Energy Technology Assignment By Khalil Raza Bhatti (07ME40)

GE O T H E R M A L E N E R G Y
The heat of the Earth makes up what is known as geothermal energy. When dust and gasses from
Earth mixed together 4 billion years ago, geothermal energy resulted.

Inside the Earth at its core, some 4, 000 miles deep, the temperature is estimated at about 9,000
degrees Fahrenheit. Geothermal energy has been used throughout history for bathing, relaxing,
cooking and heating. It was thought by some to have healing effects and was used to treat eye and
skin diseases. The first geothermal generator that produced energy was built in Lardarello, Italy in
1904. The United States followed with their first attempt at geothermal power in 1912 at The
Geysers in California. Today it is produced in twenty-one countries around the world.

Geothermal energy is located deep in the ground. The heat at the core of the Earth has an outward
flow. As it moves, it is transferred to surrounding rock layers called the mantle. As temperatures and
pressure increase, the rock melts and becomes magma. The magma moves toward the surface of
the earth carrying the heat with it. If the magma reaches the Earth’s surface, it becomes lava.
However, most of it stays below the Earth’s crust and heats rocks and water that surround it. These
temperatures can reach up to 700 degrees Fahrenheit. When the water travels to the Earth’s
surface, it becomes hot springs or geysers. Mostly it stays trapped in fractured, porous rocks called
geothermal reservoirs. This heat near the Earth’s surface becomes a form of energy.

Hot water or steam from the reservoir exerts a force that can spin a turbine connected to a
generator and produces electricity. The cooled water is then returned to the reservoir in order for it
to reheat. Much exploration and testing needs to be done to determine where the geothermal
underground waters are. When ideal spots are located, drilling is done to create production wells
that bring the water to the Earth’s surface for power generation in geothermal power plants.

Although the costs to construct geothermal plants and geothermal wells are high, the cost of
producing electricity is lower over time. The fuel is reliable, stable and does not need to be
transported. The white smoke you will see over geothermal power plants is not smoke but rather
steam. During the process of operations it may, however, bring some hazardous gases from
underground.

The United States stands as the biggest producer of geothermal energy. Unfortunately, interest in it
is low and it only accounts for about 1% of this country’s energy supply. Through research and
experience new methods and technologies for accessing geothermal energy will improve. Tapping
into the heat under the Earth’s surface can produce much more of the nation’s energy. We are at a
point where renewable energy sources must make their way to the forefront of the energy picture.
Not only are fossil fuels being depleted, but also they are ruining our air quality. In time, geothermal
energy may become an appealing alternative. Competitive pricing and minimal environmental
impact could produce a hot future for this renewable energy source.

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 Energy Technology Assignment By Khalil Raza Bhatti (07ME40)

S O UR C E S O F GE O T H E R M A L E N E R GY
Geothermal energy is an unlimited resource. The lot surrounding a home contains a vast reservoir of
low temperature thermal energy, typically 10 times that required over an entire heating season. This
resource is constantly resupplied by the sun, the surrounding earth, and heat rejected while cooling
during the summer. The universal definition of geothermal is "...pertaining to the heat of the earth."
By using the earth to provide up to 50% of a building's total heating and cooling needs, these
systems are truly geothermal energy made practical.

Four basic types of geothermal energy resources:

Horizontal loops are Pond (lake) loops are Vertical loops are the Open loop systems are
often considered when very economical to ideal choice when the fourth type and
adequate land surface install when a body of available land surface utilize ground water as
is available. Pipes are water is available. is limited. Drilling a direct energy source.
placed in trenches, in Excavation costs are equipment is used to In ideal conditions, an
lengths that range virtually eliminated. bore small-diameter open loop application
from 100 to 400 feet. Coils of pipe are simply holes from 75 to 300 can be the most
placed on the bottom feet deep. economical type of
of the pond or lake. geothermal system

Four times the efficiency:

A geothermal system uses the Earth's thermal properties in conjunction with electricity to provide
unprecedented efficiency. For every unit of electricity the system uses, it provides four units of
heating energy, giving a geothermal system a 400% efficiency rating on average. These numbers
translate into real savings on your utility bills year-round.

