U.S.

DEPARTMENT OF

ENERGY

Energy Efficiency &

Renewable Energy

ENERGY EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Geothermal Energy
(Five Activities)
Grades: 5-8
Topic: Geothermal
Authors: Laura J. W. Butterfield, Ph.D., Brandon A. Gillette,
and Richard Shin
Owner: National Renewable Energy Laboratory

This educational material is brought to you by the U.S. Department of Energys

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Geothermal Energy
Laura J. W. Butterfield, Ph.D.

Brandon A. Gillette

Richard Shin

Middle School

For the Teacher

Deep inside the Earth, at depths
near 150 kilometers, the temperature
and pressure is sufficient to melt rock
into magma. As it becomes less dense,
the magma begins to flow toward the
surface. Once it breaks through the
crust it is referred to as lava. Lava is
extremely hot; up to 1,250 C. Average
lava temperatures are about 750C. A
normal household oven only reaches
temperatures near 260C (500F)!

The rock located just above the

magma is also very hot but remains
solid. What if we could harness this
thermal energy and use it to generate
electricity or heat homes and
businesses? We would have a
domestic, clean, and nearly
inexhaustible energy supply.
Geothermal energy is one of the
components of the National Energy
Policy: Reliable, Affordable, and
Environmentally Sound Energy for
Americas Future, (pg. 6-5).
Our ancient ancestors knew
about this free and reliable energy.
They bathed and prepared food in hot
springs and many cultures considered
geysers and other surface geothermal
features as sacred places. Today, due
to the explorations and calculations of

many scientists and engineers, weve

realized that only 1% of the geothermal
energy contained in the uppermost ten
kilometers of the Earths crust is 500
times that contained in all the oil and
gas resources of the world! The next
step is designing technology that can
harness this immense, renewable, and
low to no - emission energy reservoir.
Geothermal energy can be
usefully extracted from four different
types of geologic formations. These
include hydrothermal, geopressurized,
hot dry rock, and magma.
Hydrothermal reservoirs have
been the most common source of
geothermal energy production
worldwide. They contain hot water
and/or steam trapped in fractured or
porous rock formations by a layer of
impermeable rock on top. Hydrothermal
fluids can be used directly to heat
buildings, greenhouses, and swimming
pools, or they can be used to produce
steam for electrical power generation.
These power plants typically operate
with fluid temperatures greater than
130oC.
Geopressurized resources are
from formations where moderately high
temperature brines are trapped in a
permeable layer of rock under high
pressures. These brines are found
deeper underground than hydrothermal
fluids and have high concentrations of
salt, minerals, and dissolved methane
gas. In addition to producing steam for
electrical power generation, minerals
can be extracted from brines and used
as supplementary revenue for a power
plant. This process is known as co
production.
Hot dry rock reservoirs are
generally hot impermeable rocks at
depths shallow enough to be accessible

(<3,000 m). Although hot dry rock

resources are virtually unlimited in
magnitude around the world, only those
at shallow depths are currently
economical. To extract heat from such
formations, the rock must be fractured
and a fluid circulation system developed.
This is known as an enhanced
geothermal system (EGS). The water is
then heated by way of conduction as
the it passes through the fractures in
the rock, thus becoming a hydrothermal
fluid.
The final source of geothermal
energy is magma, which is partially
molten rock. Molten rock is the largest
global geothermal resource and is found
at depths below 3-10km. Its great depth
and high temperature (between 700C
and 1200C) make the resource difficult
to access and harness. Thus, technology
to use magma resources is not well
developed.
Geothermal power is already an
important energy resource for our
nation and the world. Hydrothermal
plants in the western states now provide
about 2,500 megawatts of constant,
reliable electricity, which meets the
residential power needs for a city of 6
million people. Over 8,000 megawatts
are currently being produced worldwide.
A variety of industries, including
food processing, aquaculture farming,
lumber drying, and greenhouse
operations, now benefit from direct
geothermal heating. The alligators in
the following picture are grown in
geothermally heated water in Idaho.

Hydrothermal systems also

provide district heating. District systems
distribute hydrothermal fluid from one
or more geothermal wells through a
series of pipes to several individual
houses and buildings, or blocks of
buildings.

