Geothermal Energy Conversion Activities at INEEL

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Geothermal Energy Conversion Activities at INEEL
March 2004

• Greg Mines
• (208)-526-0260
• minesgl_at_inel.gov

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Geothermal Energy Conversion

• Objective
• Support DOE programmatic goals of decreasing
  levelized costs of power and increasing size of
  economically viable resource base
• Develop technologies that increase economic
  viability of power generation
• decreasing capital and operating costs
• increasing component process efficiency
• Research focus is on surface conversion equipment
  and processes

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Current Energy Conversion Activities

• Plant Process Monitoring
• NCG Removal from Binary Plants
• Microbial Research
• On-line Bio-film Monitor
• Natural H2S Abatement - Microbial Sulfur
  Oxidation
• Enhanced Air-Cooled Condenser Performance
• Cycle Analysis - Power Plant Performance and
  Costs
• Thermal Spray Coatings Internal Surfaces (close
  out)

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Plant Process Monitoring

• PI Judy Partin (208-526-0260)
• Continuously monitor process stream parameters
  affecting plant operation or performance
• hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen chloride (prior year)
• steam quality (current)
• particulate (current)
• Optical techniques
• fiber optics telecommunication industry
  components
• in situ measurement
• increased sensitivity and response
• Completed extended test of steam quality monitor
  at Brady

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Monitor response during turbine water wash (1 gpm
0.5 change in quality)
Window after 5 months
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Non-Condensable Gas Removal Binary Plants

• PI Chuck Mohr (208-526-9552)
• NCGs not typically associated with binary plant
  operation
• Use membranes that preferentially pass ncg or
  hydrocarbon
• 1 ncg level
• increase power by 2 4
• WF emissions lt100 lb annually
• Field testing underway (Mammoth)
• Operational issues being resolved
• no issues with membranes
• high ncg introduction rate condensate return
• Collaborate with Membrane Technology Research

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Microbial Research

• PI Pete Pryfogle (208-526-0373)
• Biofilm Monitor
• Detect onset of biofilm formation
• electrochemical monitor Bi?George
• field testing at Calpine
• Benefit
• mitigate corrosion damage condenser fouling
• increased power output by avoiding shutdowns
• Natural H2S Abatement
• Sulfur oxidizing bacteria capable of metabolizing
  sulfides to sulfates
• Current activities
• use of nutrients on to enhance sulfur oxidation
• completed evaluation of DNA probe
• working with Calpine

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Enhance Air-Cooled Condenser Performance

• PI Manohar Sohal (208-526-9412)
• Represent 20-30 of air-cooled binary plant cost
• Use vortex generators to increase air side heat
  transfer coefficients
• 28-40 higher air heat transfer coefficients
• increased pressure drop 9-24
• CRADA agreement with McElroy Manufacturing
  develop tooling to incorporate winglets on fins

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Industry Collaboration

• Field testing
• Geysers (NCPA, Calpine)
• Salton Sea (CalEnergy)
• Mammoth Lakes (Mammoth Pacific/Covanta)
• Steamboat (SBGeo)
• Brady (Ormat)
• Cove Fort (UMPA)
• Technology development/proof-of concept testing
• McElroy Manufacturing
• Membrane Technology Research
• Thermochem
• Zatorski Coating Company
• Structural Integrity
• Orange County Water District
• University of California-Irvine

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Accomplishments

• Increased conversion efficiency (power output)
• continuous ncg removal 2 to 4
• enhanced aircooled condensers 2 to 5
• off-set generation loss due to resource decline
  up to 8
• Decreased costs
• component size reductions from air-cooled
  condenser enhancement
• steam quality and bio-film monitors increase
  revenues (avoidance of shutdowns)
• apply thermal spray coatings to internal surfaces
  (lt50 cost of exotic materials)

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Future

• Complete validation of ncg removal technology
  2004
• Proof-of-concept field test of particulate
  monitor - 2005
• Field test of prototype condenser with
  enhancements - 2005
• Tooling commercially available to fabricate
  condenser tubes with fin enhancements - 2006
• Continuous H2S and HCl (ppb) monitors - 2007