Geothermal technology has three varied ways of taking geothermal energy and turning it in to useable energy for humans to use. The most common systems are steam and binary power plants. There are two different types of steam power plants: dry steam and flash steam. The following definitions and pictures are from Geothermal Technologies Program or Godfrey Boyle in Renewable Energy: Power for a Sustainable Future. Read more…
Geothermal energy is generally harnessed in areas of volcanic activity. The Pacific Ring is a prime spot for the harnessing of geothermal activity because it is an area where the tectonic processes are always taking place. The picture below shows the general location of the Ring of Fire The USGS defines tectonic processes as a series of actions and changes relating to, causing, or resulting from structural deformation of the earth’s crust. Read more…
Evaporit tanımı buharlasmaya baglı olarak sudan dogrudan çökelen malzemelerin hepsini kapsar. Jeolojik dönemlerde ve günümüzde olusmus olan evaporitler, hacim olarak karbonat kayaçlardan daha azdırlar ve kalınlıkları yer yer yüzlerce metreye ulasabilir. Evaporitler temel olarak denizel ve denizel olmayanlar olmak üzere iki kısma ayrılırlar. En yaygın evaporit mineralleri kalsiyum sülfat içeren jips ve anhidrittir. Halit ise ikinci derecede yaygın olarak görülen evaporit türüdür, onu poasyum tuzları olan silvit, karnalit, langbeinit, polihalit, kainit ve magnezyum sülfat olan kayserit izler. Read more…
Geothermal energy is a renewable and sustainable power source that comes from the heat generated by the earth. "Geo" means earth and "thermal" means heat. The Earth has four main layers, as is shown in the first picture. Each layer has different compositions, functions and temperatures, as is illustrated in the second figure. The heat of the earth radiates outward and sometimes melts the mantle at temperatures of 300° F- 700°F. When the mantle becomes melted magma is created. Sometimes magma reaches the surface of the crust and is then called lava. The magma reaches the crust and heats nearby rocks and water. Read more…
When the energy crisis hit Americans in the 1970’s, people were scrambling to find ways to conserve energy. The crisis brought to attention the very real shortage of fossil fuels. Gas and oil prices skyrocketed, and Americans looked for ways to save energy. They started producing smaller cars, driving less, and turning down their thermostats. Also, they started to examine alternate energy sources, such as solar, geothermal, and biomass. For a while, Americans were making a conscious effort to cut back on the use of fossil fuels. However, when gas and oil prices started to go back down in the early eighties, many of the conservation ideas were forgotten. In the minds of most Americans, the energy crisis had been solved because they could now afford to use fossil fuels again. Read more…
The method is continuous electronic (or manual) recording of the data, which consist of the physical parameters in between two points (well head and well bottom) on the specially prepared paper. It is quick and cheep method
AÄ°MS:
- To know the level of the fluid in the well (by scanning)
- To know the pressure of the formation fluids
- To know the pressure variations in function of wellhead conditions or during injection and productive tests
Instruments are mechanical and electrical probes of the same type than the temperature probes. Read more…
Drill-holes are the last phase of the exploration programmed of any underground (earth) source and provide a valuable information on subsurface by reconstruction of the crossed stratigraphic sequences.
Stratigraphic control is very important for drilling operations (e.g. choice of rock bits and drilling fluids, choice of the depth of the casing shoe, etc.)
In geothermal exploration, drill-holes opened during the exploration phase, can be used for two targets, either for production or for re-injection purposes in accordance with their productivity and injectivity performance.
Read more…
There are mainly two types of classification of the geothermal systems that are depending on the temperature and fluid type.
Temperature based classification
1- High enthalpy fields (>150 oC)
2- Low enthalpy fields (< 150 oC)
Read more…
Ionic solute geothermometers such as those based on Na-K and Na-K-Ca (Ellis and Mahon, 1964 and Fournier and Truesdell, 1973 respectively) provide powerful tools for the evaluation of deeper condition within geothermal systems. Most of the problems in their use arise from their application to unsuitable samples. Read more…
Mixing diagrams are another way for determining the reservoir temperature, mixing and boiling conditions. The water in many hot springs consists of mixtures of deep hot water and shallow cold water. Partial or complete chemical equilibration may or may not occur after mixing. Read more…