National Science Education

Standards by the National Academy
of Sciences
Science Content Standards:
Grades 6-8
Science As Inquiry
Content Standard A:
Abilities necessary to do
scientific inquiry
Understandings about
scientific inquiry
Physical Science
Content Standard B:
Properties and changes of
properties in matter
Motions and Forces
Transfer of energy
Earth and Space Science
Content Standard D:
Structure of the Earth
System

Science and Technology

Content Standard E:
Abilities of technological
design
Understandings about
science and technology
Science in Personal and Social
Perspectives
Content Standard F:
Populations, Resources, and
Environments
Science and technology in
society
History and Nature of Science
Content Standard G:
Science as a human

endeavor

Nature of science
Technology Description

Exploration and Drilling

Many scientists, including geologists and
hydrologists, chemical and civil
engineers, and expert drilling
technicians come together to collect and
analyze information on the
characteristics of a potential geothermal
resource site. Sites are evaluated based
on three primary criteria: heat content,
fluid content, and permeability of the
rock.
Fortunately for geothermal
explorers, hundreds of thousands of test
holes have already been drilled all over
the world by oil and gas companies.
Researchers are able to use data from
these deep wells to obtain information
about the thermal energy in the area.
These holes can also provide a way to
use structural methods such as
seismicity, gravity, and magnetic
surveys to help determine the
permeability beneath the surface.

Electrical resistivity surveys can show

how electricity flows through the rock
and fluid beneath the surface and can
help determine amount of available
hydrothermal fluid.
Once a site is identified as having
geothermal potential, more exploratory
wells are drilled and more data is
collected and analyzed. Only after
extensive checking and rechecking is a
site recommended for development as
one of the following energy conversion
systems.

Energy Conversion
The technology used to convert
geothermal energy into forms usable for
human consumption can be categorized
into four groups. The first three: dry
steam, flash steam, and binary cycle,
typically use the hydrothermal fluid,
pressurized brine, or EGS resources to
generate electricity. The fourth type,
direct use, requires only hydrothermal
fluid, typically at lower temperatures, for
direct use in heating buildings and other
structures. The addition of a small-scale
electric heat pump into the system
allows the use of low temperature
geothermal energy in residences and
commercial buildings.

Dry Steam Power Plants

Flash Steam Power Plants

These were the first type of geothermal

power plants to be built. The
technology was first used at Lardarello,
Italy, in 1904, and is still very effective
for generating electricity. The plant
uses steam that is accessed by drilling
directly into the underground source.
The steam is piped through a turbine
and generator unit, and then condensed
back into water and injected back into
the subsurface reservoir. This helps to
extend the life of the system. Steam
technology is used today at The Geysers
in northern California, the world's
largest single source of geothermal
power. The emissions from this group of
plants consist
of excess
steam and
very small
amounts of
sulfur dioxide,
hydrogen
sulfide, and carbon dioxide. Because
there is no combustion taking place, the
levels of these gasses are much lower
than emissions from fossil fuel fired
power plants.

In these power plants, hydrothermal

fluid at temperatures greater than 360C
is pushed to the surface by the high
pressure in the subsurface reservoir. As
this very hot fluid reaches the surface, it
enters the separator where the pressure
drops instantaneously and most of the
liquid flashes into steam. The force
generated by the steam is used to drive
turbines and produce electricity. The
fluid not flashed into steam leaves the
separator and rejoins the water from
the condenser. The fluid is then
injected back
into the Earth
so that the
process can be
renewed over
and over
again. An
example of an area using a flash steam
operation is the CalEnergy Navy I flash
geothermal power plant at the Coso
geothermal field.

