MODULE 3 HYDROGEN ENERGY

Benefits of hydrogen energy

 H2 energy can be used in fuel cell to generate

electricity
 Fuel cell –like battery converts chemical
energy into electrical energy
An electrolyte membrane is sandwiched between a cathode and anode. Hydrogen is
introduced to the anode, and oxygen (from air) is introduced to the cathode. The
hydrogen molecules break apart into protons and electrons due to an
electrochemical reaction in the fuel cell catalyst. Protons then travel through the
membrane to the cathode.

 The electrons are forced to travel through an external circuit to perform work
(providing power to the electric car) then recombine with the protons on the
cathode side where the protons, electrons, and oxygen molecules combine to
form water
 Reduces pollution-in fuel cell H2 is combined
with O2 –Energy in the form of electricity is
produced. Products during chemical reaction are
water and heat-no harmful gases are produced.
 H2 can be produced from numerous resources—
from methane, gasoline,biomass, coal or water.
 Sustainable(no damage to the
environment)production system-H2 produced
from electrolysis of water.-renewable sources can
be used to power electrolysers
H2 production technologies

 Thermochemical production technologies

 Electrolytic production technolgies
 Photolytic production technologies
Thermochemical production
technologies
 i)Steam reforming—uses thermal energy to
separate H2 from the carbon components in
methane and methanol-involves reaction of
these fuels with steam.
 Ii) Steam reforming of natural gas is currently
the least expensive method. Natural gas is first
cleared from sulphur compounds
 Then mixed with steam and sent over nickel
alumina catalyst inside a tubular reactor
heated externally-co and H2 are released.
 CH4+H2O=CO+3H2 (occurs at 200 degree
centigrade)
 CO+H2O=CO2+H2-(water gas shift reaction)
 Then H2 gas is purified.
ii)Partial oxidation or
ceramic membrane reactor
 Involves separation of O2 from air and partial
oxidation of methane
 Partial oxidation process-natural gas and O2
are injected into a high pressure reactor.
 CH4+1/2O2=CO+2H2(shifts CO with water to
CO2 and H2, and removes CO2 and H2 is
purified.)
iii)Biomass gasification

 Using agricultural residues and wastes or

biomass H2 can be produced through
gasification or pyrolysis
 Biomass pyrolysis(thermal decomposition of
material at high temp) produces bio oil (like
petroleum contains spectrum of components –
which can be seperated into valuable
chemicals and fuels )
 These components can be transformed into
products including H2
Electrolytic production
technology
 Electrolysis –process of producing H2 and O2
from water in an electrochemical cell.
 Two electrodes cathode and anode –
immersed in an electrolyte-and voltage is
applied across the electrodes
separates elements of water -H2 and O2-by
charging water with an electric current.
 Adding an electrolyte –salt improves the
conductivity of water-increases the efficiency of
the process.
 The charge breaks the chemical bond between H2
and O2 splits apart the atomic components
creating charged particles called ions.
 H2 gathers at the cathode
 O2 gathers at the anode
 4H2O+4e-=2H2+4OH-
 4OH-=O2+2H2O+4e-
Steam electrolysis

