GEOTHERMAL

POWER PLANT

Reporters: Mirasol Castillo

and
Ralph Benedict Bachiller
Content

1 DEFINITION

NOMENCLATURE
2

3 PARTS AND DEFINITION

4 ADVANTAGES AND
DISADVANTAGES

5 EXAMPLES
 DEFINITION

WHAT IS GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANT?

 Geo (Greek) is Earth ; Thermal means heat and Geothermal means earth’s heat.
 Geothermal power plants are used in order to generate electricity by the use of geothermal energy (the Earth's
internal thermal energy).
 Geothermal power plants use hydrothermal resources that have both water (hydro) and heat (thermal).
 It requires high-temperature (300 ﾟ F to 700 ﾟ F) hydrothermal resources that come from either dry steam wells or
from hot water wells.
 People use these resources by drilling wells into the earth and then piping steam or hot water to the surface.
WHAT IS GEOTHERMAL ENERGY?
 Geothermal energy is the heat within the earth. This energy is a renewable energy source because
heat is continuously produced inside the earth.
 People use geothermal energy for bathing, to heat buildings, and to generate electricity.
 Thermal energy is the energy that determines the temperature of matter.

HOW DO GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANTS PRODUCE ELECTRICITY?

 Power plants produce geothermal energy by utilizing geothermal dry steam or geothermal hot
water accessed by digging wells. Dry steam or hot water is brought to the surface through pipes and
processed into electricity in the power plant.
The Earth has four major parts or layers:
 Inner core of solid iron that is about 1,500 miles in diameter
 An outer core of hot molten rock called magma that is about 1,500 thick
 A mantle of magma and rock surroundings the outer core that is about 1,800 miles thick
 A crust of solid rock that forms the continents and ocean floors that is 15 to 35 miles thick under the
continents and 3 to 5 miles thick under the oceans
 NOMENCLATURE
There are tree types of geothermal power plant:

1. Dry steam power plant - Dry steam power plant directly uses geothermal steam of 150 ﾟ C or
greater to turn turbines. Dry system power plants draw from underground resources of steam. The
steam is piped directly from underground wells to the power plant, where it is directed into a
turbine/generator unit.
2. Flash steam power plant – They use geothermal reservoirs of water with temperatures greater than
360 ﾟ F (180). This very hot water flows up through wells in the ground under its own pressure. As it
flows upward, the pressure decreases and some of the hot water boils into steam. The steam is then
separated from the water and used to power a turbine/generator. Any leftover water and condensed
steam are injected back into the reservoir, making this a sustainable resource.
3. Binary cycle power plant – operates on water ay lower temperature of about 225 ﾟ - 360 ﾟ F (107 ﾟ -
182 ﾟ C). These power plant use the heat from the hot water to boil a working fluid, usually an organic
compound with a low boiling point. The working fluid is vaporized in a heat exchanger and used to
turn turbine.
- the secondary fluid expands into gaseous vapor. The force of the
expanding vapor, like steam, turns the turbines that power the generators. All of the produced
geothermal water is injected back into the reservoir.
 PARTS AND DEFINITION

GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANT DIAGRAM

How it works?
 Through the fractures in the layers of rock, water and steam which has been heated in the
depts., rise to the surface and are intercepted in the geothermal wells.
 The steam that is extracted is channeled into steam-pipelines
 Forwarded to a turbine, where the kinetic energy of the steam is transformed into rotational
mechanical power.
 The turbine’s axis is connected to the rotor of the alternator, that rotates and transforms the
mechanical energy into alternating electric current, which is the transmitted to the transformer.
 The transformer raises the voltage of the electric energy and transfer it to the distribution
network.
 The steam that exits the turbine is returned to the liquid state in a condenser, while the gases
that cannot be condensed are dispersed in the atmosphere.
 A cooling tower then cools the water produced from the steam condensation process. The
condensed water is then dispersed by re-injecting it into deep rock layers.
 MAIN COMPONENTS OF A
GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANT
Production Well

 Source of steam
 Depth 3 km to 10 km
 Steam can be moist or dry, moist steam passes through separator
 Water or brine is re-injected through injection well
Separator