Binary Power Plants

These are different from dry steam or

flash steam power plants in that the
hydrothermal fluid from the subsurface
reservoir never comes into contact with
the turbine/generator units. In this twostep process, hydrothermal fluid that is
not quite hot enough to be used in a
flash steam plant is fed into a heat
exchanger. Here, heat is transferred
from the hydrothermal fluid to a
working liquid with a lower boiling
point than water (usually isobutane or
isopentane). The working liquid turns
into an energized vapor much like the
steam in the flash power plant and turns
the turbine/generator unit, producing
electricity. The hydrothermal fluid and
the working liquid are both contained in
closed loops and never come in
contact with each another. The vapor
from the working liquid is condensed
and the hydrothermal fluid is returned
to the earth. This cycle can be repeated
as quickly as the Earth can reheat the
fluid. An example of an area using a
Binary Cycle power generation system is
the Mammoth Pacific binary geothermal
power plants at the Casa Diablo

geothermal
field. Because
warm
hydrothermal
fluid is a more
widespread
resource than
hot fluid or pressurized brines, binary
systems have the potential to make a
significant contribution to the overall
production of geothermally generated
electricity.
Direct use of hot water from
geothermal resources can be used to
provide heat for industrial processes,
crop drying, or heating buildings. In
this method, the hot fluid is pumped
directly into a
buildings hot
water-based
heating system,
under sidewalks, or
into pools. The city
of Klamath Falls,
Oregon, is located
in an area of
abundant near-surface hydrothermal
fluid at the southern part of the Cascade
Range. The Oregon Institute of
Technology is actually heated by this
direct-use system. Sidewalks in the
area have tubes buried beneath them so
as to prevent the buildup of snow and
ice in the winter. Other examples of
direct use geothermal resources exist
across the entire western United States
including the Capitol Mall in Boise,
Idaho. Here, the citys geothermal
district heating system heats even the
Idaho State Capitol Building.
Geothermal water is also used by local
industries in greenhouses, at fish farms,
and by dairies.

Geothermal Heat Pumps

consumer resistance to geothermal heat

pumps does exist due to the high initial
purchase and installation cost.
However, all geothermal heat pumps
eventually provide savings on normal
utility bills, some in as little as 3 or 4
years.
Overall US Geothermal Potential
The sources and functions of
various types of geothermal power vary
across the nation. The map below
shows that this energy can be tapped
and harnessed virtually anywhere in the
United States. Current research is
focusing on increasing efficiency of
current technologies, and expanding the
use of this resource into new
applications.

Also called ground source heat pumps,

these systems can be used for heating
and cooling buildings virtually anywhere,
especially in regions where the
geothermal potential is low. The
internal heat energy of the Earth and
the insulation from surface rocks and
soils keep the subsurface at a near
constant temperature of about 55 F (13
C). Wells are drilled to access the
ground water at this temperature, and
two types of systems can be employed.
An open loop system simply pulls water
up, runs it through the heat pump to
add heat in the summer, and remove
heat in the winter, and then recycles it
back into the aquifer. A closed-loop
system has the same function, except a
loop of tubing is buried underground
and filled with fluid, usually antifreeze.
These systems work well in areas with
moderate climates. Supplemental
heating and cooling systems are
required in more extreme areas. Some

Useful sources of information about

geothermal energy resources
include:
Web Resources:
Geothermal Education Office
http://geothermal.marin.org
Geothermal Technologies Program
http://www.eere.energy.gov/geothermal

Geo-Heat Center
http://geoheat.oit.edu
Idaho National Engineering and
Environmental Laboratory
http://geothermal.id.doe.gov
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
http://www.nrel.gov/geothermal
Sandia National Laboratory
http://www.sandia.gov/geothermal
United States Department of Energy,

GeoPowering The West

http://www.eere.energy.gov/geothermal
/deployment_gpw.html
Books:
Cataldi, R. Stories from a Heated Earth,

Our Geothermal Heritage.

Sacramento, CA: Geothermal

Resources Council, 1999.

Dickson, M. H. Geothermal Energy.

West Sussex, England: John Wiley &
Sons Ltd., 1995.
Edwards, L. M. Handbook of Geothermal
Energy. Gulf Publishing Company,
1982.
Elder, J. Geothermal Systems. New
York, New York: Academic Press,
1981.
Magazines, Handouts, etc:
Duffield, W. A. Geothermal Energy

Clean Power From the Earths Heat.

Reston, Virginia: United States

Geological Survey, 2003

Geothermal Today. Washington, DC:

United States Department of Energy,

2004

Resources for Following Projects:

Calorimeter

Calorimeter, Student Double Walled,

Science Kit, #WW6097200, $29.95
(http://www.sciencekit.com)

Thermometers

Plastic-back high range thermometers

(-30 to 110 C), alcohol-filled. Science
Kit #WW4600701, $1.95
(http://www.sciencekit.com)

Uncoated Nails

40d or larger nails from a local hardware

store. Many stores carry both steel and
aluminum nails. These will need to be
bent into a U shape before the activity.

