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Geothermal Power Generation & Applications - Coggle Diagram
Geothermal Power Generation & Applications
Power Plant Types (Deep Geothermal)
Dry Steam Plant
Uses pure dry steam (180° - 225°C), connected to a condenser
Single/Double Flash Plant
Used when geothermal fluid is a mix of water, steam, and chemicals.
Flashing
process converts hot water to steam. Waste brine is reinjected.
Binary Cycle Plant
Used for
lower temperatures
. Geothermal fluid heats a secondary
organic fluid
(low boiling point, e.g., isobutane) that drives the turbine.
Closed loop
(no emissions).
Other Applications (Shallow & Direct Use)
Space Heating/Cooling
Shallow geothermal, exploiting constant ~ 10°C underground temperature in the UK using Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHP)
District Heating
Large-scale heating (e.g., Paris apartment buildings)
Ancillary Products
Can extract useful materials like
Lithium
(for batteries)
Enhances Geothermal Systems (EGS)
Concept
Inject water at high pressure to crack and open up fractures in hot, dry rock (e.g., granite)
Major Risk
Induced Seismicity
(micro earthquakes) when forcing in water
Pros and Cons
Advantages
Very low carbon emissions (not from combustion)
Stable, reliable base load
power (can operate >90% of the year)
Sustainable (if managed carefully)
Plentiful supply
Disadvantages
Location specific
(concentrates in certain regions)
Can
trigger seismic activity
(EGS risk),
High initial costs
(multimillion £ for plant/drilling)
Not zero emissions (due to non-condensable gases like CO2 and H2S)
Risk of unsustainable heat mining leading to temperature decline (e.g., Tuscany)