 Variation of the conventional electrolysis

process.
 Some of the energy needed to split the water
is added as heat instead of electricity.
 At 2500 degree centigrade, water
decomposes into hydrogen and oxygen.
 This heat is provided by a solar energy
concentrating device to supply the heat.
 photo electrolysis-Photovoltaic systems is used which
generates sufficient voltage to split water.
 Thermochemical water splitting- uses chemicals such as
iodine assisted by heat-causes the water molecules to split
up
 Sulphur iodine cycle uses 3 chemical reactions to achieve the
dissociation of water.
 I2+SO2+2H2O=2HI+H2SO4(120degree centigrade)
 H2SO4=SO2+H2O+1/2O2(830-900 degree centigrade)
 2HI=I2+H2(300-450 degree centigrade)
 Efficiency=30% at 750 degree centigrade
 =60% at 1000 degree centigrade.
 By product of sodium or potassium chloride
electrolysis-H2 is by product of sodium or
potassium chloride electrolysis that produces
chlorine and caustic soda or potash.
 NaCl+H2O+electricity=1/2Cl2+NaOH+1/2H2
 KCl+H2O+electricity=1/2Cl2+KOH+1/2H2
Photolytic production
technology
 Solar energy can be used to convert water to
hydrogen and oxygen. Electricity need not be
produced by photovoltaic cell.
 H2 production can be achieved by using either photo
electrochemical or photo biological methods
 photo electrochemical processes-uses two types of
electrochemical systems to produce H2-I) uses
soluble metal complexes as a catalyst, -soluble metal
complexes dissolves , the complex absorbs solar
energy and produces an electrical charge that drives
the water splitting reaction.
 Ii) uses semiconductor surfaces –
semiconducting electrodes are placed in a
photochemical cell to convert optical energy
into chemical energy.
Biological and
photobiological processes
 Biological and photo biological processes use
algae(type of plant has ability to conduct
photosynthesis) and bacteria to produce H2
 The pigments of algae absorb solar energy
 The enzymes in the solar cell acts as a
catalyst to split the water molecules
Few photosynthetic microbes produce H2 in
their metabolic activities using light energy
Photosynthetic bacteria evolve H2 from
biomass.(photosynthesis –water and CO2
combined in the presence of sunlight).

Also the organisms clean up pollution

Hydrogen energy storage

 H2 has a very high energy content by

weight(3 times more than gasoline)
 It has very low energy content by volume
 It is difficult to store.
 liquified H2 is denser than gaseous H2-hence
contains more energy in a given volume.
 Similar sized liquid H2 tanks can store more
H2 than compressed gas tanks, but it takes
energy to liquify H2
Materials based storage

 On the surface of solids(by absorption process)

 Within solids
 In absorption process-H2 attaches to the surface of
the material either as hydrogen molecules or
hydrogen atoms-surface absorption storage.
 In absorption process, H2 molecules dissociate into
H2 atoms and are incorporated into the solid lattice
framework(geometrical arrangement of the points
at which atoms, molecules or ions of a crystal occur-
known as intermetallic hybrid storage.
 In this method-Possible to store large
quantities of H2 in smaller volumes at low
pressure and at room temperature.
 Finally H2 can be bound strongly within
molecular structures, as chemical compounds
containing H2 atoms
Methods of H2 energy storage

 i)compression –common form of H2 storage-H2 is

compressed to 700 bar (higher the pressure higher
the energy density)-energy required for
compression-major drawback
 Ii)liquified H2- H2 gas can be liquified by
pressurising and cooling(energy density is
improved)-temp below 20.27K
 Iii)Metal hydrides-certain materials absorb
hydrogen such as nanostructured carbon. By
absorbing the H2 in these materials it can be easily
transported and stored.
 when required H2 is removed from the parent
material.-energy density is similar to that
obtained for liquified H2.-involves higher
cost.
Uses of H2 energy

 To power commercial buses both by internal

combustion engines-burning a combination
of H2 and other fuels and solely by hydrogen
used in fuel cells.
 Welding metals, dying fabrics for making
electronics ,plastics, and fertilizers.
 Used in fuel cells-for producing electricity-
fuel cell converts stored chemical energy into
electrical energy.
Applications of H2 energy

 At home sector-fuel cells are ideal for

residential zones-silent –no moving parts-
provides reliable power.
 Size is about an AC unit-power an entire
house.
 Already power thousands of houses in Japan
beginnning to power in US.
Continued…

 At work sector-capable to power large office

buildings-space occupied is very less.
 At transport and industrial sector-can power
cars, buses, aero planes, cell phones, laptops.
 Lifespan-10 times of that of battery.
 Ideal replacement for fossil fuels such as coal,oil
and natural gas in furnaces, IC engines, turbines
 In electrified vehicles,H2 is used to run fuel
cells which convert H2 to electricity.
 Fuel cells have the potential to replace
conventional power generators, large
batteries in cars, buses, submarines.
Advantages of H2 energy

 H2 is a gas , easier to store than to store

electricity
 H2 can be obtained from primary energy
source, including renewable energy sources
 Decentralised production is possible. H2 is
viewed as capable of providing services where
electricity is not available.
 Also used as a fuel for vehicles and energy
storage in remote areas.
 Very efficient when used in fuel cells
 Good specific records(for specific range of
applications)
Disadvantages of H2 energy

