RENEWABLE RESOURCE
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
G.Penatic Francis
B. E(EEE)
R.M.K College of Engineering and Technology
AbstractAmong all other sources of energy
geothermal energy is one of the clean energy
without smoke and environmental hazards.
The thermal energy contained in the interior
of the earth is called Geothermal Energy. In
this paper, the details of geothermal energy,
its importance, usage, advantages and
disadvantages are discussed.
I. INTRODUCTION
The word geothermal comes from the
Greek words geo (earth) and therme (heat).
So, geothermal energy is heat from within
the earth. We can use the steam and hot
water produced inside the earth to heat
buildings or generate electricity. Geothermal
energy is a renewable energy source because
the water is replenished by rainfall and the
heat is continuously produced inside the
earth. Geothermal energy is energy from the
heat of the earths core. Geothermal energy
isnt a renewable resource, because his origin
is from earths core, but assigned to between
these resources. Geothermal energy is
possible use for electricity generation, direct
use of heat and ground source heat pumps.
Direct use includes for heating buildings and
greenhouse.
II. GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES
Geothermal energy is generated in the
earth's core, about 4,000 miles below the
surface. Temperatures hotter than the sun's
surface are continuously produced inside the
earth by the slow decay of radioactive
particles, a process that happens in all rocks.
The earth has a number of different layers:
The core itself has two layers: a solid
iron core and an outer core made of
very hot melted rock, called magma.
The mantle which surrounds the core
and is about 1,800 miles thick. It is
made up of magma and rock.
The crust is the outermost layer of
the earth, the land that forms the
continents and ocean floors. It can
be three to five miles thick under the
oceans and 15 to 35 miles thick on
the continents.
The earth's crust is broken into pieces called
plates. Magma comes close to the earth's
surface near the edges of these plates. This is
where volcanoes occur. The lava that erupts
from volcanoes is partly magma. Deep
underground, the rocks and water absorb the
heat from this magma. The temperature of
the rocks and water get hotter and hotter as
you go deeper underground. Understanding
geothermal energy begins with an
understanding of the source of this energy
the earths internal heat. The Earths
temperature increases with depth, with the
temperature at the center reaching more
than 4200 C (7600 F). A portion of this heat
is a relic of the planets formation about 4.5
billion years ago, and a portion is generated
by the continuing decay of radioactive
isotopes. Heat naturally moves from hotter
to cooler regions, so Earths heat flows from hydrothermal convective region is shown in
its interior toward the surface.is fed back into figure.
the transmission grid.

III. BASICS OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

SOURCES

Basic kinds of geothermal resources are as

follows,
1. Hydrothermal
(a) Vapour dominated or dry steam
fields
(b) Liquid dominated system
(c) Hot-water fields
2. Geopressured
3. Petrothermal
4. Magma Resources
5. Volcanoes

