Geothermal
Energy. Advantages Of Geothermal Energy. Geothermal System. In
this article we will tell you about geothermal energy, geothermal system and
advantages of geothermal energy.
One
particularly significant renewable energy is geothermal. Depending on the
resource's properties, such as its fluid, pressure, and temperature.
Geothermal energy
Geothermal energy is sometimes known as "Earth
Heat." Geothermal energy is the heat-based energy that exists within the
interior of the earth. It is the earth's natural heat. As you go further down
the earth, the temperature rises. Temperatures in the planet's center (6,371
km) may be between 3,500°C and 4,500°C (the inner core of the earth achieves a
maximum temperature of about 4000°C). Temperatures at the base of the
continental crust (25 to 50 km) range from 200°C to 1,000°C. Even under the
most optimistic projections of technological advancement, the majority of the
earth's heat is too deeply buried to be accessed by man.
The interior makeup of Earth and the physical
processes taking place within are thought to be the source of this heat. It
takes a carrier to move the heat to a reachable depth below the earth's surface
in order to extract this much heat. A vast source of reliable, clean, and
constantly available energy.
Accurate and Reliable:
The only
readily available renewable energy source is geothermal. Geothermal energy
production is consistent, unlike that of wind and solar energy, which is
erratic. Additionally, production levels can be changed in accordance with
demand, ranging from zero to the capacity of the relevant developed resources,
without suffering any loss. This innate feature of geothermal energy will rise
in value as electric power grids become more dispersed and as other erratic
renewable energy sources contribute greater shares of the total supply
capacity.
Geothermal System Types:
There are two major
types of geothermal systems,
1. hot-water
systems
2. vapor-dominated
("dry-steam") systems
Hot-water Systems:
Due to the influence of pressure on the boiling
point of water, hot-water geothermal systems can produce temperatures that are
sometimes much higher than surface boiling. A "loop" of
small-diameter, underground High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) pipes is used in
geothermal systems.
Hot-water system
To transfer thermal energy to and from your home,
the loop circulates water. Its central component is what gives geothermal
systems their biggest edge over conventional heat pumps, air conditioners, and
furnaces that burn fossil fuels.
Geothermal hot water systems can function on one of
two tenets: either by pulling heat directly from the earth or via a natural hot
spring. The
boiling point of water is affected by pressure, therefore hot-water geothermal
systems can occasionally produce temperatures that are substantially higher
than surface boiling.
Geothermal systems use a "loop" of subterranean,
small-diameter High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) pipes. The loop circulates
water, transferring heat energy to and from your home. The main difference
between geothermal systems and typical fossil fuel-burning heat pumps, air
conditioners, and furnaces is its fundamental component. Either by drawing heat
directly from the earth or through a natural hot spring is how geothermal hot
water systems work.
These installations are
rarely a sensible option because they are plainly only feasible if a hot spring
is close. The more popular approach operates by drawing heat straight from the
earth and may be installed practically anyplace. The technique is built on the
same idea as heat pumps, except instead of getting its heat from the air, it
gets it from the ground.
The
temperature of the ground levels out at about 12 to 13 degrees Celsius at a
depth of 3 meters. Long loops of copper tubing are buried, and the pipes are
filled with refrigerant. A storage tank's water can be heated by the
refrigerant, which absorbs heat from the earth and transfers it back up the
pipe where it is compressed.
Vapor-dominated ("dry-steam") Systems:
In contrast to
hot-water systems, vapor-dominated geothermal systems only produce superheated
steam and trace amounts of other gases (such as CO2 and H2S). As a result, the
entire fluid can be fed straight to the turbine. Saturated steam and water
coexist in the vapor-dominated geothermal reservoir, with steam acting as the
pressure-regulating phase.
Dry-steam system
At a wellhead pressure
range of 5 to 7 kilograms per square centimeter, heat held in the rocks dries
the fluids first to saturated and then to supersaturated steam, with as much as
55 °C superheat. At pressures considerably higher than roughly 34 kilograms per
square centimeter and temperatures much higher than 240°C, vapor-dominated
reservoirs are unlikely to exist due to the thermodynamic characteristics and
flow dynamics of steam and water in porous media. [5] Deep beneath the vapor-dominated
reservoirs, hot brine probably exists, but drill holes have not yet been
drilled far enough to establish this.
Geothermal System’s Location:
Both the solid rock and
the water and steam filling the pores and fissures retain thermal energy.
The
"hot spots" in bigger areas are geothermal reservoirs, where the flow
of heat from deep within the ground is 1.5 to possibly 5 times greater than the
global average of 1.5 X 10" calories per square centimeter per second.
These
hotspots are typically found around the edges of large crustal plates and are
also where new volcanoes and mountain ranges are being formed. In these
margins, crustal material is either being dragged downward and
"consumed" in the mantle or fresh material from the mantle is being
added to the crust (i.e., spreading ridges). (sub-duction zones).
Molten
rock is produced in both cases, and it then rises buoyantly into the crust.
These igneous rock pods produce the heat, which is ultimately delivered by
conduction to the meteoric water's convicting systems. There are three main
geologic settings where geothermal fields are currently being studied or
exploited:
Specifically, along spreading ridges, above
subduction zones, and along the mountain range that stretches from Italy
through Turkey to the Caucasus.
Geothermal Energy Use:
1. 1- Electricity
can be produced indirectly by geothermal energy and used directly for heating.
In the same way as traditional nonrenewable power plants, geothermal energy can
likewise deliver reliable base load power regardless of the weather.
2. 2- To
date, the production of electricity has been the main use of geothermal energy.
According to current technology, the geothermal reservoir needs to be at least
180 °C and preferably 200 °C in order to serve this purpose. After removing any
related water (up to 90% of the total effluent), geothermal steam is expanded
into a turbine and used to power a typical generator. Around 800 megawatts, or
0.08 percent of the total global electrical capacity from all generating modes,
were generated by geothermal energy in 1971. The cost of electricity generated
by advantageous geothermal systems is comparable to that of nuclear or fossil
fuels. Naturally, only locations with a substantial supply of geothermal energy
may generate geothermal energy. Geo thermal steam cannot be moved over great
distances to a producing station close to the current load centers, unlike
coal, oil, gas or uranium.
3. 3- Although there are still some minor uses for
geothermal resources, there are others. Locally, geothermal waters as cold as
40°C are employed for gardening and space heating.
4. 4- Much
of the Icelandic capital Reykjavik, as well as portions of Boise, Kla-math
Falls, Rotorua, New Zealand, and Boise, Idaho, are heated by geo thermal water.
5. 5- In
Kawerau, New Zealand, geothermal steam is also used to make paper and has
potential use in refrigeration.
6. 6- Some
geothermal waters have by-products such potassium, lithium, calcium, and other
metals that could be valuable.
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