Geo-Thermal Energy

Introduction
• Geo-Thermal energy is the heat energy, derives from earth interior.

• Geo thermal energy extracting from geo thermal fields.

• Although the amount of thermal energy within the earth is very large, useful
geothermal energy is limited to certain sites only these sites are called
geothermal fields.

• Entire heat content of earth's crust upto a depth of 10km above 15°C is
defined as geothermal resources.

• Volcanoes are best example of geo thermal energy.

• It's availability is independent of weather.

• The available thermal energy can't be distributed easily over long distances.
Applications

1.Direct use

• Geothermal resources have great range of temperature and local peculiarities.

In general, although abundant energy is accessible its thermodynamic quality is
low.
• Most of geothermal resources produce low grade heat about 50°-70°C which
can be used for thermal applications.
• The low and modulate hydrothermal energy is used for heating, industrial
processes such as drying applications in food, textile industries, crop drying,
space heating.
 Various categories of direct heat use in

Utilization 2020 2015 2010 2005 2000

Geothermal
heat pumps 77547 50,258 33,134 15,384 5,275

Space
heating 12,768 7,603 5,394 4,366 3,263

Aquaculture
pond 950 696 653 616 605
heating

Industrial
use 852 614 533 484 474
 2.Indirect use

• Sometimes, Geo-Thermal heat is available at temperatures 90°C so electrical

power generation can be done.

• Electricity is fed to either utility grid or to industrial processes.

• Normally, it is used for base load power generation.

 Electrical power installed capacity in

Country Installed in 2020

Indonesia 2,289.00

USA 3,700.00

Turkey 1,549.00

Japan 550.00

Italy 916.00

Germany 43.00

India 0.37

Belgium 0.68
Origin and Distribution of geothermal energy

• Geothermal energy is the heat energy that originate from the core of the earth.

• Heat occurs in the earth due to combination of some sources.

• The core is surrounded by mantle which is having a depth of 2900km, mantle

is finally covered by outermost layer called crust having a depth of 30km.

• The temperature of base crust is about 1000°C and increases slowly into the
core of the earth.

• Mantle is containing semi fluid materials called magma.

• World's geothermal resources are located at the edges of Pacific plate called
ring of fire.
 Cross section of earth

30 km Crust

M
an
Depth tle
2900 km

1000°C
O re
ut
Co

5150 km er

Inner core(4000°C)

6370 km
Types of geothermal resources

1. Hydrothermal

2. Geopressured

3. Hot dry rock

4. Magma
1.Hydrothermal resource
• When underground water has access to high temperature from the porous
rocks.

• The water is trapped in the aquifers and is heated by surrounding rocks leads
into underground boiler.

• Heat is supplied by magma by upward conduction through solid rocks below

the reservoir. Under high pressure,the temperature can reach as high as
350°C.

• The hot water sometimes escapes from the fissures in rocks, forming hot
springs or geysers.

• Sometimes steam escapes through the cracks of the surface called fumaroles.

• The hydrothermal resources are located at shallow to moderate depths (100m

- 4500m).

• Temperature for hydrothermal reserves used for electricity generation range

 Fumarole, geyser
Plant
or hot spring

Well
Co

re
ld

s su
wa
ter

Fi
Crust

Heat Hydrothermal
reservoir

Magma

General simplified structure of hydrothermal resource

Hydrothermal resource are further categorised into

a. Vapour dominated (Dry steam) systems

b. Liquid dominated (wet steam) systems
c. Hot water system.
a. Vapour dominated system

• Dry steam fields are occurs when the pressure is not much above the
atmospheric pressure and temperature is high.
• Water boils underground and generates a steam of 165°C and pressure of
7atm.
• The exhaust steam of turbine is condensed in a direct contact condenser in
which the steam is condensed by direct contact with cooling water.
• The resulting warm water is circulated and cooled in a cooling tower and
returned to the condenser.
• The condensation of steam continuously increases the volume of cooling
water.
• Excess water is reinjected at some distance deep into the ground for disposal.
• The non condensable gases are removed from the condenser by steam jet
ejection.
• Some of the examples are Geysers in USA, Larderello in Italy and
Matsukawa in Japan.
Centrifugal Dry-steam hydrothermal system
separator

Solid Direct steam

matter
Steam
turbine Steam jet
Ejector
Generator

Condensate
Non-
condensable
gases
Direct contact
condenser Excess water

Production well Reinjection well

b. Liquid dominated system

Liquid dominated system is further categorised into two types

• High temperature
• Low temperature

 High temperature

• In a high temperature liquid dominated reservoir, the water temperature is

above 175°C.