Hydro Thermal Connective Systems

Hydrothermal resources are wet
reservoirs at moderate depth containing
(a) Vapour Dominated or dry steam
steam and hot water under pressure at the
fields
temperature up to about 350C. These
The above figure clearly shows
systems are further subdivided on the basis
the layout of vapour dominated or dry
whether the steam or heat water is the
steam fields. Dry steam from wells is
dominant product. Hydrothermal resources
collected, filtered to remove abrasive
represent only a fraction of the potential
particles and passed through turbines
geothermal resources but they are the only
which drive electric generators in the
one which has been commercially utilized so
usual manual manner. The essential
far. If the temperature is sufficient the water
difference between this system and a
or steam can be used to generate electricity,
conventional steam turbine-generator
otherwise the geothermal energy is best
system using fossil or unclear fuel is that
supplied to process and space heating.
the geothermal steam is supplied at a
much lower temperature and pressure.
Hydrothermal resources arise when
The below figure shows the schematic
the water has access to high temperature
diagram of a vapour dominated power
rocks and its accounts for the description as
system. The dry steam from the well at
hydrothermal. The heat is transported from
perhaps 200C is used. It is nearly
hot rocks by circulating movement. The
saturated at the bottom of the well and
general geological structure of a
 it may have a shut off pressure about 35
bar. The pressure drop through the well
is slightly the super heat at the well head.
The steam after the expansion in
the turbine enters the condenser. The
condensation of steam continuously
increases the volume of the cooling
tower. A part of this heat is lost by
evaporation in the cooling water and the
remaining heat is injected deep into the
ground for disposal. The turbine
exhausts steam mixes with cooling water
coming from the cooling tower.
(b) Liquid Dominated Systems
In the Liquid dominated reservoir,
the water temperature is above the
normal boiling point 100C. However it
does not boil but it remains in a liquid
state because the water in the reservoir
is under pressure. When the water
comes to the surface, the pressure is
reduced, then rapid boiling occurs and
the liquid water flashes into a mixture of
hot water and steam. The steam can be
separated and used to generate electric
power or to provide space and process
heat or it may be distilled to yield the
purified water. For liquid dominated
systems, three methods which will be
covered are as follows,
i. Flashed-steam system
ii. Binary-cycle system
iii. Total flow system
Geopressured Resources
Drilling for oil and gas has revealed
the existence of reservoirs containing salt
water at moderately high temperatures and
high pressures in a belt for 1200 km in length.
Because of the abnormally high pressures of
the water up to 1350 atm in the dependent
layers, the reservoirs are referred as
geopressured. A special feature of
geopressured water is their content of
methane. The energy value of the brine thus
depends on their temperature. The solubility
of methane in water at normal pressure is
quite low but it is increased at the high
pressure of the geothermal reservoirs.
Usually, the gas content of geopressured
brine is 1.9cu.m to 38cu.m.
 Magma Resources (Molten rock-Chamber There are three basic types of
Systems) geothermal power plants:
In some cases, especially the vicinity of
a. Dry steam plants - use steam
relatively recent volcanic activity molten or
piped directly from a
partially molten rock occurs at moderate
geothermal reservoir to turn
depth. The very high temperature above
the generator turbines. The
650C and the large volume makes magma a
first geothermal power plant
sustainable geothermal resource. However,
was built in 1904 in Tuscany,
an extraction of the heat from the molten
Italy at a place where natural
rock will be difficult and may not be feasible
steam was erupting from the
for some time. A concept of using heat
earth.
exchange within the magma is studied by
b. Flash steam plants - take
sandia national laboratories. Heat would be
high-pressure hot water
transferred to be a suitable liquid and
from deep inside the earth
brought to be the surface. The hot liquid
and convert it to steam to
could be used to produce a working fluid
drive the generator turbines.
possibly steam to operate a turbine and
When the steam cools, it
electric generator. The liquid is then
condenses to water and is
recirculated through the heat exchanger in
injected back into the
magma.
ground to be used over and
over again. Most geothermal
power plants are flash
IV. GEOTHERMAL POWERPLANT
plants.
c. Binary power plants -
transfer the heat from
Geothermal power plants use
geothermal hot water to
hydrothermal resources which have two
another liquid. The heat
common ingredients: water (hydro) and heat
causes the second liquid to
(thermal). Geothermal plants require high
turn to steam which is used
temperature (300 to 700 degrees Fahrenheit)
to drive a generator turbine.
hydrothermal resources that may come from
either dry steam wells or hot water wells. We
can use these resources by drilling wells into
V. MATERIAL SELECTION FOR
the earth and piping the steam or hot water
POWERPLANT
to the surface. Geothermal wells are one to
two miles deep. The United States generates
Materials are selected on the basis of
more geothermal electricity than any other
experience and testing to perform well in
country but the amount of electricity it
various geothermal environments
produces is less than one-half of a percent of
throughout the world.
electricity produced in United States.
1. Carbon steel is used for dry
and wet-steam transmission VI. OPERATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENT
pipes and separators. PROBLEMS
2. Stainless steel consists of 12-
13% chrome stainless steel
for rotors. 1. Solid particles and non-condensable
3. Austenitic stainless steel is gases
used for most metal
Steam and water from both
components in the
hydrothermal systems contain besides the
condensate cooling system.
dissolved solids in water, entrained solid
4. Aluminum or stainless steel
particles and non-condensable gases. The
is used for most structures in
non-condensable gases are mostly CO2 plus
atmospheric exposures.
varying amount of CH4, H2, N2, NH3 and H2S.
5. Platinum or gold-rhodium is
H2S is always present in geothermal field. It
used for surfaces of
is presented in excess quantities which may
electrical contacts and tin
cause harmful effects on bearings. It also
plating.
attacks electrical equipment and it may have
adverse effects on crops and river life.

2. Re-injection
Reinjection will avoid the discharging
of large quantities of heat into rivers with
consequent hazards to fisheries and it will
also avoid the infecting rivers and stream
with toxic substances emitted from bores
which should endanger downstream drinking
water supplies, fisheries and forming
activities.

3. Land-Erosion
Close control, replanting of shrubs
and trees are more careful site selection and
improved construction methods to solve
Land-Erosion problem.

