Preliminary Assessment of the Effect of Ambient Temperature on the Performance of Air-Cooled Geothermal Power Plants at a Typical Site in South Australia

Abstract

The paper aims to undertake a relative comparison of the performance and mechanical systems required to extract power from a geothermal site under typical conditions that are expected to apply in South Australia. A distinguishing feature of this assessment is the combination of high day-time ambient temperatures, the use of an air-cooled system due to the assumed requirement to reinject all of the geothermal liquid, and the lack of any alternative water source from which to facilitate a cooling tower. The investigation considers a site at which the geoliquid reaches the surface at a temperature of 210