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<br />.
<br />Geothermal resources gather a head of steam
<br />
<br />Power cOlllpani,', 'uda\' an: frantieall\
<br />looking for iI WiI\' 10 prm'idt. t"!t'I.:lricil\
<br />lO their po\\er.h\ll1g~' eu,wlner;. ",iln-
<br />OUI 'Il"ppin~ into the harr;ll!;r' of ,Jine:'
<br />afl{1 arrow\' throwll out hI Ihe eJl\"inJl-I-
<br />IllClll..dish, .\nd to provide ll<lnpOlllll-
<br />ing power. th('"\ mal wind up slicking
<br />pipe, in the \rTound.
<br />Thl' illhlH'f 10 the probkm <Jf more
<br />power without pollution ma\' ]ie in geo-
<br />tht'rrnal ('"llnl.!\' \\"ith fossil fud r{"'~Tn""
<br />U1w\'enl\" dislnh\lted around the world
<br />and hhuned for rllllt"h of ih pollution.
<br />wilh nuclear powerplam, twin!;! [<If
<br />frulll till" 1);111<10';1 t1w\" IIm'(' \\l"n' con-
<br />,idert"d. and willl niHIl>!l" running oUI
<br />of slles for h\'drodectril: plants. pm\cr
<br />utilitit., ilia\' have no olher dlOice bUl
<br />l{('Othernldl. (;eolh('rmal is Ill(' only po-
<br />tential new CIl('rg,- re~OUl"f:T Ihat is both
<br />eeonomiealh and I{"'{'hnicall\' f{'a~iblc
<br />now. Olher t'l\f'rg\, pfw,ibi]ili<>s such as
<br />tidal. <.;Olar. "lIld. fusion r<>arlOf>; and
<br />Ihe heal gradi"llts irlttw st'"a slltkr from
<br />one or bOlh of Ifw",' ditfindtil'S. making
<br />I!wm gClleralh hic;hh illlpracliLl1.
<br />,-\ g-,'oJlhermal Te....lllrTt" i~ (....'t.[111<111~
<br />Ih(' heat 1{enCl'.lt(~d from lilt" intnior uf
<br />the ('anh and h't'o'-t'r.lblc in sumf' Illt'-
<br />dium such as hm ground water or e,isl-
<br />in~ <lS steam, ,\n\" mirwrah uhtainnl in
<br />the pnx'('ss are aho considered geolllt"r-
<br />mal fesources.
<br />Wide ranging estimates, E,timatt"s of
<br />tilt" t"llcrg" pou.ntial in gt:"ottwrl11<11 n"~
<br />...OUfCes r<lnli;C from a Olll~,"r\'ati~e (tI)-
<br />million-kw capadty fIn 50 yeap; in the
<br />U,S. to an unlimitrd world potf>lllial
<br />So\'iet "ien!i,t, said la't year in Pi~a,
<br />Ital\'" at .the Uniled :'\<ltion~ S\'m-
<br />. .
<br />posium ol1lhe Ik\'e1opnwnl and L'lilil.'
<br />alion Hf Grolherm.d R,....ourn.s. Ihat
<br />60'1- of thf'ir terrilOn conlain, ('('onnm-
<br />iea]h- exploitable 1{t:,(ltht:Tm,ll re..ourn'S
<br />ha\'ing a \Olal ht"al \';due comparablt.
<br />to Ihe total coal, oil and peal Tt'SlJIH'('('"
<br />orthe t""'R
<br />Robt.rt \\'. Rex, proff'SSOT of ph,...ics
<br />and dif1"('tor of the In'liwtf' of (;t"opll\--
<br />sics and Plant:'l;ln Ph\...ie, ,It lh(' L"lli-
<br />n'r-it\" of California ;11 Ri\tT,idt" 'no
<br />slOn' p.3Sl. sa,s th;ll Ilw ~WOlhtTm.ll
<br />po!t'nti,11 of the Impt'Tial '-.lIlt'\" ti..ld in
<br />Calili,mia alone i~ from 10 million tll
<br />:m million kw. 1':\.I>('(ts ,.1\' Ihal t:'('Oth('f-
<br />lllal T('Sour("'("s equalS to ]0". of the
<br />(',isl1n~ fo'sil fud r("S("n;("); in the \\'e.t.