Heat Transfer Kit

This kit contains Styrofoam cups, lids,

thermometers, and an aluminum heat
transfer bar. Sargent Welch
#WL6819R, $16.50, pkg. of 5 $82.50
Other possible science supply companies
include:
Carolina Biological- www.carolina.com
Frey Scientific www.freyscientific.com

Project Ideas

What factors affect the heat

transfer from rock to water?

Learning Objective: The students will

know and understand that heat flow is a
function of the heat capacities of the
substances involved in the transfer as
well as the substances starting
temperatures.
Controls and Variables: type of rock,
mass of rock and water, starting
temperatures of rock and water, time
Materials and Equipment: Styrofoam
cups with lids OR calorimeters,
thermometers, water at room
temperature, small samples of various
types of rocks (i.e. granite, basalt,
sandstone, gneiss), mass balance,
boiling water bath OR incubator to heat
rocks, tongs, graduated cylinders

Suggestions:
Rock samples should be heated to a
constant temperature, then placed into
water of known temperature in the
calorimeter or cup. From here, the
students can measure the total energy
change or the rate of energy transfer,
compare rock samples or masses of the
same rock, or even substitute different
metals or household materials.

How is energy transferred

between fluids in a binary
geothermal power plant
work?

Learning Objective: The students will

know and understand that conduction
can transfer thermal energy from one
liquid to another.
Controls and Variables: container
size, volume of liquid, temperature of
liquid, type of liquid, time, material of
transfer bar or nail
Materials and Equipment: Heat
transfer kit OR Styrofoam cups w/ lids,
large nails (bent into U shape), and
thermometers; water at various
temperatures, other liquids (alcohol),
graduated cylinders

Safety and Environmental

Requirements: Caution should be

used when handling hot materials.

Safety and Environmental

Requirements: Caution should be

used when handling hot materials.

Alcohol is volatile and should be kept
away from any heat source.

Suggestions: Students can select from

the many different variables in this
experiment. For example, they can
determine the effects of large volumes
of liquid on smaller volumes or vary
starting temperatures of liquids. They
can also experiment with nails or
transfer bars made from different
metals and/or liquids with different
boiling points.

How does salinity affect the

boiling point of water?

Learning Objective: The students will

know and understand that the
concentration of solutes in a solution will
affect the boiling point of the liquid.
Controls and Variables: type of
liquid, volume of liquid, amount of
solute, type of salt, boiling point of
solution

determine how the same salt affects the

boiling point of different liquids, or how
different salts affect the boiling point of
water.

How do the emissions from a

geothermal power plant
compare to those from a
fossil fuel power plant?

Learning Objective: The students will

know and understand that the
combustion products from fossil fuel
power plants contain particulates (soot)
and contribute to air pollution, while the
major emission from a geothermal
power plant is clean water.
Controls and Variables: fuel source,
time, mass of particulates, mass of fuel
source
Materials and Equipment:
combustible materials such as candles,
Sterno cans, Bunsen burners, charcoal,
and wood chips; matches, small pie tins
for burning materials, hot plate, teapot,
water, small mirror, tongs, oven mitts,
0.01 gram mass balance

Materials and Equipment:

hot plate, beakers, high range
thermometers, water or other liquids,
sodium chloride or other salt, mass
balance, graduated cylinders
Safety and Environmental
Requirements: As with all experiments

that involve heating and pressure you

will need to wear eye protection and
heat insulating gloves.
Suggestions: Students can select
from many different variables in this
experiment. For example, they can

Safety and Environmental

Requirements: Caution should be

used when handling hot materials,

especially the mirror. Fuels are
combustible and should be kept
contained while burning. When using
the Bunsen burner, be sure to keep the
mirror high above the flame.

Suggestions: Students can use

multiple fuel sources to determine the
amount of particulates produced by
each source.

can be calculated by putting a mark on

one edge of the turbine and counting
how many revolutions it makes in a
specific amount of time.