 Poor overall efficiency when produced from

electricity made with fossil fuels
 Very low density and poor specific volume energy
density
 Need for high pressure and very low temperature if
stored in the liquid form
 Specific safety problems and poor public acceptance
 No existing infrastructure for transport, distribution
and storage
 High cost
Problems associated with H2
energy
 Problems affecting the development of H2 for
household and transport applications
 i)H2 storage- is a major issue-must be stored at
extremely low temp and high pressure. A container
capable of withstanding these specifications is
larger than a standard gas tank-H2 storage is
viewed as a problem by consumers
 Ii)high reactivity of H2-H2 is extremely reactive-it
is combustible and flammable. Hindenburg
disaster-where a H2 filled blimp exploded and
many people died.
 Iii)cost and method of H2 fuel production-
current production of H2 takes lot of energy.
burning fossil fuels to make H2 involves
pollution. New clean energy technology for H2
production has to be developed.
 Iv)consumer demand-major transport companies
will not start to produce H2 vehicles until there is
a consumer demand. H2 vehicle is expensive.
 V)Cost of changing the infrastructure-To
accommodate H2 equipment and appliances
Wind energy

 Wind energy-used for the generation of electrical

energy.(wind energy used to run wind turbine-
which in turn drives a generator to produce
electricity.)
 Winds are caused due to
 i)heating and cooling of the atmosphere.-heating
is caused by the absorption of solar energy on the
earths surface and in the atmosphere
 Ii)rotation of earth with respect to atmosphere
and its motion around the sun
Principle of wind energy
conversion
 Capture the air flow by converting into rotational
movement-converts the kinetic energy of wind
into mechanical energy.
Wind mills and wind turbines

 If the mechanical energy is used directly by

machinery, such as for pumps or grinding
stones-the machine is called wind mill.
 Wind turbine deliver their power through a
shaft-similar to other prime movers such as
diesel engine and steam turbines. Generator
can be coupled to the shaft


Classification of wind
turbines
 Turbines are grouped into two types depending on the position
of the rotor axis.
 [Link] axis wind turbines(VAWT)-the axis of rotation is vertical
with respect to the ground(perpendicular to the wind stream)
 a)Darrieus lift type vertical axis wind turbine
 b)Savonious drag type vertical axis wind turbine
 [Link] axis wind turbines(HAWT)—the axis of rotation is
horizontal with respect to the ground(parallel to the wind
stream)
 a)dutch windwills
 b)multiblade water pumping wind mills
 c)high speed propeller type wind turbines
Advantages of vertical axis
wind turbines(VAWT)
 A)the turbine generator and gearbox can be placed
lower to the ground
 B)since VAWT are mounted close to the ground, they
are more bird friendly and do not destroy the wildlife.
 C)VAWT is efficient, economical and perfect for
residential energy production especially in urban
environments.
 D)The main advantage of VAWT is it does not need to
be pointed towards the wind direction(it does not
require yaw control)as the rotor blades can rotate in
all the directions.
Disadvantages of vertical
axis wind turbines(VAWT)
 As the VAWT are mounted close to the
ground, less wind speed is available to
harness means less production of electricity.
 VAWT are very difficult to erect on towers,
hence they are installed on base such as
ground or building
Advantages of horizotalal
axis wind turbines(HAWT)
 As all the components (turbine, shaft and generator)
are on the top of the tall tower and the blades face
into the wind-the turbine collects the maximum
power of wind energy
 Stability-blades are to the sides of the turbines centre
of gravity-helping stability
 High efficiency-as the blades moves perpendicular to
the wind,and receives power through the whole
rotation
 Tall tower allows placement on uneven land
 Can be sited in forest above tree line
Disadvantages of horizotalal
axis wind turbines(HAWT)
 Difficult to transport and install.
Transportation and installation costs -20%of
equipment cost
 Requires tall cranes and skilled operators
 Strong tower construction is requires to
support the heavy blades, gear box and
generators.
Difficult to maintain.
 They require an additional yaw control mechanism
to turn the blades toward the wind
Considerations and guidelines
for site selection
 Factors considered are-wind hazards,
characteristics of the land affecting the wind
speed
 Hill effect-wind encounters high pressure
when it approaches a hill . This compressed
air rises and gains speed as it approaches top
of the hill. The installation of wind turbines
on hilltops takes advantages of this increase
in speed.
Contnud…

