ELECTRIC POWER GENERATION FROM GEOTHERMAL ENERGY GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANTS Require high temperatures (300 F - 700 F) hydrothermal resources that may either come from dry steam wells or hot water wells There are three types of geothermal power plants: © Drysteam plants © Flash steam plants * Binary cycle power plants Dry Steam Plants Dry-steam plants tend to be simpler and less expensive than their flash-steam cousins in that there is no geothermal brine to contend with. This is a mixed blessing when it comes to maintaining reservoir performance. Although there are only two major dry-steam fields in the world — Larderello and The Geysers, in northern California, U.S. — there are 61 units of this type in operation in May 2007, about 12% of all geothermal plants. These plants account for 2,471 MW installed or nearly 26% of the total geothermal worldwide capacity. The average dry-steam unit has a rating of just over 40 MW. They use steam piped directly from a geothermal reservoir to.turn the turbo-generator. The general characteristic of a dry-steam reservoir is that it comprises porous rock featuring fissures or fractures interconnected, that are filled with steam. Whereas the steam also contains gases such as carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, methane, and others in trace amounts, there is little or no liquid present. The steam appears to have either magmatic or meteoric origins. The first possibility involves the slow evolution of vapor from magma chambers located at great depth and at very high temperatures close to that of molten rock. The second one involves the percolation of rainwater through faults and fractures to great depth where it encounters high temperature rock. The connection between the wells and the powerhouse for a dry-steam plant is relatively simple compared to a flash-steam plant. At the well, there are the usual valves plus a steam purifier. The latter is merely an in-line, axial centrifugal separator designed to remove particulate matter from the steam before it enters the piping system. The steam pipes are covered with insulation and mounted on stanchions, and include expansion loops to accommodate pipe movement from a cold to a hot condition. Steam traps are sited strategically along the pipes to remove condensate which is then conveyed by separate lines to holding ponds and eventual reinjection.As the steam line approaches the powerhouse, there is an emergency pressure relief station. This allows for the temporary release of steam in the event of a turbine trip. The steam generally passes through a silencer before entering the atmosphere. It has been found preferable to maintain the wells in a steady open mode rather than cycling the wells through open and closed positions. At the powerhouse one finds a steam header, a final moisture remover, typically a vertical cyclone separator or a baffled demister, and a venturi meter for accurate measurement of the steam flow rate. Equipment list for dry-steam plants The major equipment items found at dry-steam plants are quite similar to those used at a single-flash plant. 1, Steam supply system © Wellhead valves and controls Steam purifier “ Wellhead, axial particulate remover ¢ Steam piping, insulation and supports ‘¢ Steam header © Final moisture remover. 2, Turbine-generator and controls Steam turbine-generator with accessories © Control system © Air compressor. 3. Condenser, gas ejection and pollution control (where needed) © Condenser Condensate pumps and motors © Gas removal system * Steam jet ejectors with inter- and after-coolers + Turbo-compressors “Hybrid ejector/compressor © NCG treatment system. 4, Heat rejection system Water cooling tower © Cooling water pumps and motors © Cooling water treatment system.5. Back-up systems © Standby power supply. 6. Noise abatement system (where required) # Rock mufflers for stacked steam ‘© Acoustic insulation for noisy fluid handling components. 7. Condensate Disposal System ¢ Injection wells for excess condensate, and cooling tower blowdown Flash steam plants Takes high pressure hot water from deep inside the earth and converts it to steam to drive the generator turbines ‘© When the steam cools it condenses into water and is injected into the earth to be used over and over again. ‘« Most geothermal plants are flash steam plants* These Power Plants are the most common form of geothermal power plant. The hot water is pumped under great pressure to the surface. When it reaches the surface the pressure is reduced and as a result some of the water changes to steam. This produces a ‘blast’ of steam. The cooled water is returned to the reservoir to be heated by geothermal rocks again. The single-flash steam plant is the mainstay of the geothermal power industry. It is often the first power plant installed at a newly-developed liquid-dominated geothermal field. Single-flash plants account for about 32% of all geothermal plants. They constitute over 42% of the total installed geothermal power capacity in the world. The unit power capacity ranges from 3 to 90 MW, and the average power rating is 25.3 MW per unit. When the geothermal wells produce a mixture of steam and liquid, the single flash is a relatively simple way to convert the geothermal energy into electricity. First the mixture is e separated into distinct steam and liquid phases with a minimum loss of pressure. This is done in a cylindrical cyclonic pressure vessel, usually oriented with its axis vertical, where the two phases disengage owing to their inherently large density difference. The siting of the separators is part of the general design of the plant. The outline below gives the major equipment for a single-flash power plant: 1. Wellhead, brine and steam supply system # Wellhead valves and controls + Blowout preventer (while drilling) “ Master valves * Bleed lines «© Separator vessels + Vertical cyclone type @ © Bottom-outlet steam discharge ‘External or integral water collecting tank Ball check valves ‘¢ Steam piping, insulation and supports * Condensate traps + Expansion loops or spools # steam header ¢ Final moisture remover % Vertical demister ‘¢ Atmospheric discharge silencers Rock mufflers or cyclone silencers with weir flow control¢ Brine piping, insulation and supports. 