Small-Scale Electrical Power Generation from a Sub-Boiling Geothermal Resource
- Key words
- Power Generation; Research Agencies; Economics; Utilities; USA; Oregon; Lake; Rockford; Case Histories; Pilot Project; Organic Rankine Cycle; Design; OIT; PP&L; Geotechnology Inc; SPS Inc; Miami; Florida; R12 (freon)
- Location
- Lakeview, Oregon
- Conference
- Geothermal Resources Council Transactions
- Year
- 1984
- Session
- Organic Rankine cycle; Low temperature reservoirs; Binary cy
- Language
- English
Abstract
Geotechnology, Inc. in a joint venture with Pacific Power and Light and SPS, Inc. placed a 40 kwatt organic rankine cycle power generation system on a 178 degree F artesian geothermal resource south of Lakeview, Oregon. The system demonstrated that electrical power could be generated from such low temperature resources for a capitalization cost of $1850/kwatt exclusive of reservoir engineering. However, due to a number of relatively prosaic problems, the commercial feasibility of the system was not demonstrated. Moreover, we are unable to recommend use of a technology which employs an expander deriving its lubrication from the working fluid in this temperature range.
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