 Steam contains non condensable gases including hydrogen sulphide

 Separator are used for the purpose to remove these gases
 2 phase and 3 phase separators are used according to requirement
 Separators are vertically horizontally designed
Heat Exchanger

 is a system used to transfer heat between two or more fluids. Heat exchangers are used in both
cooling and heating processes.
Steam Turbine

 is a device that harnesses the kinetic energy of some fluid, such as water, steam, air or combustion
gases and turns this into the rotational motion of the device itself.
 to protect rotor blades and nozzles from corrosion special coatings and materials are used
Alternator

 is an electrical generator that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy in the form of
alternating current.
Transformer

 is a static device which transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another through the process of
electromagnetic induction.
Condenser

 a condenser is normally used on all geothermal plants to increase the power by maximizing pressure
drop across the turbine
 condensing the steam at the turbine exhaust creates a vacuum (0.15 atm), thus maximizing the
pressure drop and power output
 most plants use direct contact condensers that uses water itself as the cooling media
Injection Well

 the excess condensate and the brine from the separator returns back to the underground thermal
reservoir
 Re-injection wells are located in appropriate places
 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

Advantages
 Comparatively ecological clean – unlike coal-fired power plants, geothermal ones use a renewable
heat source with a constant supply.
 More energy – geothermal power stations have great capacity – they can gravely help in meeting
the demand for energy that grows every year, both in developed and developing countries.
 Stable price – simple power plants depend on fuel, so the cost of their electricity is varying, based on
the market price of fuel. Since geothermal power plants do not use fuel, they do not need to take
into account its cost, and they can offer their customers stable electricity costs.
 Low operating costs – geothermal installations require minimal maintenance compared to
conventional power plants. As a result, they are reliable and cheap in operation.
 Renewable and sustainable source – geothermal energy will never end, unlike non-renewable energy
sources. As long as the earth supports our lives, geothermal energy power will work.
 Permanent power supply – unlike other renewable energy sources, geothermal one can provide a
constant supply of energy – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, regardless of external
factors.
 Small area – they occupy less space than their coal, oil and gas equivalents. Although they will reach
far below the earth’s surface, their area will be negligible.
 Low noise work – there is a little noise in the production of geothermal energy. The main source of
noise is the fans that are in the cooling systems.
 Energy security – using local government resources, the need to supply sources from other countries
reduces, which, in turn, lowers dependence on external influences and helps to increase our energy
security.
Disadvantages

 Ecological problem. High environmental consumption of fresh water can be a loss for the
environment, which will ultimately lead to its deficit. Liquids extracted from the earth during drilling
contain a large number of toxic chemicals (including arsenic and mercury), as well as greenhouse
gases (such as hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia and radon).

 Geographical limits. Geothermal activity is the highest along the tectonic fault lines in the earth’s
crust. Exactly in these places the geothermal energy has the greatest potential. The drawback is that
only few countries can use geothermal resources.

 Seismic instability. There are reasons to believe that geothermal structures have caused
underground shakings in different parts of the world. Despite the fact that seismic activity is often
insignificant, it can lead to building damage, injuries and death.
 Expensive construction. Geothermal power plants require significant investments. Although they
have low operating costs, the cost of their construction may be much higher than coal, oil and gas
plants. Much of these expenses concerns the exploration and drilling of geothermal energy
resources. Traditional power plants do not require exploration and / or drilling. What is more,
geothermal power plants require specially developed heating and cooling systems, as well as other
equipment that can withstand high temperatures.

