW3 is the entry of the cooling fluid and CW1 is the
outlet of the cooling fluid, to and from the cooling tower.
The condenser heat transfer between the working fluid and the cooling fluid can be expressed as
follows:
m˙ CF (hCW3 — hCW1) = m˙ wf(h4 — h6)
where m˙ CF = Mass of cooling fluid.
The cooling fluid may be taken as having a constant specific heat CP-CF for the small
temperature range from inlet to outlet. To dissipate the required amount of waste heat, a cooling
tower with a specified range, TCW3 – TCW1, will need a mass flow rate determined by the
following equation:
m˙ CF CP–CF (TCW3 — TCW1) = m˙ wf(h4 — h6) (8)
where CP–CF = Specific heat of cooling fluid.
In the thermodynamics analysis of the condenser, the increase in the outlet temperature of the
cooling fluid and the condenser pinch point temperature are assumed.
4. Binary cycle with a recuperator
The binary cycle can be modified with the incorporation of a recuperator. The recuperator is
another heat exchanger and represents one additional piece of equipment in the binary cycle
power plant. The incorporation of a recuperator is shown in Figure 10. The figure shows the
position of the components in the cycle. The recuperator increases the temperature of the
working fluid at the preheater entry (point 2) and thus leads to a higher temperature (point S3) of
the geothermal fluid for re-injection. This means that the heat obtained from the geothermal fluid
is replaced by the recovered heat. The recovered heat in the working fluid, at point 2, is removed
from the working fluid at the turbine exhaust condition, at point 5.
As mentioned in Section 1, point S3 is the outlet of the geothermal fluid from the preheater. This
point has design temperature limits imposed by the risk of scaling or the requirements of a
secondary process.
1.6 Modular Generators
Technical information
ABB offers module-based generators where the active parts are adopted to each specific site in
order to achieve high efficiency and reliable operation. Some of the design flexibility includes
pressurized design which helps achieve a long life in aggressive environments. ABB can also
offer dual shaft end design that allows to couple two smaller turbines to the same generator.

Main features
Power 2-80MVA
Voltage 3-15kV
Frequency 50 & 60 Hz
Standards IEC, NEMA, BS, VDE, CSA
Ambient temp. -50°C to +60°C
-58°F to +140°F
Hazardous area Ex(n), Ex(p),
Class I Div 2/Zone 2
Protection IP20 to IP56
Cooling forms IC01, IC21, IC31, IC616,
IC81W, IC86W

1.7 Project Schedule

Capacity expansion of 8 to 32 MW for the Maibarara geothermal project in the Philippines is
planned within the next three or four years. In a statement, Maibarara Geothermal Inc. (MGI)
announced that they are planning to add a third power plant to the Maibarara geothermal project
in Batangas, Philippines. More studies will still need to be done, but the company is looking to
increase the project’s power generation capacity by another 8 to 32 MW.
1.8 Stakeholder Engagement
a. Regular face-to-face meeting and discussion with all 4 key levels of stakeholders using a
different approach for each. There should be more frequent meetings for stakeholders in levels 1
and 2. Stakeholder engagement at project sites level should ensure that these stakeholders are
aware of project developments and have meaningful opportunities to share their perspectives and
concerns. Multiple communication channels will be utilized to ensure project stakeholders and
other stakeholders receive adequate advance notice of discussions and meetings.
b. For all communication, consultation and outreach activities, culturally appropriate, local-
language information, education and communication (IEC) materials will be developed (i.e.,
fliers, posters, public notice boards, video, vlogs, and/or other appropriate communication
material) to ensure all stakeholders, including the poor, vulnerable and low-literacy groups,
clearly understand key project components, benefits and impacts. Public notices will also be
posted at the village level and will indicate how stakeholders can get in touch with project
implementers. Information will also be shared through other culturally appropriate
communication channels, including face-to-face meetings.
c. Information, education and outreach on key project components, including consultations, will
also be conducted with village leaders and local officials to ensure they understand the project,
its importance, and their responsibilities.
d. Stakeholder engagement should be meaningful and involve wider stakeholder groups, not only
affected people or communities around project sites but also involve local district and provincial
government, to gain support by the local government for project sustainability.
e. Executing Agency/PMU to ensure availability of project information (digital and printing) and
disseminate to targeted key stakeholders, including capturing success stories or champions from
each village at the project sites.
f. Executing Agency/PMU will be responsible for implementing and monitoring all
communication activities, including information dissemination and disclosure, monitoring and
evaluation, to share stakeholder feedback with relevant project staff and consider this feedback
as the project is implemented. Key stakeholders will subsequently be informed how their
feedback was shared and what actions were taken based on the feedback.
e. Executing Agency/PMU will assign communication focal points, social and/or other technical
expert to implement the stakeholder communication strategy. Executing Agency/PMU also will
designate a focal point for regular contact with affected people and other interested stakeholders.
g. Based on emerging issues on the ground, SCS establishes 4 main communication objectives to
support the project activities, which are: 1) to enhance internal communication; 2) to increase
understanding about Maibabara Plant and geothermal by building branding and identity; 3) to
provide relevant project information to foster acceptance and understanding of the project; 4) to
influence policy maker and increase public understanding.
 The breakdown of the activities of each stage using a Gantt chart for distribution over time.

Time (months)
Stage Activities
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Review of updated literature
Access and land domain
Review and environmental and social
Preliminary
problem identification
reconnaissance
Attention to legal regulations
Inventory of active geothermal zones
Field general exploration program
Environmental study program
according to regulation
Field works of geology and
geochemical exploration
Geophysical surveys
Data interpretation by correlating
geological, geophysical, and
geochemical
Exploration
Drilling of temperature gradient wells
Integrated analysis of information
(geological, geophysical,
geochemical, and thermodynamic)
Conceptual model development
Site selection for drilling exploratory
of deep well
Prefeasibility report
1.9 Manpower Requirement
The estimated manpower requirement in each phase of the proposed project’s implementation
is specified in the following table. The proponent will give priority to host community members
or local residents whose skills and experience match the project’s specific needs.

1.10 Project Cost

The second phase development is expected to be finished in the fall of 2024. The 12 MW
expansion now under construction has an estimated cost of P1.86 billion ($40 million). This is
partly being financed by a P1.4 billion loan ($30 million) by Rizal Commercial Banking Corp
and equity from existing shareholders.
Maibarara Geothermal has commenced construction of the 12 MW expansion of the Maibarara
geothermal power plant in Batangas, Philippines, with an additional 8 MW potential that could
boost total capacity to 32 MW.

1.11 Identification of Environmental Aspects

The environmental effects of geothermal development and power generation include the changes
in land use associated with exploration and plant construction, noise and sight pollution, the
discharge of water and gases, the production of foul odors, and soil subsidence. Most of those
effects, however, can be mitigated with current technology so that geothermal uses have no more
than a minimal impact on the environment.