How to Construct the Model

Turbine: Half - fill a medium sauce
pan with water and cap it with a secure
layer of aluminum foil. Be sure to wrap
the edges under the lip of the pan to
minimize steam escape. Punch a hole
about half the diameter of the coffee or
soup can in the middle of the foil.
Cut a hole in the center of a pie plate
with the same diameter as the foil.
Place this over the foil to provide
support for the soup can. This is the
steam generator.
Construct a turbine from an aluminum
pie pan, making sure that the turbine is
smaller in diameter than the can. Bend
the stiff wire into a hanger for the
turbine and duct tape it to the side of
the can, bottom side up. Push the cork
onto the end of the hanger. Pierce the
exact center of the turbine with a
straight pin, then push the straight pin
into the bottom of the cork to suspend
the turbine over the can. The turbine
should hang relatively horizontal and
spin freely.

How does the size and

number of turbine blades and
steam jets affect the
performance of a model dry
steam power plant?

Learning Objective: The students will

know and understand that the thermal
energy in steam, when coupled with a
turbine, can be converted to mechanical
energy that can be used to generate
electricity.
Controls and Variables: size and
configuration of turbine, size of holes in
bottom of can, number of holes, spacing
of holes, speed of turbine
Materials and Equipment: aluminum
pie tins (8), aluminum foil, empty soup
or coffee can, 20 cm length of stiff wire
or coat hanger, cork, medium cooking
pot, hot plate, duct tape, pliers with
wire cutter, scissors
Safety and Environmental
Requirements: As with all experiments

that involve heating and pressure you

will need to wear eye protection and
heat insulating gloves. Exercise caution
with working with sharp edges of soup
or coffee can and pie tin.

Suggestions: Students can experiment

with different sizes and configurations of
holes for the steam to pass through.
They can also change the configuration
of the turbine blades to produce more
or less angle or change the diameter of
the turbine. The speed of the turbine

More Project Ideas

What affect does water or steam
pressure have on geothermal energy
production?
How does the salinity and temperature
of hydrothermal fluid affect the metals
and/or plastics that are used in
construction of a power plant?
What are the social and economic
implications of putting a power plant
near a hot spring, which are often
developed at tourist areas?
What type of geothermal system would
be most appropriate for your state,
town, school, or house? What savings,
in both electricity and dollars, could a
geothermal system provide to your
community?

Glossary

binary cycle
co-production
dry steam
electrical
resistivity
surveys
Enhanced
Geothermal
System (EGS)
flash steam
ground source
heat pumps
heat capacity
heat exchanger
heat flow
hydrothermal
fluid
particulates
pressurized
brines

a two-part geothermal power plant that enables the use of

lower temperature hydrothermal fluid by exchanging heat
energy to a liquid with a lower boiling point
the extraction of mineral resources from hydrothermal fluids
and pressurized brines that generates additional revenue for
the power utility
a power plant that uses steam at temperatures above 100
C
analysis method that can determine the presence of
underground water resources
method for using hot, dry rock to produce hydrothermal
fluid
a power plant that uses hydrothermal fluids at temperatures
above 360 C which flashes into steam as it enters the plant
equipment that allows the transfer of energy into or out of a
hydrothermal fluid
the amount of energy it takes to raise the temperature of a
substance
equipment that allows the transfer of energy from one fluid
to another without direct contact between the fluids
the transfer of thermal energy from a higher temperature
substance to one of lower temperature
water that has been heated by the Earth and usually
contains dissolved minerals and gasses
tiny particles of carbon and impurities that are released as
combustion occurs
hydrothermal fluids that are at high temperatures and
pressures that contain high levels of dissolved solids

Appendix
SCIENCE FAIR JUDGING GUIDELINES

Science Project Evaluation Criteria

Judging is conducted using a 100-point scale with points assigned to creative ability,
scientific thought or engineering goals (II a and b respectively), thoroughness, skill, and
clarity. Team projects have a slightly different balance of points that includes points for
teamwork. A chart of these point values is located at the end of these criteria.
Following is a list of questions for each criterion that can assist you in interviewing the
students and aid in your evaluation of the students project.
I.