 Possible exhaustion. Studies show that without careful management, geothermal tanks can be
exhausted. In such cases, the geothermal power plant will become unnecessary until the tank is
restored. The only inexhaustible option is to get geothermal energy directly from the magma, but
this technology is still in the process of development. This option is worth investing at least because
the magma will exist billions of years.
 EXAMPLES OF GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANTS IN THE
PHILIPPINES
1. Tiwi Geothermal Power Plant - That was the first geothermal power generated in the Philippines. By
1982, Tiwi became the world’s first water-dominated geothermal system to produce more than 160
megawatts (MW). Its currently installed capacity is 300 MW. The geothermal field of Tiwi is located at Mt.
Malinao in the Province of Albay in the Philippines.
2. Mindanao Geothermal Power Plant - also known as the Mount Apo Geothermal Power Plant is
located in Barangay Ilomavis, Kidapawan City, North Cotabato Near Foot of Mount Apo with a power
output of 106 MW, currently of Kind of Mindanao Grid to supplies electricity to Kidapawan and Davao
Region.
3. Makiling-Banahaw (Mak-Ban) Geothermal Power Plant - is located on the border between
Laguna and Batangas provinces. It is the fourth biggest geothermal power facility in the world, with an
output capacity of 458MW. Owned by a subsidiary of Aboitiz Power, the complex consists of six power
plants. The geothermal site covers an area of 700ha and has been in operation since 1979. Mak-Ban is
the fourth largest geothermal power plant in the world.
4. Tongonan Geothermal Power Plant - is situated in Kananga, Leyte in the Philippines and has 700.9
MW. The Power Plant generates and supplies electricity in Leyte and also exports power to Cebu
through the Leyte-Cebu interconnection project.
5. The Negros (Palinpinon) Geothermal Power Plant - is located at Valencia in Negros Oriental,
Philippines. It has 2 units with a design capacity of 192.5 MWe. The Palinpinon geothermal field,
Negros Island, Philippines is a high-temperature, liquid-dominated geothermal system in an active
island-arc volcanic setting.
6. The Bac-Man Geothermal Production Field, also known as the BacMan Geothermal Power Plant, is
one of the geothermal power stations operated by Energy Development Corporation in the provinces
of Albay and Sorsogon in the Philippines. It is named for its location in the municipalities of Bacon and
Manito. In 1979, the BacMan Geothermal Field was created.
This geothermal field can produce 150 megawatts of electricity for the island of Luzon. It consists of
two power plants:

BacMan 1 - The Palayang Bayan area consisting 22 production wells and 9 reinjection wells.
BacMan 2 - The Cawayan and Botong (decommissioned) area consisting 8 production wells and 7
reinjection wells.
 TOP 3 LARGEST GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANT IN THE WORLD
1. The Geysers Geothermal Complex, California, US – 1.2GW
The Geysers Geothermal Complex located 121km north of San Francisco, California, is comprised of 15 power
plants making it the biggest geothermal installation in the world. The complex has an installed capacity of
1,205MW.
Calpine owns 13 power plants in the complex, which have a combined net generating capacity of 725MW, while two
power plants with a capacity of 240MW each are jointly owned by Northern California Power Agency and Silicon
Valley Power, as well as US Renewables Group, which owns the Bottle Rock Power plant.
The complex covers an area of 78km². Production from the geothermal field commenced in 1960 and reached its
peak in the 1980s. The turbine suppliers for the power plants in the complex were Toshiba and Mitsubishi Steam.
2. Larderello Geothermal Complex, Italy – 769MW
Larderello Geothermal Complex, comprising 34 plants with a total net capacity of 769MW, is located in
Tuscany in central Italy. The power generated by the complex accounts for approximately 10% of all
geothermal energy produced worldwide and caters for 26.5% of regional power needs.
Enel Green Power owns the power plants at the complex serving approximately two million families,
8,700 residential and business customers, and 25ha of greenhouses. Reservoir depths at the
geothermal field range from 700m to 4,000m below the surface. The first plant at the geothermal field
was commissioned over a century ago in 1913, making it the first of its kind in the world.
3. Cerro Prieto Geothermal Power Station, Mexico – 720MW
At 720MW, Cerro Prieto Geothermal Power Station in south Mexicali, Baja California in north Mexico, is
owned and operated by the Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), like all other geothermal fields in
Mexico.
The power station features four plants, comprising 13 units. The first plant was commissioned in 1973,
while the fourth plant was commissioned in 2000. The turbines at the complex include four 110MW
condensing type, four 110MW double-flash type, four single-flash of 37.5MW each, four single-flash of
25MW each, and one 30MW single-flash, supplied by Toshiba and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
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