<br />JoSC'ph Barn,'''" head of Ih,' l!nill'Cl
<br />:'\alion_ Rt.....lufn.'" ,Ind Tr:mspon St"C-
<br />linn (S("{" 'tun p, rll o.;;l"'~ thai if a "iieu-
<br />Iherm;\llidd i<. prof)l.'rh- exploited" pro.
<br />dun... ,\ ~.Ife \idd and i... JT'("hMt:{('d" il
<br />
<br />30 L\R \Lt" 0, 1~lil
<br />
<br />-
<br />
<br />-
<br />
<br />-
<br />
<br />-
<br />
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />~.,.-,.~."'.~
<br />.v-.... '-,.-'"
<br />.~...-"",...--
<br />c_-'~" "
<br />
<br />High-pressure steam shoots out 01 pipe In Me~lco's Cerra Prieto geolhermal fIeld
<br />
<br />can last inddinil,'ly,"' In n-char~im::. the
<br />w,lt('randhrim'al"e reilllrndun'd inlOlhe
<br />r('s('T\'oir. 11(' t'Slimalt'" that tht. C.S.
<br />will ha\'t" tn spt:"nd from S I billion 10 S1
<br />billion 10 t'xplnrt' il\ li:f:"Otht:"rnlal rf'-
<br />s('ryt:"S,
<br />En'n mow l"nlhll,i,l,tic is Bt"fnardn
<br />Cro""linr:-. ;1 ["t:"sean:h t:'t,('ph\'Si<:i'l for
<br />the t..S, ('n,lo~it'al Stlrn'\ {t',,(;,,!. \,ho
<br />'a\'''' lhal IIl1lilll"" l110sl t"limat!'... Wl"rt'
<br />has,'d OHI kll,mn h"1 ~pring~ ill \"Ikanir
<br />rl"gi"lls. "If ",," add Ihe t'llerg... POll'lltial
<br />of tht." 'N:limelllar\' b,1<.ins of tht. world"
<br />mall h,(, ,HI almo~t lirnilkss Sllurcr of
<br />t'lll"r~\ .. \1. Kinti Hubbt:'TI. another re-
<br />\t';lrch getlph""i~'isl with lilt' l"'(;," ~.I""
<br />thai hi, t'Stim,Il'" Of;l tIO-million-kw ca-
<br />(Mcil\ fnr .'Ill \Tars j,"'a minimal 1ig-\lW
<br />suhjt"u 10 upward re\-i,ion," lie won'l
<br />scalI' lht. li~urt" upwards "until I see
<br />SOill!" of thf' It~:hno]o~ical prohlem,
<br />soh-ed."
<br />Tht" prime prnbkrn in pmspn'ling
<br />for gt~"Ilt"rTllal power i, finding a tll'al
<br />'''lITt'(' m'ar I'nolliih 10 Ihe surfau' al
<br />high el)ll\H:h lelnp."ralure ;In<l Iht'n 1i:t'"1-
<br />till.: it to dll" "urfau~. ,\~ 011(" drills down
<br />i1l1n a CI"flttwrmal art'a thr ground
<br />It'rnptT;lllUt. ri..,', fasler than Ihe il\"er-
<br />,HW 01,1) F pt"T mile; in ....,Ill<" art:'ilS the
<br />ri-..t, i, ,h much dS :;00 F I)("r mill". \!.m\
<br />01 the gcothermal field... ha\"t. not \Tt
<br />bttn di'ot.'u\-ercd, "'1\''1 Harm'a_ Tht'rf" an"
<br />I}O n'unlrit.... wh("re thcf"(" are known
<br />gt~Hhcrmal indiealiun," "hul this onl\
<br />reprt'"SCnb Ihe \-isibk part of 111(' ice-
<br />bl.'TIi!;. ""(' art~ disco\t"rinr:- gt,.,1Ill'rmal
<br />indi"alions in art:'as wht'f{' tht'ft'
<br />,11Ouldn'l be' an\":- ildds Ram,"a.
