ME-416 Renewable Energy Resources

Geothermal Energy
 Geothermal Energy
Introduction
 Geothermal Energy is the immense resource of natural heat that is
ever-generating inside the earth
 The use of geothermal energy like other renewable resources, helps to
conserve depleting fossil fuels, promotes sustainable economies

 Geothermal Energy:
 At High Temperatures, hydrothermal (hot water) resources are
used to create pressurized vapor to drive turbines for electricity
generation
 At Lower Temperatures, geothermal resources are used directly
for their heat in a wide range of applications
 Geothermal Energy
Introduction
 The Earth's geothermal resources are theoretically more than
adequate to supply humanity's energy needs
 Like other renewable resources:
• Cost effective
• Reliable
• Sustainable &
• Environmentally friendly
 However:
• Only small fraction may be economically exploited
• Drilling and exploration for deep resources is very expensive
&
• Limited to areas near tectonic plate boundaries
 Geothermal Energy
Introduction
 Geothermal Energy is thermal energy generated and stored in the
Earth
 The geothermal gradient is the difference of temperature between the
core and surface of the planet
 The difference of temperature causes continuous conduction of
thermal energy in the form of heat from the core to the surface
 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
 Geothermal Energy
Introduction
 The bathing and space heating through
geothermal energy has been used since
ancient times
 However, generation of electricity is new
concept
 Approximately, worldwide 10,715 MW of
geothermal power is produced in 24 The Oldest Known Pool Fed by A
Hot Spring
countries &
 About 28 GW of capacity is installed for
space heating, spas, industrial processes,
desalination & agricultural applications

Geothermal Power Plant in The

Philippines
 Geothermal Energy
Worldwide Geothermal Resources
 Geothermal Energy
Geothermal Potential Sites in Pakistan
 Geothermal Energy
Geophysics
 The temperature in the Crust increases proportionally to depth at a
rate of about 30o C / Km
 Worldwide, heat flow rate towards earth’s surface is 0.063 W/m2
 Whereas average daily flux of solar radiation is 200 W/m2
 Geothermal Energy
Geophysics
 Geothermal energy is the natural heat of the Earth
 Geo = Earth
 Thermal = Heat
 Geothermal Energy
Geophysics

The Deeper You Go, The Hotter It Gets (In Fahrenheit And Miles)
 Geothermal Energy
Geophysics
 There are regions in which hot molten rock of the mental (magma) has
pushed up through surface cracks, known “hot spots”
 The evidences of these “hot spots” are in volcanic eruptions, geysers
& bubbling mud holes
 Geothermal Energy
Geophysics

Steaming Ground is in The Philippines

 Geothermal Energy
Geophysics

When Hot Water & Steam Reach The Surface, They Can Form
Fumaroles, Hot Springs, Mud Pots & Other Interesting Phenomena
 Geothermal Energy
Background
 Geothermal Phenomena:
 Volcanoes, hot springs, geysers, underground geothermal aquifers
are fueled by heat energy (thermal energy) from the earth’s
interior
 This interior heat is also thought to produce huge, slow, circular
movements in the mantle (convection currents) which drive the
movements of enormous plates of Earth’s crust (the lithospheric
plates - plate tectonics)
 These movements are among the causes of stress in crustal rock,
resulting in fractures and faults, and hence earthquakes
 Plate movements are also among the causes of volcanic activity
 Geothermal Energy
Background
 Geothermal Phenomena:

Earth's Crust is Broken into Huge Plates That Move Apart or Push Together
 Geothermal Energy
Background
 Geothermal Phenomena:
 Most Volcanoes & Earthquakes Occur:
• Along ocean spreading centers or continental rift zones where
upwelling magma pushes apart the enormous lithospheric
plates along great cracks in the crust or
• Along subduction boundaries, places where the lithospheric
plates are colliding with each other
 Geothermal Energy
Background
 Geothermal Phenomena:
 Volcanoes & Earthquakes:

Geologists Estimate That for Any Given Amount of Magma Expelled by a

Volcanic Explosion, a Volume Ten Times Greater Remains Beneath the
Crust
 Geothermal Energy
Background
 Hydrothermal Systems:
 The internal temperature of Earth’s core is estimated to be over
seven thousand degrees F
 Therefore tremendous thermal energy flowing outward from
Earth’s interior, heating the rock of the mantle
 Furthermore heat is constantly regenerated by the radioactive
decay of elements in rocks of the interior
 This heat energy can cause solid rock to become so hot it melts
into magma (molten rock)
 The magma rises and heats rock layers close to the surface
 The magma occasionally reaches the surface as lava erupting
from volcanoes or oozing from openings in the surface
 Surface water infiltrates down from the surface through fractured
and/or faulted rocks in the crust (in miles)
 Geothermal Energy
Background
 Hydrothermal Systems:
 The heat energy is transferred from the hot rock to the water
 This water is now in a hydrothermal (geothermal) aquifer
 The heated water might make its way back up to the surface as a
geyser, hot spring, fumarole, mud pot or remain hidden
underground
 The Key Components of Hydrothermal System:
 Magma
 Hot rock
 Permeable rock layer’s
 Impermeable rock layer’s
 Fractured &/or faulted rock
 Water
 Geothermal Energy
Background
 Hydrothermal Systems:
 Geothermal Energy
Terms & Definitions
 Core (Outer & Inner):
 The extremely hot center of the Earth. The Outer Core is probably
liquid rock and is located about 5,100 Km’s down from the earth’s
surface; The Inner Core may be solid iron and is found in the
center of the Earth – about 6,400 Km’s deep
 Mantle:
 The soft interior of the Earth that lies between the core and the
crust making up nearly 80% of the Earth’s total volume and is so
hot that it is often partially molten
 Crust:
 The solid outermost layer of the Earth, ranging from 8 – 56 Km’s
 Magma:
 Hot, thick, molten rock found beneath the Earth’s surface (formed
mainly in the mantle)
 Geothermal Energy
Terms & Definitions
 Fumarole:
 The small vent in the Earth’s crust
which shoots out gas and steam

 Hot Spot:
 The areas found in the middle of
lithospheric plates, caused from an
upwelling of concentrated heat in
the mantle (Hot spots remain
stationary while the plates move
over them)
 Geothermal Energy
Terms & Definitions
 Geothermal Aquifer:
 A large volume of underground water collected in porous and
permeable rock, heated by hot rocks &/or magma
 Geyser:
 A natural hot spring that
periodically sends up a fountain of
water and steam
 Geothermal Energy
Terms & Definitions
 Hot Springs:
 A natural spring that puts out
water warmer than body
temperature and therefore feels
hot; may collect in pools or flow
into streams and lakes
 Mud Pot:
 Thermal surface feature which
occurs where there is not enough
water to support a geyser or hot
spring even though there may be
some hot water below. Steam and
gas vapors bubble up through mud
formed by the interaction of gases
with rock
 Geothermal Energy
Exploration & Drilling
 Exploration normally based on the analysis of satellite images and
aerial photographs
 Followed by detailed site surveys Geological Maps are prepared
 Data from electrical, magnetic, chemical and seismic surveys is
gathered
 As step-1, a "Temperature Gradient Hole" is drilled (200' to 4000'
deep) to determine the temperatures and underground rock types
 Study of the Temperature Gradient
 If a reservoir is discovered, characteristics of the well and the
reservoir are performed
Geothermal Energy
Exploration & Drilling
 Geothermal Energy
Applications
 Geothermal Electricity Production
 Generating electricity from the earth's heat
 Geothermal Direct Use
 Producing heat directly from hot water within the earth
 Geothermal Heat Pumps
 Using the shallow ground to heat and cool buildings
 Geothermal Energy
Geothermal Electricity Production
 Geothermal power plants, use steam produced from reservoirs of hot
water found a couple of miles or more below the Earth's surface
 There are three types of geothermal power plants:
 Dry Steam Power Plant
 Flash Steam Power Plant &
 Binary Cycle Power Plant
 Geothermal Energy
Geothermal Electricity Production
 Dry Steam Power Plants:

Prince Piero Ginori Conti invented the first geothermal power plant
1904, Larderello, Italy
 Geothermal Energy
Geothermal Electricity Production
 Dry Steam Power Plants:
 Dry steam power plants draw steam from underground resources
of steam
 The steam is piped directly from underground wells to the power
plant, where it is directed into a turbine/generator unit
 Two renowned dry steam plants are:
• The Geysers in northern California &
• Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming
 Geothermal Energy
Geothermal Electricity Production
 Dry Steam Power Plants:

The Geysers Dry Steam Field, in Northern California

The First Geothermal Power Plants Built by The U.S. in 1962
The World’s Largest Geothermal Field
 Geothermal Energy
Geothermal Electricity Production
 Flesh Steam Power Plants:
 Flash steam power plants are the most common
 They use geothermal reservoirs of water with temperatures
greater than 360°F (182°C)
 This very hot water flows up through wells in the ground under its
own pressure. As it flows upward, the pressure decreases and some
of the hot water boils into steam
 The steam is then separated
from the water and used to
power a turbine/generator
 The leftover water and
condensed steam are injected
back into the reservoir, making
this a sustainable resource
 Geothermal Energy
Geothermal Electricity Production
 Flesh Steam Power Plants:

The Flash Steam Plant in East Mesa, California

 Geothermal Energy
Geothermal Electricity Production
 Binary Cycle Power Plants:
 Binary cycle power plants operate on water at lower temperatures
of about 225°-360°F (107°-182°C)
 These plants use the heat from the hot water to boil a working
fluid, usually an organic compound with a low boiling point
 The working fluid is vaporized in a heat exchanger and used to
turn a turbine
 The water is then injected
back into the ground to be
reheated. The water and the
working fluid are kept
separated during the whole
process, so there are little
or no air emissions
 Geothermal Energy
Geothermal Electricity Production
 Binary Cycle Power Plants:
 Binary cycle power plants operate on water at lower temperatures
of about 225°-360°F (107°-182°C)
 These plants use the heat from the hot water to boil a working
fluid, usually an organic compound with a low boiling point
 The working fluid is vaporized in a heat exchanger and used to
turn a turbine
 The water is then injected
back into the ground to be
reheated. The water and the
working fluid are kept
separated during the whole
process, so there are little
or no air emissions
 Geothermal Energy
Geothermal Electricity Production
 Binary Cycle Power Plants:

Binary Power Plant in Fang, Thailand

 Geothermal Energy
Geothermal Direct Use
 Geothermal direct use dates back thousands of years, when people
began using hot springs for bathing, cooking food, and loosening
feathers and skin from game
 Hot springs are still used as spas, but there are now more
sophisticated ways of using this geothermal resource
 In modern direct-use systems, a well is drilled into a geothermal
reservoir to provide a steady stream of hot water
 The water is brought up through the well, and a mechanical system
(piping, a heat exchanger & controls) delivers the heat directly for its
intended use
 A disposal system then either injects the cooled water underground or
disposes of it on the surface
 Geothermal Energy
Geothermal Direct Use
 Geothermal hot water may be used for many applications that require
heat
 Its current uses includes:
 Building heating
 Green housing
 Drying crops
 Heating water at fish farms &
 Several industrial processes, such as pasteurizing milk
 Geothermal Energy
Geothermal Heat Pumps
 The upper 10 feet of the Earth, maintains a nearly constant
temperature between 50° and 60°F (10°-16°C)
 This ground temperature is warmer than the air above it in the winter
and cooler than the air in the summer (Geothermal heat pumps take
advantage of this resource to heat and cool buildings)
 Geothermal heat pump systems consist of basically three parts:
 The ground heat exchanger
 The heat pump unit &
 The air delivery system (ductwork)
 The heat exchanger is basically a system of pipes called a loop, which
is buried in the shallow ground near the building. A fluid (usually
water or a mixture of water and antifreeze) circulates through the
pipes to absorb or relinquish heat within the ground
 Geothermal Energy
Geothermal Heat Pumps
 In the winter, the heat pump removes heat from the heat exchanger
and pumps it into the indoor air delivery system
 In the summer, the process is reversed, and the heat pump moves
heat from the indoor air into the heat exchanger
 The heat removed from the indoor air during the summer can also be
used to heat water