 Roughness or the amount of friction that earths

surface exerts on wind-oceans have little
roughness. A city or forest has great deal of
roughness, which slows the wind.
 Turbulence-rapid changes in the speed and
direction of the wind, caused by the wind
blowing over barriers are called turbulence.-
causes fluctuations in the speed of the wind and
wear and tear on the turbine. Turbines are
mounted on tall towers to avoid turbulence
caused by ground abstacles
Contnud…

 Variations in wind speed-During day , winds

blows faster than at night as sun heats the air,
setting air currents in motion. Wind speed can
vary depending on the season of the year.
 Wake-as wind passes over the blades of a
turbine, turbine seizes much of the energy and
converts into mechanical energy. Air coming
out of the blade has less energy as it has been
slowed. The abrupt changes in the speed makes
the wind turbulent., a phenomenon called wake.
Continud…

 Because of wake, wind turbines in a wind

farm are placed about 3 rotor diameters away
from one another in the direction of wind, so
that the wake from one turbine does not
interfere with the operation of the one
behind it.
 Wind obstacles-trees, buildings and rock
formation are the main obstacles-which
reduce wind speed and increase turbulence
Contnud…

 Wind shear-it is the difference in wind speeds at

different heights. When a turbine blade is pointed
straight upward, the speed of the wind hitting its tip
can me 9 miles/hour, but when the blade is pointing
downwards , the speed of the wind hitting its tip can
be 7 miles /hr. This difference causes stress on the
blades –can cause the turbine to fail.
 Easy access by roads and railways-for transporting
accessories of wind power plant.
 Site in a remote location, connecting wind turbine to
national grid will be very expensive.
Wind turbine site selection

 Turbine height-wind turbine should be sited

on a high tower located in a wind area- well
above trees, buildings and other obstacles.
 Otherwise wind speed slows down and
turbulence air is created
 Wind turbine placed in the zone of
turbulence-results in poor energy production
and increased wear and tear on the turbine.
Contnud…

 Rule of thumb –to specify a min tower height

for a residential sized wind turbine.
 -turbine rotor is 10 m above the tallest
obstacle within 150 m of the tower.
 20m tower should be used when terrain is
very flat
Contnud…
Contnud…

 Distance from occupied buildings-wind

turbines produce sound-wind turbine should
be placed about 100feet away from house.
 Too much distance will increase the length
and gauge of the wiring.
Wind resources

 General availability and reliability of wind

speed is extremely poor in many regions of the
world
 Large areas of the world-have average annual
wind speeds below 3m/sec-unsuitable for wind
power systems-wind power may not be an
attractive option.
 Some land areas have mean annual speeds
exceeding 4.5m/sec-where wind power would
be economically compititive.
Worldwide wind energy
scenario
 [Link] capacity reached 196630 MW, out of
which 37,642 MW were added in 2010.
 [Link] power showed a growth rate of 23.6%,the
lowest growth since [Link] the wind turbines
installed by the end of 2010 worldwide can generate
430TWh per anum, this wind power is more than the
total electricity demand of the united kingdom,
equalling 2.5% of the global electricity consumption.
 [Link] became number one in total installed
capacity and the centre of international wind
industry, and it added 18928 MW within one year.
Continued…

 [Link] western European countries are showing

stagnation, whereas there is strong growth in the number
of eastern European countries.
 [Link] keeps its number one position in Europe with
27,215MW, followed by Spain with 20,767 MW.
 [Link] highest share of wind power is found in three
European countries:Denmark-21%, portugal-18%, and
Spain 16%.
 [Link] accounted for the largest share of new
installations(54%), followed by Europe and North America
 [Link] America (1.2%)and Africa(0.4%) –played a
marginal role in new installations.
 [Link] disaster in Japan and oil spill in Gulf
of Mexico will long term impact on the
prospects of wind energy .Governments have
to reinforce their wind energy policies.
 [Link] sees a global capacity of 600000
MW by 2015 and 1500000 MW by 2020
 wind energy scenario in
India
 Indian wind energy sector has an installed
capacity of 14158MW (as on March 2011)
 In terms of wind power installed capacity, India is
ranked fifth in the world.
 During March-August, the winds are uniformly
strong over the whole Indian peninsul.
 During November-March wind speeds are
relatively weak(high wind speeds are available
during a part of the period on the Tamilnadu
coastline.
Continued..

