Geothermal Energy Extraction: Processes and Efficiency

This research paper discusses the three categories of plants used to produce geothermal energy: binary cycle, flashed steam power, and dry steam plants. It proves that binary cycle plants are the most efficient method of extraction. The paper also covers the processes of each plant and their advantages and disadvantages.

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THE PROCESSES OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY EXTRACTION
A Research Paper on Geothermal Energy By
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INTRODUCTION
Geothermal energy is very effective and great way to extract renewable energy from the
earth through the processes that are natural. Since the earth has a fairly persistent temperature
within the higher ten feet of the earth's surface and one can make the system of a water pump
that pushes cold water down to the earth to return warmer water in the winter months or even
opposite during the months of summer. There are three categories of plants that are used to
produce geothermal energy namely, binary cycle, and the dry steam flash. This paper proves that
the binary cycle plants are the most efficient extraction method compared to flash and dry steam
power.
Geothermal flashed steam power plant
The hydrothermal regions that generate great temperature, high-pressure liquid water and
are used to collect the energy in the liquid geothermal fluid. Hot water from the high-pressure
geothermal basin is generated to the surface at high temperature. At the ground level the water
flow to the tank at less pressure to enable the water to flash into the stream which is routed to the
turbines to generate the power. The water remains in the liquid is piped to the tanks at low
pressure to extract more steam. The wastewater is passed through the condenser then mixed with
unflushed water to be injected into the reservoirs to maintain the level of the reservoir fluids
(Harvey, 2015).
Dry stream plant
In the hydrothermal regions wherever the basin pressure is not enough to avert the hot
boiling water, there is the formation of pockets of superheated steam. They extract only
superheated instead of removing the hot water from the reservoir of geothermal (Ruggero, 2017).

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This reduces the necessity of flashing tanks and allows the steam to be directly channelled to the
turbines to generate the power. The dry systems release its wastes into the local surrounding and
inject the steam condensed into the well again.
The binary cycle plants
This is a plant of geothermal power that permits cooler reservoirs of geothermal to be used
that is important for the flash and dry steam plant. With the binary plants, the pumps are utilized
for the purposes of pumping hot water from the well of geothermal through the heat exchanger
and the water cooled is returned to the underground reservoirs (Harvey, 2015). Also, the binary
cycle plant uses the pentane or butane hydrocarbons which are pumped through the heat
exchanger at high pressure where it is directed and vaporized through the turbines. The vapour in
the turbines is condensed by the radiators of cold water or cold air and cycled back through the
heat exchanger (Ruggero, 2017).
These power plants have the rate of thermal efficiency of around 10 to 30 per cent.
However, the geothermal cycle plant enables, through reducing the requirements of temperature,
for harnessing the geothermal energy from the reservoirs that with the dry or flash steam plants
would not be possible. The binary cycle power plant has a major advantage over the dry and
flash steam power plants that the water temperature can be as low as possible. The binary cycle
plants have some of the systems that make it more efficient than other plants of geothermal
extraction (Harvey, 2015).
Rankine vapour cycle; this is the type of the vapour cycle. The condition ideal is attained by
steam superheating in the boiler and condenser condensing the steam. It does not irreversibility
internally and comprises of four processes; isentropic expansion in the turbines, constant

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pressure in the boiler, isentropic compression in the pump, and the constant pressure rejection
heat in the condenser.
Dual pressure; this procedure reduces the losses of thermodynamics experienced in the heat
exchangers of brine of the simple cycle. The losses happen through the procedure of moving heat
across the big temperature differences between the brine of lower temperature and the high
temperature of the operational fluid. The losses are lowered by sustaining the nearer match
between the cooling curve of the heating cure of the working fluid and brine (Harvey, 2015).
Dual fluid; There is extraction from the steam of hot liquid like the geothermal water through
passing the steam, in the exchanger of heat relationship with the operational fluid to vaporize the
latter, condensing the vapour in the conventional cycle of Rankine, and expanding the vapour via
the turbines (Ruggero, 2017).
Binary power calculation to prove that it is a more efficient process
Considering the whole package of the thermodynamic system where the quantity of the heat
transferred to the operational fluid is equivalent to the lost heat from the geothermal fluids, the
equation of balanced is given by;

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Conclusion
The production of the electricity from the binary cycle plants are useful for the harnessing
resources of low medium temperature and raising the total geothermal potential globally.
Numerous states using the geothermal energy is increasing yearly with the majority of the
nations generating the electrical energy by the use of binary cycle technology. Isentropic or dry
working fluids are more suitable for the binary cycle power plant then wet working fluids and to
select this, the temperature of the geothermal fluids, reinjection limit of temperature. The
pressure of the turbine inlet and the consideration of health, safety, and environmental factors
should be known

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Harvey, F., 2015. A Theoretical Study of Geothermal Energy Extraction. Perth: Los Alamos Scientific
Laboratory.
Ruggero, B., 2017. Perspectives For Geothermal Energy. Colorado: World Scientific.