Feasibility of Using More Geothermal Energy to Generate Electricity
01 Jul 2015-Journal of Energy Resources Technology-transactions of The Asme (American Society of Mechanical Engineers)-Vol. 137, Iss: 4, pp 041201
TL;DR: In this paper, the feasibility of using geothermal power plant methods as a sustainable source of clean energy is explored, and an innovative method which already exists in some form is proposed in the current review to harness more geothermal energy for use.
Abstract: Human population is ever-increasing and, thus, demand for energy is escalating. Consequently, seeking clean methods of producing electricity is a most crucial endeavor at this time. The shrinking reserves of oil have added urgency to the matter as well. One other recognized source of renewable energy besides wind, water, and solar (WWS) is geothermal energy, which has been proven to be useful in baseload power generation, a significant advantage over WWS. As compared to fossil fuels, geothermal energy is not subjected to the supply and cost fluctuations of which fuel is at risk. To date, there have been a number of innovative procedures explored to use geothermal energy to produce electricity. A relatively innovative yet not uncommon method has been to use hot solid rocks to heat water and pump the superheated water to use in power plants. These rocks are generally underground and at higher temperatures due to their proximity to volcanoes or natural geothermal vents. The water goes deeper down into the earth's crust to become superheated by the rocks, and then is pumped out to power turbines, and subsequently returned into the ground to repeat the process. In Krafla, Iceland, during their Icelandic Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) in 2009, a borehole was accidentally dug into the magma at 2100 m. The temperature of this magma was about 900–1000 °C. A steel casing with perforations on the flat side was cemented into the well bottom. This design was to slow the heat flow, and superheated steam was made for the following two years till July 2012. The steam reached temperatures of 450 °C and was at high pressures. Krafla was the world's first magma-enhanced geothermal system (EGS) to generate electricity. This paper will explore the feasibility of using geothermal power plant methods as a sustainable source of clean energy. Geothermal energy has tremendous potential if the right methods can be found to tap that potential, as well as if the cost may be brought down by innovation and demand. In addition, an innovative method, which already exists in some form, is proposed in the current review to harness more geothermal energy for use.
Citations
More filters
TL;DR: The Geodynamics plant in Habanero (Australia), which started up on 2 May 2013, is the first privately run commercial EGS plant to produce electricity on a large scale.
Abstract: Geothermal energy is a renewable energy source that can be found in abundance on our planet. Only a small fraction of it is currently converted to electrical power, though in recent years installed geothermal capacity has increased considerably all over the world. This review focuses on Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), which represent a path for turning the enormous resources provided by geothermal energy into electricity for human consumption efficiently and on a large scale. The paper presents a general overview of this ever-expanding technology from its origins to the current state of the art. The Geodynamics plant in Habanero (Australia), which started up on 2 May 2013, is the first privately-run commercial EGS plant to produce electricity on a large scale. Thanks to the technological development of EGS in recent years, the future looks bright for such plants in the decades to come.
403 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a multi-generation system based on geothermal energy and parabolic trough solar collectors is proposed for the simultaneous generation of power, cooling, freshwater, hydrogen, and heat.
182 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the potential role of geothermal technology in a sustainable future is discussed in the study, the advantages and disadvantages of the technology and opportunities for improvement are explored based on the recent studies and the prospective topics of future research are presented for further investigation.
176 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, an analysis of hydraulic fracturing and thermal performance of fractured reservoirs in engineered geothermal system (EGS) is extended from a depth of 5 km to 10 km, and models for flow and heat transfer in EGS are improved.
Abstract: Analyses of fracturing and thermal performance of fractured reservoirs in engineered geothermal system (EGS) are extended from a depth of 5 km to 10 km, and models for flow and heat transfer in EGS are improved. Effects of the geofluid flow direction choice, distance between fractures, fracture width, permeability, radius, and number of fractures, on reservoir heat drawdown time are computed. The number of fractures and fracture radius for desired reservoir thermal drawdown rates are recommended. A simplified model for reservoir hydraulic fracturing energy consumption is developed, indicating it to be 51.8–99.6 MJ per m fracture for depths of 5–10 km. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4030111]
28 citations
Cites background from "Feasibility of Using More Geotherma..."
...Mengying Li Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6315 Noam Lior1 Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6315 e-mail: lior@seas.upenn.edu Analysis of…...
[...]
...Mengying Li Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6315 Noam Lior1 Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6315 e-mail: lior@seas.upenn.edu Analysis of Hydraulic Fracturing and Reservoir Performance in Enhanced Geothermal Systems Analyses of fracturing and thermal performance of fractured reservoirs in engineered geothermal system (EGS) are extended from a depth of 5 km to 10 km, and models for flow and heat transfer in EGS are improved....
[...]
TL;DR: In this paper, a novel integrated system for geothermal-based power and hydrogen generation and blending of hydrogen into natural gas to feed household devices, such as gas stove and combi boiler, is presented.
21 citations
References
More filters
TL;DR: In this article, a comparative study of different geothermal power plant concepts, based on the exergy analysis for high-temperature geothermal resources, is presented, and the performance of each cycle has been discussed in terms of second-law efficiency, exergy destruction rate, and first-law efficiencies.
355 citations
01 Jan 2004
TL;DR: The first mines were excavated to a few hundred metres below ground level, and it was not until a period between the sixteenth and seventeenth century, when the first mine was excavated, that man deduced from simple physical sensations, that the Earth's temperature increased with depth as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Brief geothermal history The presence of volcanoes, hot springs, and other thermal phenomena must have led our ancestors to surmise that parts of the interior of the Earth were hot. However, it was not until a period between the sixteenth and seventeenth century, when the first mines were excavated to a few hundred metres below ground level, that man deduced, from simple physical sensations, that the Earth's temperature increased with depth.
121 citations
102 citations
TL;DR: In this article, thermal analysis of an operational 7.5MWe binary geothermal power plant in Tuzla-Turkey is performed, through energy and exergy, using actual plant data to assess its energetic and exergetic performances.
58 citations
TL;DR: In this article, an inventory of the anthropogenic heat produced by humans and human activities is presented, and the authors compare this estimate to the significant energy quantity with respect to climate change.
Abstract: This work is intended to systematically study an inventory of the anthropogenic heat produced. This research strives to present a better estimate of the energy generated by humans and human activities, and compare this estimate to the significant energy quantity with respect to climate change. Because the top of atmosphere (TOA) net energy flux was found to be 0.85 ± 0.15 W/m2 the planet is out of energy balance, as studied by the group from NASA in 2005. The Earth is estimated to gain 431 terawatts (TW) from this energy imbalance. This number is the significant heat quantity to consider when studying global climate change, and not the 78,300 TW, the absorbed part of the primary solar radiation reaching the Earth's surface, as commonly cited and used at present in the literature. Based on energy supplied to the boilers (in the Rankine cycle) of at least 13 TW, body energy dissipated by 7 × 109 people and their domestic animals, the value of the total world anthropogenic heat production rate is 15.26 TW or 3.5% of the energy gain by the Earth. Based on world energy consumption and the energy dissipated by 7 × 109 people and their domestic animals, the value of the total world anthropogenic heat production rate is 19.7 TW or about 5% of the energy gain by the Earth. These numbers are significantly different from 13 TW. More importantly, the figures are 3.5–5% of the net energy gained by the Earth, and hence significant. The quantity is not 0.017% of the absorbed part of the main solar radiation reaching the Earth's surface and negligible.
20 citations