 The gross potential is 48561MW and a total of

14158MW of commercial projects have been
installed by untill March 2011.
 The breakup projects implemented in
prominent wind potential states is shown
table
 (Latest wind energy scenario collect the
information from google)
Solid waste and agricultural
waste
 Waste-garbage waste, residential wastes. Municipal
wastes ,rubbish, refuse etc.
 Social task of waste management-to minimize or to
completely get rid of it.
 Traditional way of waste removal- to carry away them
through sewers and dustbins, dispatching in the air
through burning, dumped in oceans.
 The availability of free space for dumping waste –
associated environmental problems-created the need
to find some ways for efficient waste utilisation and
environmental protection.
Waste to wealth

 Wastes and waste management concepts changing-

 Focus –to modify all resources from waste to wealth
 Some of the driving forces are
 i)growing concern about the hazards of waste
disposal
 Ii)landfill sites are significant cause of global
warming and source of groundwater pollution,
because of their methane emissions.
Converting waste materials to usable fuel
and energy for minimizing the
environmental damage
 Main concepts
 1)Heat energy generation -waste is used as
supplement boiler fuel and the heat energy is
obtained by the direct combustion of the
waste to heat energy.
 2)Bioenergy generation-modern method of
hazards control of waste disposal and for the
recovery of fuels and energy( methane).
Biological methane generation have potential
for energy source recovery.
 Fuel and energy generation from forest and
muncipal wastes.—to cope up with fuel and
energy shortages, all such wastes are
considered as raw resources for converting
them into improved fuels and energy.
Sources and types of wastes

 1)residential wastes-constitutes-kitchen
wastes, paper and cardboards, clothes and
leather materials, plastics and rubber
materials,glass,wood and metal crockery and
furniture, electrical and electronics
appliances.
 2)Muncipal service wastes-includes general
wates collected from street sweeping,park,
recreational places, landscaping and tree
trimming
 Industrial and commercial wastes-
housekeeping and food wastes, packaging
and demolition material wastes, scraps,
wood, cardboard paper, plastics.
 Building construction and demolition-wood,
concrete, steel and dust.
 Agriculture-consists of dairy and agriculture
farm crop wastes, hazardous pesticides etc.
Key issues

 Key issues that must be investigated before the

economic validity of refuse –derived fuel(RDF )
scheme
 1)collection of wastes from doorsteps, commercial
places, community dump, final disposal sites
 2)volume and nature of refuse to be processed
 3)type of efficient RFD process required and market
for fuel products
 4)economy of the alternative method of disposal of
the waste.
 5)required potential users and revenue obtainable.
Waste refuse energy
management scheme
 Onsite processing of waste through improved
technology should be employed.
 Collection and transportation of components
of the waste energy conversion scheme are
the most expensive components.
 Storage of waste for resource recovery and
final disposal after suitable treatment-
another component scheme
 Two types of energy recovery systems-
 1)separation of metals, paper , glass from the
remaining waste through the process –size
reduction, screening, vibrating sorting, electronic
scanning
 2)conversion of the remaining waste product to
usable form of energy and energy conversion
 a)generation of methane gas or other fuels
 b)generation of electricity from a) or through
thermo mechanical process.
 Treatment-
 Means the process designed to reduce wastes to
innocuous(safe or non toxic) forms.
 1)burning of waste at high temp (1000 degree
centigrade) in the presence of O2(known as
incineration)
 Incinerator is a furnace where waste is burnt to
produce energy. Burning waste in the incinerators
reduces the volume of the waste-but it does not
dispose the toxic substance contained in the waste.
 Burning of waste produces heat that boils the water.- thus
steam produced is used to convert heat energy into
electrical energy .
 Flue gases coming out of incinerators contain toxic gases.
 Modern incinerators are equipped with pollution
improvement systems to remove health hazardous gases.
 Flue gases are sent through scrubbers for the removal of
dangerous chemicals.
 A high chimney having cooling systems is installed as it
removes the hazardous gases
 2)Breaking down of the complex compounds
using heat in the absence of O2(pyrolysis)
 In this technology, waste is burnt at low temp (430
degree centigrade)to produce charcoal, oil, and
other combustible gases- it involves chemically
mining( a form of treatment that chemically
decomposes organic waste materials by heat in
the absence of O2 under pressure at temp 430
degree centigrade) to produce elements that can
be used for energy generation.
Recycling