<br />Geothermal systems. In simple lerms.
<br />geothermal lidds are t'itlwr hot 'pring
<br />s\',It:"ms or d("t'p. in...ulated rt'!<(T....oirs
<br />Ihal han: lillII' le.akage of heatM fluid,
<br />
<br />10 the surface (<.('{' dia~rarns p, 31). 11m
<br />spring' ha\'e a plumbing- syslr:m nf in-
<br />It"Tnmn{'''{'lt~1 channels within nl<.-k"
<br />\\'attT from rain or snow "'"t'pS under-
<br />ground If th!' waler rradH... a I'Kal re-
<br />gion of grcal~'r heat. It exp;tlld, and
<br />rises. being Pllshr:d by hydrrn.tatic pre's,
<br />SUrf' and Ihe e'pansion of the qe;lm in
<br />the sntl.tn. T]lt' hOI watt-f i, t1wn dis-
<br />('harc:t'd \'isibh' as hOI springs or l!t"\--
<br />S('N; t",ampk.., of which can be found in
<br />Yellowstone :'\atinnal P,Il-k and Tht"
<br />(;t~\"...-P; in northern C;llifnrnia. 01'1'1'
<br />ff",en"il"'i wilh lilll(- 'urfan" area han"
<br />pnruu, m('k~ (similar to those in petro-
<br />kum rest.n'oiN) t"<lpl'll'd h\ rock<. sllch
<br />a'" d;l\'~ anri ",halt'" that J-lTt'\'elll Ihe fret"
<br />upward t~'\C<lpt" of waler and beat. The
<br />ImJ-lt'ria] V"lIt.\. is this I\'pc"of tleld_
<br />\\'ithin thcst' IWlJ field, Ihe["(" can be
<br />two I~ pes of f'lllis...i"ns. Pressure!< al
<br />~r("at dt'pths C;1Il force tht:" emissions to
<br />be t'ruin,l\' liquid or a combination of
<br />-r('am ,lIld wal('r (wel lidd) r;'lIher than
<br />pun'l\' 'Icalll (dn. field), Stl"dm forms in
<br />\V'tem.. in which thl" hot waler i, .Ihlt-
<br />If> rise t(1 ]l;""'1s wh('fC Ihe prC<8Un" dt"Jl<
<br />to ;1 1"'1'1 ;Ll "hich \~'att"r hllil... DlI'
<br />1I,,,hing 01 ".Iter tn steam is thl" m,q"l
<br />"'ource 'If pnlt'll1i,tl energ\" for cnmlllt"f-
<br />cial II'" Then' .Ire" nnl,' four knQ\\-n dry
<br />~ll"am fidd, III Ih" \\o~ld: The (;t"' ",'P;.
<br />Ihl' Lardert'lIo tidd in Ital\". and two
<br />.JaP;IJl("'<,(" til'ld,.
<br />The Geysers, Ikt:aust" Thr (;("\,S('f<;,
<br />lcK';tted 90 mile" nnnh of San Fran-
<br />Ci~(-n. i~ a dry sIc-am lidd. it <.;Olt,l\ pro-
<br />duc('"!i powt'f. .\fler 10 \ear~ of power
<br />prodm:lion. The CoC~\l."rs dri,,', four
<br />Pad/it (;as &. El("("tri~- Co, (Pt,,"l tur-
<br />binl:"S wilh a total capacil" IIf R.!,(l(IO
<br />k" ]h' Ihe cnd of thi~ 'eaf 1'(;",,- will
<br />.ldd IWO :l:;.l)l~-k\, units <lnd C""pt"'l.'lS to
<br />
<br />'?-~<z;
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