Creative Ability (Individual 30, Team 25)

1. Does the project show creative ability and originality in the questions asked? the
approach to solving the problem? the analysis of the data? the interpretation of
the data? the use of equipment? the construction or design of new equipment?
2. Creative research should support an investigation and help answer a question in
an original way. The assembly of a kit would not be creative unless an unusual
approach was taken. Collections should not be considered creative unless they
are used to support an investigation and to help answer a question in an original
way.
3. A creative contribution promotes an efficient and reliable way to solve a problem.
When judging, make sure to distinguish between gadgeteering and genuine
creativity.

II.a. Scientific Thought (Individual 30, Team 25)

1. Is the problem stated clearly and unambiguously?
2. Was the problem sufficiently limited to allow plausible attack? One characteristic
of good scientists is the ability to identify important problems capable of
solutions. Neither working on a difficult problem without getting anywhere nor
solving an extremely simple problem is a substantial contribution.
3. Was there a procedural plan for obtaining a solution?
4. Are the variables clearly recognized and defined?
5. If controls were necessary, did the student recognize their need and were they
correctly used?
6. Are there adequate data to support the conclusions?

7. Does the student recognize the datas limitations?

8. Does the student understand the projects ties to related research?
9. Does the student have an idea of what further research is warranted?
10. Did the student cite scientific literature, or only popular literature (i.e.: local
newspapers, Readers Digest)?
II.b. Engineering Goals (Individual 30, Team 25)
1. Does the project have a clear objective?
2. Is the objective relevant to the potential users needs?
3. Is the solution workable? U
nworkable solutions might seem interesting, but are
not practical. acceptable to the potential user? Solutions that will be rejected or
ignored are not valuable. economically feasible? A solution so expensive it
cannot be used is not valuable.
4. Could the solution be utilized successfully in design or construction of some end
product?
5. Does the solution represent a significant improvement over previous

alternatives?

6. Has the solution been tested for performance under the conditions of use?
(Testing might prove difficult, but should be considered.)
III. Thoroughness (Individual 15, Team 12)
1. Was the purpose carried out to completion within the scope of the original
intent?
2. How completely was the problem covered?
3. Are the conclusions based on a single experiment or replication?
4. How complete are the project notes?
5. Is the student aware of other approaches or theories concerning the project?
6. How much time did the student spend on the project?
7. Is the student familiar with the scientific literature in the studied field?

IV. Skill (Individual 15, Team 12)

1. Does the student have the required laboratory, computation, observational and
design skills to obtain supporting data?
2. Where was the project done (i.e.: home, school, laboratory, university

laboratory)? Did the student receive assistance from parents, teachers,

scientists, or engineers?

3. Was the project carried out under adult supervision, or did the student work
largely alone?
4. Where did the equipment come from? Did the student build it independently?
Was it obtained on loan? Was it part of a laboratory where the student worked?
V.

Clarity (Individual 10, Team 10)

1. How clearly can the student discuss the project and explain the projects
purpose, procedure, and conclusions? Make allowances for nervousness. Watch
out for memorized speeches that reflect little understanding of principles.
2. Does the written material reflect the students understanding of the research?
(Take outside help into account.)
3. Are the important phases of the project presented in an orderly manner?
4. How clearly are the data presented?
5. How clearly are the results presented?
6. How well does the project display explain itself?
7. Is the presentation done in a forthright manner, without cute tricks or gadgets?
8. Did the student do all the exhibit work or did someone help?

VI. Teamwork (Team Projects only - 16)

1. Are the tasks and contributions of each team member clearly outlined? How did
you delegate responsibilities between each of the team members?
2. Did you designate one person to be the team leader? If so, what were his/her
responsibilities? Do you feel that a team leader is a necessary component for a
team project? Why or why not?
3. Was each team member fully involved with the project, and is each member
familiar with all aspects? How did you approach other team members to make
sure the work got done?

4. Did you find it difficult finding the time to work together? What actions did you
take to assure that you met as often as necessary to complete the project?
5. Does the final work reflect the coordinated efforts of all team members?
Evaluation Criteria
Creative Ability
Scientific Thought/Engineering Goals
Thoroughness
Skill
Clarity
Teamwork
TOTAL POSSIBLE SCORE

Individual
Projects
30 points
30 points
15 points
15 points
10 points
----100 points

Team
Projects
25 points
25 points
12 points
12 points
10 points
16 points
100 points