 Recycling is a process of using old or waste

products into new products-involves the
collection of used and discarded materials in
order to process these materials and make them
into new products.
 Recycling reduces the amount of waste that is
thrown into dustbins –thereby making the
environment clean and the air fresh to breathe
 Recycling and reusing reduces the pressure on
primary resources
Advantages of waste
recycling
 Recycling is a process of using old or waste
products into new products- important steps
towards energy conservation(reduce energy usage
and reduce the consumption of fresh raw
materials) and reduction in pollution.
 1)Reduced damage to environment—promotes
environmental protection- Ex;-cutting down trees-
individuals can balance by recycling old used
papers and new paper products made from trees-
deforestation is reduced- natural resources are
conserved.
 Reduced consumption of energy-large amount of
energy is consumed when raw materials are processed
during manufacturing-recycling helps reduce energy
consumption making production process cost
effective-reduced utilization of raw materials
 Reduced environmental impact and pollution-
industrial waste is major source of pollution. Recycling
industrial products such as plastics, cans –reduces
pollution as these materials are being reused instead
of being thrown away-it saves on requirement of open
landfill spaces, surrounding clean and healthy.
 Mitigate global warming- when massive
waste is being burnt produces large amount
of greenhouse gas emissions. Recycling
ensures reduction of burning process, and
wastes are converted into useful products
without creating harmful impact to the
environment
 Promotes sustainable utilization of resources-
recycling promotes sustainable use of
resources
Disadvantages of waste
recycling
 High cost of recycling- establishment of separate
facilities to process products and make them reusable is
cost effective.
 Durability and small life span of recycled items- durability
and efficiency of recycled products does not guarantee
100%. Recycled products sometimes taken from
overused materials , hence there is no assurance that it
can last for long.
 Unsafe and unhygienic process- recycling sites and
processes are unhygienic and unsafe and posed danger to
health.
 For plastic recycling refer text book
Geothermal energy

 Geothermal energy is the clean and

sustainable heat resource from the earth
 It ranges from the shallow ground to hot water
and hot rock found a few km below the earths
surface. And even deeper down to the
extremely high temp of molten rock called
magma.
 The shallow ground of the earths surface
maintains a temp between 10 degree
centigrade to 16 degree centigrade
Geothermal systems

 Under the earths crust -exists a layer of hot

and molten rock called magma.
 Heat is continuously produced there(from the
decay of natural radioactive materials such as
uranium and potassium)
 The amount of heat within 10000m of the
earths surface contains 50000 times more
energy than that of oil and natural gas
resources in the world.
Geothermal systems