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 Energy Technology Assignment By Khalil Raza Bhatti (07ME40)

GE O T H E R M A L S Y S T E M S
The word geothermal comes from the Greek words geo (earth) and therme (heat), and means the
heat of the earth.

Geothermal energy is ultimately derived from the heat contained in the core of the earth and from
radioactive decay within its mantle. At high temperatures and pressures within the mantle, melting
of mantle rock forms magma which rises towards the surface
carrying the heat from below.

In some regions where the earth's crust is thin or fractured, or

where magma bodies are close to the surface, there are high
temperature gradients. Deep faults, rock fractures and pores
allow groundwater to percolate towards the heat source and
become heated to high temperatures. Some of this hot
geothermal water travels back to the surface through buoyancy
effects to appear as hot springs, mud pools, geysers, or
fumaroles. If the ascending hot water meets an extensively
fractured or permeable rock zone, the heated water will fill pores and fractures and form a
geothermal reservoir. These reservoirs are much hotter than surface hot springs, reaching
temperatures of more than 350°C, and are potentially an accessible source of energy.

These high temperatures can be achieved in liquid-dominated reservoirs because increasing

hydrostatic pressure with depth allows elevated temperatures without boiling. Many undisturbed
geothermal reservoirs in New Zealand have temperature and pressure profiles such that the fluid is
close to boiling point to depths of more than 1 km.

Geothermal areas are commonly close to the edges of continental plates, and New Zealand's
location on an active plate boundary (between the Indo-Australian and Pacific Plates) has resulted in
the development of numerous geothermal systems and a world-class geothermal energy resource.

The characteristics of geothermal systems vary widely, but three components are essential:

 a subsurface heat source that may be igneous magma bodies or heat stored in other rocks
 fluid to transport the heat
 Faults, fractures or permeability within sub-surface rocks that allow the heated fluid to flow
from the heat source to the surface or near-surface.

Geothermal resources can be classified into three categories:

 High temperature, usually magmatic-related resources. These have temperatures of 200-

350°C at economically-drillable depth. They are of limited occurrence, and form individual
convective geothermal systems of up to 50 sq km in area. Technologies may be developed in
the future to exploit even deeper, hotter resources.
 Moderate to low temperature resources, of non-magmatic origin, usually associated with
deep faults. Maximum temperatures at drillable depth do not exceed 140°C, and are often

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 Energy Technology Assignment By Khalil Raza Bhatti (07ME40)

less. These are more widespread than the high temperature resources, but the individual
systems are no larger. The distinction between these and the first kind is not entirely clear-
cut, as cooled outflows from hotter resources can also fall into the same temperature range.
 Very low temperature resources, which are widespread but close to ambient temperature.

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 Energy Technology Assignment By Khalil Raza Bhatti (07ME40)

GE O T H E R M A L R E S E R V O I R S

In the United States, most geothermal reservoirs of hot water are located in the western states,
Alaska, and Hawaii. Wells can be drilled into underground reservoirs for the generation of electricity.
Some geothermal power plants use the steam from a reservoir to power a turbine/generator, while
others use the hot water to boil a working fluid that vaporizes and then turns a turbine. Hot water
near the surface of Earth can be used directly for heat. Direct-use applications include heating
buildings, growing plants in greenhouses, drying crops, heating water at fish farms, and several
industrial processes such as pasteurizing milk.
Hot dry rock resources occur at depths of 3 to 5 miles everywhere beneath the Earth's surface and at
lesser depths in certain areas. Access to these resources involves injecting cold water down one well,
circulating it through hot fractured rock, and drawing off the heated water from another well.
Currently, there are no commercial applications of this technology. Existing technology also does not
yet allow recovery of heat directly from magma, the very deep and most powerful resource of
geothermal energy.

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 Energy Technology Assignment By Khalil Raza Bhatti (07ME40)

E F F E C T S O F GE O T H E R M A L E N E R GY O N
THE ENVIRONMENT
Fluids drawn from the deep earth carry a mixture of gases, notably carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen
sulfide (H2S), methane (CH4) and ammonia (NH3). These pollutants contribute to global
warming, acid rain, and noxious smells if released. Existing geothermal electric plants emit an
average of 122 kg of CO2 per megawatt-hour (MW·h) of electricity, a small fraction of the emission
intensity of conventional fossil fuel plants. Plants that experience high levels of acids and volatile
chemicals are usually equipped with emission-control systems to reduce the exhaust. Geothermal
plants could theoretically inject these gases back into the earth, as a form of carbon capture and
storage.