2, Turbine-generator and controls © Steam turbine-generator with accessories + Multistage, impulse-reaction turbine 4 Interstage moisture removal (optional) “ Single-cylinder, single-flow or double-flow “ Tandom-compound, four-flow Rotor material: stainless steel (typ. 12% Cr, 6% Ni, 1.5% Mo) ~ Blade material: stainless steel (typ. 403, 13% Cr) “Stator material: carbon steel Direct coupled, hydrogen or air cooled, two-or four-pole synchronous generator with static excitation Lubricating oil system © Control system + Digital-computer-based distributed control system Continuous data acquisition system Programmable component controller Full automation and remote control (optional) © Air compressor “ One or two stage, motor driven units for plant and/or instrument air. 3, Condenser, gas ejection and pollution control (where needed) © Condenser Direct-contact or surface-type Barometric or low-level jet type + Integral gas cooler “+ Material for wetted surfaces: stainless steel (typ. 316 or 3161) © Condensate pumps and motors * Vertical, centrifugal can pumps Stainless-steel wetted surfaces Low-head, high volume design Two 100 percent capacity units * Electric-motor driven © Gas removal system * “ Steam jet ejectors with inter-and after-coolers 4 Turbo-compressors ¢ Hybrid ejector/compressor‘® NCG treatment system “Hz removal via commercially available methods. 4. Heat rejection system ‘© Water cooling tower “ Multi-cell, mechanically-induced-draft, counter flow or crossflow type Natural-draft type (rarely used) Drift eliminator ‘& Fire-retardant materials of construction © Cooling water pumps and motors Vertical, centrifugal, wet-pit type ‘Stainless steel wetted surfaces * Low-head, high-volume flow type “Four 25 percent or two 50 percent capacity units Electric-motor driven © Cooling water treatment system + Chemical additives to control pH to 6.5-8.0. 5. Back-up systems ‘¢ Standby power supply Back-feed from grid Diesel generator. 6. Noise abatement system (where required) © Rock mufflers for stacked steam Acoustic insulation for noisy fluid handling components. 7. Geo-fluid disposal system ¢ Injection wells for excess condensate and cooling tower blowdown ‘¢ Emergency holding ponds for wells and separators + Impermeable lagoons for temporary disposal of waste brine. The double-flash steam plant is an improvement on the single-flash design in that it can produce 15-25% more power output for the same geothermal fluid conditions. The plant is more complex, more costly and requires more maintenance, but the extra power output often justifies the installation of such plants. 1. Wellhead, brine and steam supply system‘Wellhead valves and controls ‘Separator vessels Flash vessels, Vertical or horizontal low-pressure tanks “Inlet valves or orifice plates to control pressure drop “> Operating pressure greater than atmospheric ‘Final moisture remover “For high- and low-pressure steam lines © Ball check valves Steam piping, insulation and supports © Steam header for high- and low-pressure steam. ¢ Final moisture remover ¢ Atmospheric discharge silencers © Brine piping, insulation and supports. 2, Turbine-generator and controls © Dual-pressure steam turbine-generator with accessories ‘Single cylinder with dual admission or two single-admission cylinders Control system © Air compressor. 3. Condenser, gas ejection and pollution control (where needed) © Condenser © Condensate pumps and motors © Gas removal system © NCG treatment system. 4. Heat rejection system Water cooling tower © Cooling water pumps and motors ¢ Cooling water treatment system. 5, Back-up systems © Standby power supply. 6. Noise abatement system (where required) # Rock mufflers for stacked steam # Acoustic insulation for noisy fluid handling components.7. Geofluid disposal system ¢ Injection wells for excess condensate and cooling tower blowdown Emergency holding ponds for wells and separators. Flash Steam Power Plant Binary cycle power plants © Transfers the heat from geothermal hot water to another liquid. Examples of liquids include: Propane > i-Butane “ n-Butane “ i-Pentanewe wr an n-Pentane © Ammonia * Water * The heat causes the second liquid to turn to steam which is used to drive a generator turbine. Binary cycle geothermal power plants are the closest in thermodynamic principle to conventional fossil or nuclear plants in that the working fluid undergoes an actual closed cycle. The working fluid, chosen for its appropriate thermodynamic properties, receives heat from the geo-fluid, evaporates, expands through a prime-mover, condenses, and is returned to the evaporator by means of a feed pump. Equipment list for basic binary plants Binary plants differ considerably in their equipment req plants. 1, Downwell pumps and motors ‘© Multistage centrifugal pumps, line shaft-driven from surface-mounted electric motors or ments from flash- or dry-steam submersible electric pumps. Brine supply system Sand removal system Solids knock-out drum. 3. Brine/working fluid heat exchangers © Preheater Horizontal cylinder, liquid-liquid, shell-and-tube type with brine on tube side and working fluid on shell side, or vertical, corregated plate type © Evaporator/super-heater ‘ Horizontal cylinder or kettle-type boiler Super-heater section (optional) ‘@ Brine on tube side, working fl on shell side. 4, Turbine-generator and controls © Working-fluid turbine (axial or radial flow), generator and accessories. 5. Working fluid condenser, accumulator and storage system ¢ Condenser © Dump tank and accumulator Holding tank large enough to store full capacity of working fluid chargea ‘* Evacuation pumps to remove working fluid to storage during maintenance. 6. Working fluid feed pump system © Condensate pumps ‘© Booster pumps (as needed). 7. Heat rejection system © Wet cooling system Water cooling tower with external source of make-up water “Cooling water pumps and motors Cooling water treatment system (as needed) © Dry cooling system (if a source of make-up water is not available) Air-cooled condensers with manifolds and accumulator “Induced draft fans and motors. 8. Back-up systems Standby power supply. 9. Brine disposal system © Brine return pumps and piping *% Horizontal, variable-speed, motor-driven units High-head, high-volume flow design. 10. Fire protection system (if working fluid is flammable) High-pressure sprinkler system Flare stack.TURBINES GENERATING FACILITY ‘CONDENSED ISOPENTANE. : 2