Geothermal water is recovered and flashed in a separation vessel from high pressure and temperature geothermal wells. The flashed steam is utilized to generate electricity in a steam turbine. The leftover geothermal water has high temperatures, frequently in the 160°C range. This water still has a great potential for power generation in an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC), which evaporates a working fluid that is then expanded in a turbine. The geothermal water cools as the working fluid evaporates.
This sort of geothermal water typically has a high silica content. In water, silica has a reversible solubility. When it cools, the solubility diminishes, and silica precipitates and clogs the heat exchangers, making energy transfer difficult. This issue is regarded as the primary impediment to increasing power production efficiency in geothermal systems.
This problem is eliminated by KLAREN self-cleaning heat exchanger technology since the heat exchangers can be kept clean. As a result, the adoption of self-cleaning heat exchangers can offer a large potential for increasing power output in geothermal plants.
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