In addition to dissolved gases, hot water from geothermal sources may hold in solution trace
amounts of toxic chemicals such as mercury, arsenic, boron, antimony, and salt. These chemicals
come out of solution as the water cools, and can cause environmental damage if released. The
modern practice of injecting spent geothermal fluids back into the Earth to stimulate production has
the side benefit of reducing this environmental risk.

Direct geothermal heating systems will contain pumps and compressors, and the electricity they
consume may come from a polluting source. This parasitic load is normally a fraction of the heat
output, so it is always less polluting than electric heating. However, if the electricity is produced by
burning fuels, then the net pollution of geothermal heating may be comparable to directly burning
the fuel for heat. For example, a geothermal heat pump powered by electricity from a combined
cycle natural gas plant would produce about as much pollution as a natural gas condensing
furnace of the same size. Therefore the environmental value of direct geothermal heating
applications is highly dependent on the emissions intensity of the neighboring electric grid.

Plant construction can adversely affect land stability. Subsidence has occurred in the Wairakei
field in New Zealand and in Staufen in Breisgau, Germany. Enhanced geothermal systems can
trigger earthquakes as part of hydraulic fracturing. The project in Basel, Switzerland was suspended
because more than 10,000 seismic events measuring up to 3.4 on the Richter scale occurred over the
first 6 days of water injection.

Geothermal has minimal land and freshwater requirements. Geothermal plants use
3.5 square kilometers per gigawatt of electrical production (not capacity) versus 32 and
12 square kilometers for coal facilities and wind farms respectively. They use 20 litres of freshwater
per MW·h versus over 1000 litres per MW·h for nuclear, coal, or oil.
Geothermal fluids contain dissolved gases which are released into the atmosphere. The main toxic
gases are carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen sulfide (H 2S). Both are denser than air and can collect in
pits, depressions or confined spaces. These gases are a recognised hazard for people working at
geothermal stations or bore fields, and can also be a problem in urban areas. In Rotorua a number of
deaths have been attributed to hydrogen sulfide poisoning, often in motel rooms or hot-pool

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 Energy Technology Assignment By Khalil Raza Bhatti (07ME40)

enclosures. Carbon dioxide is also a greenhouse gas, contributing to potential climate change.
However, geothermal extraction releases far fewer greenhouse gases per unit of electricity
generated than burning fossil fuels such as coal or gas to produce electricity.

Geothermal fluids contain elevated levels of arsenic, mercury, lithium and boron because of the
underground contact between hot fluids and rocks. If waste is released into rivers or lakes instead of
being injected into the geothermal field, these pollutants can damage aquatic life and make the
water unsafe for drinking or irrigation.
A serious environmental effect of the geothermal industry is arsenic pollution. Levels of arsenic in
the Waikato River almost always exceed the World Health Organisation standard for drinking water
of 0.01 parts per million. Most of the arsenic comes from geothermal waste water discharged from
the Wairākei power station. Natural features such as hot springs are also a source of arsenic, but it
tends to be removed from the water as colourful mineral precipitates like bright red realgar and
yellowy green orpiment.

The process of extracting geothermal fluids (which include gases, steam and water) for power
generation typically removes heat from natural reservoirs at over 10 times their rate of
replenishment. This imbalance may be partially improved by injecting waste fluids back into the
geothermal system.

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 Energy Technology Assignment By Khalil Raza Bhatti (07ME40)

S U G GE S T I O N S ABOUT C O UR S E
DEFICIENCIES AND IMPROVEMENTS

DEFICIENCIES

The course is set by higher education commission therefore it is well arranged. As for teaching way
can be commented. To best thing was that very student in Energy Technology lecture was very
interested, as class discussion was always there. Also, questions and answers also contributed a lot.

Overall, it was great to have such a lecture of one subject, opening more ideas, so to me teaching
way was very good, but few things may be rechecked, like there’d always be a introductory and
concluding briefing by the teacher on the topic and in between the class discussion, in which no one
should be allowed interrupt. Rest there’s nothing which I can think of.

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