 The temp difference between the magma and earths

surface causes magma’s heat to flow slowly towards the
surface where it is lost to atmosphere.
 If magma breaks through the surface at the weak spots in
the crust,volacano occurs.
 In some other areas,deep faults in the crust permits
surface water to come in contact with the hot solidifying
magma.
 Additionally, molten magma itself contains water which it
releases as it solidifies.
 The heated water,or steam rises to the surface and is
emerged as hot springs.
classifications
 Geothermal systems are classified as
 [Link] dominated(dry steam) geothermal systems-these
systems require relatively potent heat supplies.
 After an early water stage,a systems becomes vapour dominated.
 Steam boils from a declining water table and some steam escapes
to the atmosphere
 Most of the steam condenses below the surface,where its surface of
vapourisation can be conducted upwards.
 [Link] dominated(hot water) geothermal systems-Hot water
geothermal systems are of modest temperatures.
 Despite the unsuitability of hot water for use in power production,
there have been direct heating applications far exceeding in total
heat equivalent of existing geothermal electricity generating
facilities.
Electricity generation using
geothermal energy
 Geothermal power generation is completely
clean and does not release harmful gas emissions.
 Conversion technology for electricity generation
is as follows
 1)Flashed steam plants-the water flash(water is
converted into steam) boils and the steam is used
rotate turbines.
 [Link] steam plants-these plants rely on the
natural steam that comes from the underground
reservoirs to generate electricity.
 [Link] power plants-which use water to
heat a secondary liquid that vaporizes and
rotates the turbines. The vapourised liquid is
then condensed and reused
 [Link] power plants-here both binary and
flash techniques are utilised.
Flash geothermal power
plants
 Term flash steam refers to the process where high pressure hot
water is flashed(vapourised) into steam inside a flash tank by
lowering the pressure.
 Steam is used to rotate the turbines
 At high pressure below the earths surface, water exists as
compressed liquid.
 Pipeline is installed to tap the resource.
 When the compressed liquid water reaches the surface at
atmospheric pressure, then a portion of it is immediately flashes to
steam.(Fluid at high tem (182 degree centigradeis pumped under
high pressureinto a tank at the surface held at low pressure causing
fluid to vapourise)
 The steam portion is redirected into a steam turbine, where power
is produced.
 The exhuast is then piped to a condenser
where it is returned back to liquid..
 This hot liquid water can be used further for
heating applications prior to reinjection into
rock.
Dry steam based geothermal
power plant
 Steam produced directly from the
geothermal reservoir runs the turbine which
runs the generator.
 Dry steam systems are simple requiring
steam and condensate injection piping, rock
catcher to remove large solids, a centrifugal
seperator to remove condensate and small
solid particulates, condensate drains along
the pipeline, and a scrubber to remove
particulates and dissolved solids
Binary cycle based
geothermal plants
 In a binary process, the geothermal fluid (hot
water, steam or mixture of the two) heats another
liquid (working fluid) that boils at lower temp.
 Two liquids are kept separate through the use of
heat exchanger which is used to transfer the heat
from the geothermal water to the working fluid
 When heated, the working fluid vaporises into
gas(like steam) the force of this expanding gas
rotates the turnines which runs the generator
Associated problems

 Major problem of geothermal power is the

estimation of power life of the reservoir to make a
reasonably accurate decision on the size of station
to be built
 Second problem is associated with the separation
of steam from steam-water mixtures at the well
heads and transmission of steam only through a
long pipeline to the power house
 Third problem is the selection of materials that are
suitable for geothermal systems and plants.
Materials should have large resistance to corrosion.
Environmental effects

 [Link] and particulate emission-fluids drawn from

the deep earth carry a mixture of gases
(CO2,H2S,CH4,NH3) these contibutes to global
warming,acid rain,noxious smells if released.
 Average of 122 kg of CO2 /MWh of electricity (a small
fraction of emission intensity of conventional fossil
plants)
 In addition to dissolved gases, hot water from geothermal
sources may have traces of toxic chemicals (mercury,
arsenic,boron and antimony)
 These chemicals precipitates as the water cools and can
cause environmental damage, if released.
Continued…

 [Link] pollution-results in degradation of

usable soil(may harm soil fertility)-control of
onsite surface disposition of pollutant to be
taken care which may be otherwise
transported from the site of production to the
surrounding environment
 Planning to minimise land pollution by
chemical deposition and to control possible
erosion are needed,
Continued…

 [Link] hazards: Geological resource areas are

closely associated with the regions of high geologic
activities(earthquakes)
 Fluid pressure change in these regions results in
change in fluid pressure regions of earthquake
activity.
 [Link] pollution: utilisation of geothermal resources
is the contamination of surface and groundwater by
geothermal fluids. Geothermal fluids should return to
the reservoir from which they are produced
otherwise they may migrate into other reservoirs.
Continued…

 [Link] effects-social effects arising from

geothermal resource development involves
problems of noise and land use.
 Planning studies are needed to determine public
policy for the resolution of conflicts of land use
arising in these cases.
 [Link] effects: change of chemical balance
in soil and water, uses of toxic substances in
industrial applications has resulted in damage
to many species of plant and animal life.