PREPARED BY C.

RAGHUNATHA REDDY HOD

UNIT IV
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

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Estimation geothermal energy

It can also be defined as the estimation of the energy stored in a reservoir. Resource Estimation
Methods can be grouped according two main categories: Methods with no production data and
methods integrated with the use of production data.

Nature of geothermal energy

The heat of the Earth used to produce geothermal energy stems from impressive and spectacular
natural phenomena that are intrinsic to our planet. The best-known natural displays of geothermal
energy are volcanoes, fumaroles, boric-acid fumaroles and geysers.

Classification of Geothermal fields

Based on the classifying earth’s surface divided into three broad groups.

- Non thermal area- having temperature of 10ᵒ C to 40ᵒ C per km depth

- Semi thermal area- having temperature of 70ᵒ C per km depth

- Hyper thermal area- temperature more than non thermal

Advantages

1. Environmentally Friendly
2. Renewable
3. Huge Potential
4. Sustainable / Stable
5. Heating and Cooling
6. Reliable
7. No Fuel Required
8. Rapid Evolution
9. Geothermal Energy Sourcing Is Good for the Environment
10. Geothermal Is a Reliable Source of Renewable Energy
11. High Efficiency of Geothermal Systems
12. Little to No Geothermal System Maintenance

Dis – Advantages

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1. Location Restricted
2. Environmental Side Effects
3. Earthquakes
4. High Costs
5. Sustainability
6. Environmental Concerns about Greenhouse Emissions

7. Possibility of Depletion of Geothermal Sources

8. High Investment Costs for Geothermal System
9. Land Requirements for Geothermal System to Be Installed

Application

 Space heating and cooling.

 Generation of electrical power.
 Industrial process heat.
 Other applications includes desalination of water, heavy water production, extraction of
minerals from geothermal fluids, timber seasoning etc.
 However, the geothermal energy is presently utilized mainly for power generation and space
heating purposes only.
 Heat Pumps. Heat pumps use the Earth's shallow ground temperature for heating and cooling.
Learn more about heat pumps.
 Electricity Production. Electricity production generates electricity from the earth's heat. ...
 Direct Use. Direct use produces heat directly from hot water within the earth.

Geothermal sources
General kinds of geothermal sources are
1) Hydrothermal Convective system
- Vapour dominated or dry steam fields
- Liquid dominated system or wet steam
2) Geo pressure resources
3) Magma resources
4) valconoes

Vapour dominated system (dry steam)

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The energy conversion in geothermal power plants is based on the Rankine cycle. Dry steam at 35 bar
and 200°C is available at the bottom of the well gets superheated due to pressure drop to 7 bar. The
particulate matter is separated in a centrifugal separator. The process 6-7 and 7-1 are throttling
processes so that enthalpy of steam remains constant. After passing through steam turbine and
condenser, it is re-injected back to earth.

Liquid dominated system: (wet steam fields):

Flashed steam system

The flow diagram and T-s diagram of a flash-steam system are shown

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Hot water is available above 150°C to 315°C underground. When tapped, the water can flow
naturally under its own pressure or be pumped to the surface of the earth. The drop in pressure
causes it to partially flash into steam and a liquid-dominated, low-quality, two-phase mixture of
water and stream is avail-able at the well head. The water contains dissolved solids The flow
diagram and T-s diagram of a flash-steam system.

Hot water from reservoir (1) reaches the well head (2) Pressure p2 is lower than P1 and process 1-2 is

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a constant enthalpy throttling process. The two-phase mixture of low quality (2) is passed through a
flash separator (3) the quality of steam is higher at point 3. The dry saturated steam (4) at pressure of
about 8 bars is expanded in the steam turbine. The separated brine (5) is re-injected into the ground.
The exhaust steam from turbine is mixed with cooling water in a direct- contact condenser. The
mixture is cooled in a cooling tower

Double flash system

Depending upon the original water conditions, the brine at point 5 is ad-mitted to a second, lower-
pressure separator, where it flashes to a lower pressure steam. This steam is admitted to a low-
pressure stage in the turbine as shown . The new low-pressure brine contains less energy and
therefore cycle energy loss is reduced. It uses an innovative steam condenser and gas extraction
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system and a dual – admission steam turbine.

Liquid dominated binary cycle

Water in lower temperature ranges is unsuitable for power production. It can be used directly for
domestic and industrial process heating. Hot water can also be used in heating an organic fluid with
low boiling point and can be used to run a Rankine Cycle. The working fluids can be isobutene, Freon-
12, ammo-nia or propane. Hot brine from underground reservoir circulates through a heat exchanger
(HX) and is pumped back to ground. The organic fluid is heated to superheated vapour and is used in
a standard closed Rankine cycle. The vapour drives the turbine and is condensed in a surface
condenser. The condenser is cooled by water from a natural source or a cooling tower circulation
system. There is no problem of corrosion and scaling in the working cycle components. Kamchatka
binary cycle plant in Russia is 680 kW plant using hot water at 80°C. The working fluid is Freon-12

prospects of geothermal energy in India

Prospects

1. Environmentally Friendly: Unlike fossil fuels, geothermal energy doesn’t produce

harmful emissions. Expanding its use could significantly reduce the carbon footprint
of India’s energy sector.
2. Baseload Power: Unlike solar or wind energy, geothermal energy is available 24/7,

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making it a reliable baseload power source.

3. Reduced Dependency on Imports: India imports a significant amount of its energy
resources. Harnessing geothermal energy can reduce this dependency, ensuring
energy security.
4. Job Creation: Investments in geothermal energy can lead to job creation in the
exploration, installation, and maintenance sectors.
5. Potential for Direct Heating: In addition to electricity generation, geothermal energy
can also be used for direct heating purposes, which can be particularly beneficial in
colder regions.

Geothermal Energy in India

 Exploration and study of geothermal fields began in India in 1970.

 Around 350 geothermal energy locations have been discovered in India by the Geological
Survey of India.
 The Puga valley in Ladakh is the most promising of these.
 The Himalayas, Sohana, West Coast, Cambay (Gujarat), Godavari, Mahanadi, and Son-
Narmada-Tapi (SONATA) geothermal provinces, as well as a number of geothermal springs,
make up India's geothermal provinces.
 According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, geothermal resources in India have
been mapped, and a broad estimate suggests that there could be a 10 gigawatt (GW)
geothermal power potential (MNRE).
 The government of Chhattisgarh decided in 2013 to build the country's first geothermal power
plant at Tattapani in the Balrampur district.
 An agreement to establish the first geothermal power project in Ladakh was signed in 2021.
 Satellites such as the IRS-1 have helped to locate geothermal areas by taking infrared
photographs.

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