• Liquid dominated reservoir is under high pressure and remains in liquid

state and these fields used for steam plants.

Ex: Waiakea in New Zealand (T=230°C,P=4 atm).

 Single flash steam system

Dry steam
Steam
turbine
Flash
Generator
separator
Vapour

Liquid
Hot
Brain Condensate

Direct thermal
Excess
Applications Cooling
Water
Tower

Production well Reinjection well

 Dual-flash steam system

Generator

High Low
pressure pressure
Flash Turbine
Turbine
separators

Spent brain Condensate

Direct thermal
applications
Cooling
tower
Production well Reinjection well
  Low temperature

• Liquid dominated of low temperature are available at moderate

temperature ranges of 90°C - 175°C .

• This temperature is not enough for efficient flash steam production.

• A binary fluid is employed, where the heat of geothermal fluid is used to

vaporize a volatile organic compound (BP=10°C) such as Isobutene.
 Binary fluid hydrothermal system
Generator

Turbine Condenser

Regenerative
Vapour heat exchanger

Liquid Cooling
tower

Geothermal
Primary heat exchanger fluid

Production well Reinjection well

 C.Hot water system:

• Hydrothermal reservoirs of low to moderate temperatures (20°C - 150°C) are

used to residential and industrial uses.

• Hot water brought to the surface, where a heat exchanger system transfers its
heat to another fluid.

• Hot water can also be utilised in a hybrid system consisting of geothermal-

conventional thermal systems.
2. Geo-pressured resource

• In the drilling operations, hot salt water reservoirs at high temperature

(90°C -200°C) and great pressure are found, these reservoirs are called
geopressured.

• A special feature of geopressured water is that ,it contains significant

amount of dissolved methane gas.

• Geopressured resource is very promising because 3 types of energy can be

extracted from the well.

1. Thermal energy from the heated fluid

2. Hydraulic energy from the high pressure
3. Chemical energy from the burning of methane gas.
 3.Hot dry rocks

• There are the regions underground at temperatures exceeding 200°C with little
or no water.

• The rocks are impermeable or there is no surface water in the vicinity.

• Thech resources are upto a depth of 5km are estimated to be significant and
worthy development as a source of energy.

• Hot dry rocks are much more common than hydrothermal reservoirs and more
accessible,so their potential is quite high.

• The recovery of hot dry rocks involves forming a man made reservoir by
drilling deep into the hot rocks and then it is cracking from the cavity or
fractures, these are called enhanced geothermal systems.
 Hot dry rock-binary fluid system
Generator Condenser

Cooling tower
Turbine
Regenerative heat
Vapour

exchanger

Liquid freon

Pressure
Primary Valve equiliser
heat exchanger Water in
Sedimentary and
volcanic rocks

Granite Fractures
 4.Magma

• Magma is having temperature of 650°C -1200°C .

• These are especially located in the vicinity of recent volcanic activity.

• It is having a huge potential and largest of all geothermal resources.

• Extracting of magma energy is more difficult of all types of utilisation.

  Geothermal energy in the world
Geothermal energy is generated in over 20 countries. The United States is the
world's largest producer, and the largest geothermal development in the world is
The Geysers north of San Francisco in California.

Top countries producing geothermal power

• Indonesia
• Philippines
• Turkey
• New Zealand
• Mexico
• Italy
• Iceland
  Geothermal energy in India
In India, by the time, geothermal energy installed capacity is experimental
however, the potential capacity is more than 10,000 MW.

Following are the six most promising geothermal energy sites in India

• Tattapani in Chhattisgarh
• Puga in Jammu & Kashmir
• Cambay Graben in Gujarat
• Manikaran in Himachal Pradesh
• Surajkund in Jharkhand
• Chhumathang in Jammu & Kashmir