Thermomineral Waters Complex Use and Heat Supply for the Town Velingrad (Bulgaria)

Abstract

Thermal waters are used for many purposes - for development of the electric power, for central heating and cooling, for hot water supply, in agriculture, animal industries, fish culture, in the food, chemical and oil-extracting industry, in balneology and spa, in the recreational purposes. Thermal waters, it is especial chloride brines, contain in the structure a huge complex of metal and nonmetallic micro components. The saturation of brines micro components is in close dependence both on genetic essence of brines, and on lithological-structural and geothermal features of containing rocks. Thermal waters with a high mineralization are located in the greater territory of Russia and. the former USSR. They are known almost in all areas. Brines with mineralization higher than 200 g/l are known in Perm and Kuibyshev areas, Tatarstan, Moscow, Ryazan and other central areas. In Moscow on the depth of 1650 m there are chloride brines with mineralization of 274 g/l. In Western and Eastern Siberia there are large deposits of brines with high temperature. Some deposits have mineralization of 400-600 g/l. There are many thermal brines in Central Asia, Kazakhstan, on Ukraine, Kamchatka, Kuriles, Sakhalin. There are chemical elements which are possible for taking only from underground waters. So iodine is extracted from brines since iodine is good dissoluble and in rocks iodine does not collect. Iodine concentrates in sea seaweed but to extract this seaweed as industrial raw material is effectively only at their big congestion. Bromine can be extracted from some salts and seaweed, but traditionally bromine also is extracted from super strong chloride brines. The significant part of deposits of thermal waters represents the brines containing from 35 up to 400 and more g/l of salts. They are mineral raw material of many chemical elements. Many brines which are taking place on the big depth, can become deposits of the most valuable chemical elements: cesium, boron, strontium, tantalum, magnesium, calcium, tungsten etc. Under the cheap technological circuit from natural solutions basically it is possible to take iodine, bromine, boron, chloride salts of ammonium, potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium. Extraction of other chemical elements is complicated because of dearness of technology. In Russia development of the project «Resorts of Northern Caucasus» enables to approach at a new level to the problem of complex use of thermal waters when construction of mounting skiing resorts should be combined with development of balneotherapy, based on thermo mineral waters and spas. In Bulgaria alongside with widely advanced system of hydro mineral resorts it is offered to use high-temperature waters for non-polluting heat supply for resort cities. The project of heat supply for the town Velingrad, area Kamenitsa, is developed and economically justified.