4. Noise
Noise pollution is another problem.
Exhausts, blow-downs and centrifugal
separation are the sources of noise which
necessitate the installation of silencers on
some equipment. The noise causes a serious
health hazard.
5. Water-borne poisons
The water phase in wet fields
contains toxic mercury, arsenic, ammonia, if
the discharge can contaminate water with
downstream. Highly saline bore water may
be harmful. Possible solution with water-
borne poisons includes reinjection for
disposing into sea through ducts.
6. Air-borne poisons
From various harmful substances,
the poisonous particle may escape into the
air at thermal sites. It may contain
radioactive materials also.
7. Heat pollution
The necessary adoption of relatively low
temperature for geothermal power
production leads to less efficiencies and
emission of huge quantities of waste heat.
Heat pollution in river water can damage
fisheries and encourage the growth of
unwanted water needs.
8. Silica
It can be particularly troublesome
with distinct heat systems. Rejection of silica-
loaded waters can flow up the permeability
of the substrate thereby necessitating the
constant change of bore reinjection sites.
9. Subsidence
The withdrawal of the huge
quantities of underground fluids from a wet
field can cause the substantial ground
subsidence which will cause fitting and
stressing of pipelines and surface structures.
10. Seismicity
Geothermal exploitation will trigger
off earthquakes especially if the reinjection is
practiced in zones of high shear stress where
fairly large temperature differentiation
occurs.
11. Escaping steam
Huge volume of flash steam escaping into the
air will cause dense fog to occur which may
drift across nearly to roads and cause traffic
hazards.
VII. GEOTHERMAL ENERGY AND THE
ENVIRONMENT
The environmental impact of
geothermal energy depends on how it is
being used.
Direct use and heating applications have
almost no negative impact on the
environment.
Geothermal power plants do not burn fuel to
generate electricity, so their emission levels
are very low. They release less than 1 percent
of the carbon dioxide emissions of a fossil
fuel plant. Geothermal plants use scrubber
systems to clean the air of hydrogen sulfide
that is naturally found in the steam and hot
water. Geothermal plants emit 97 percent
less acid rain - causing sulfur compounds
than are emitted by fossil fuel plants. After
the steam and water from a geothermal
reservoir have been used, they are injected
back into the earth. Geothermal features in
national parks, such as geysers and
fumaroles in Yellowstone National Park, are
protected by law, to prevent the land from
being disturbed.
VIII. ADVANTAGES
(a) It is renewable. Since geothermal
energy comes from the heat of the
earth, it is considered to be a
renewable resource. This means that
you can use and reuse it over and
over again. In fact, it can be
considered as a lifetime energy
source since the earth itself is the
one that gives off this heat. You can
be assured that have a continuous
source of energy.
(b) It is clean. Geothermal energy is
classified as one of the clean sources
of energy because it does not burn
fossil fuel in producing electricity.
And since it does not burn fossil
fuels, carbon dioxide in the air is
greatly reduced.
(c) High heat source. The energy
coming from beneath the earth is
really powerful, allowing geothermal
plants to generate much electricity.
IX. DISADVANTAGES
(a) Not all areas are suitable for
geothermal energy. You need to find
a good spot where there is
substantial and continuous amount
of heat that could be tapped into.
The geothermal heat source is one of
the primary considerations when
trying to build a geothermal plant.
(b) Huge startup costs. When trying to
build a geothermal plant, there is a
great deal of capitalization needed
especially at the start. Drilling and
testing whether a certain area is
suitable for a geothermal plant costs
a lot of money
X. CONCLUSION
Geothermal energy is a renewable
energy source that has been utilized
economically in many parts of the world for
decades. A great potential for an extensive
increase in worldwide geothermal utilization
has been proven. This is a reliable energy
source which serves both direct use
applications and electricity generation.
Geothermal energy is independent of
weather conditions and has an inherent
storage capability which makes it especially
suitable for supplying base load power in an
economical way, and can thus serve as a
partner with energy sources which are only
available intermittently. The renewable
energy sources can contribute significantly to
the mitigation of climate change and more so
by working as partners rather than
competing with each other. Presently, the
geothermal utilization sector growing most
rapidly is heat pump applications. This
development is expected to continue in the
future making heat pumps the major direct
utilization sector. The main reason for this is
that geothermal heat pumps can be installed
economically all over the world. One of the
strongest arguments for putting more
emphasis on the development of geo-
thermal resources worldwide is the limited
environmental impact compared to most
other energy sources.
Just under the earth's crust are
massive amounts of thermal energy, which
originates from both the original formation
of the planet and the radioactive decay of
minerals. Geothermal energy in the form of
hot springs has been used by humans for
millennia for bathing, and now it's being used
to generate electricity. In North America
alone, there's enough energy stored
underground to produce 10 times as much
electricity as coal currently does.
The geothermal exploitation
techniques are being rapidly developed and
the under- standing of the reservoirs has
improved considerably over the past years.
Combined heat and power plants are gaining
increased popularity, improving the overall
efficiency of the geothermal utilization. Also,
low-temperature power generation with
binary plants has opened up the possibilities
of producing electricity in countries which do
not have high-temperature fields. Enhanced
Geothermal Systems (EGS) technologies,
where heat is extracted from deeper parts of
the reservoir than conventional systems, are
under development. If EGS can be proven
economical at commercial scales, the
development potential of geothermal energy
will be limitless in many countries of the
world. A project for drilling down to 5 km
into a reservoir with supercritical hydrous
fluids at 450-600C is under preparation
(IDDP). If this project succeeds, the power
obtained from conventional geothermal
fields can be increased by an order of
magnitude. This would mean that much
more energy could be obtained from
presently producing high-temperature geo-
thermal fields from a smaller number of
wells.
XI. REFERENCES
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Project in Palatinate / Upper Rhine
Valley, at First European Geothermal
Review, Geothermal Energy for
Electric Power Production, Mainz,
Germany.
Beardsmore, G., 2007. The
burgeoning Australian geothermal
industry. Geo-Heat Center Bull. 28/3,
20-26.
Bertani, R., 2007: World geothermal
power generation in 2007.
Proceedings of the European
Geothermal Congress 2007,
Unterhaching, Germany, 30 May 1
June 2007.
Cataldi, R., 1999: Geothermal energy
development in Europe to year 2020:
prospects or hopes Technica
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