|
<br />Multipurpose aspects. Harnea sap
<br />that there j, a third ('Col1omi(' a.'fX-<,1 of
<br />~l."Oth{'rmal r('SOurces-mineral {'Xlfa('-
<br />lion_ Barnea is extremely enthusiastic
<br />about lhe multipurpose a"pc("!s of 1:"eo.
<br />thermal (('soureC'<;. He sa\", thaI the
<br />L'nited :\"atiom is rcco~mendio~ a
<br />multipurpo'il' pilot plant in Chik. a
<br />oujor blow lu nitio who ,aid it
<br />cuuldo't Ix- clone, The EI Tatio field i, 01
<br />....-et field wilh about 1 Y'r Slt'am, The
<br />steam will ruo the powerplant. lhe wa-
<br />ler will be run throll~h a dt-..alination
<br />plant to obtain much-needed water ror
<br />the arid nonh. Then the rt'"nl<l.ining
<br />brine will Ix- pro(.C'S-'<t"d for \"arioll' prt'-
<br />cious metals_ Barll<'"a ""ys that Ihe \'aluc
<br />of the I1wtal, obtained in the prun_''-~ "i,
<br />many limt"i that of tht'" clectrid,,' and
<br />fn~h wattr prodllc("d:' The' resuh is
<br />de,alination without eller~' co"t.
<br />Harne;i (e,'h that dry '(('am fi("l(h :\rl'
<br />~real if you only wanl POW('f. But a WI.t
<br />steam field "is a b]('<;.,in~ in arid ,lIId
<br />underdeveloped coulltrics,"
<br />RelaUlIely nonpollutIng, Hanw;\ be.
<br />]ieves thaI the concern o\'er pollution
<br />and til(: 'it"arf!J for ,I pollution-free form
<br />of c'Ill'r~y han' spurred ~eolhcrmal re-
<br />scan'h in rl'(:t'1lI YC';lI'l. On('" of the major
<br />arguments of S('n. ;\lan Bih]c:', (i).
<br />Xe\'.) ~porl',ored C("(Hlwrnlal Srl'am .\("t
<br />of IYio wa'i the nonpollulin~ character
<br />of s::corhc'nnal P'",t.'r. P"";l~(," of Bibk\
<br />bill culminaled l'"ight \'ear~ of <'IrOrl on
<br />his part to provide' federa] ;H~i~lallo' for
<br />geothermal r('S{Jur("(~ cl(,\.t'!opml'llt.
<br />Hible sa\'s Ihat "the dc'\"dopmC"Ol "f
<br />geothermal power i~ ]()n~ o\'erdue. II
<br />promist,s to Ill' a relati\'ely pnllulion-
<br />free sour('e of e1e<:lric powcr. '. An;ord-
<br />in~ to IllIerior Ikp;lrtment. knllwn ~(.o-
<br />thnma] area~ in the U.S. embracf.~ an
<br />e-,timatt'd 1.35-million acrf."S.
<br />Power pruduCt:,d from ~("ollwrmal
<br />sleam causes alnm,t nn air pollution. In
<br />wel stearn fields. the main concern i'i
<br />how to dispo'i('" of lht' brine. B.lfl1t'a
<br />"'1\'S, pf()("(~s.., the' brille- to oblain \".1111-
<br />able mint'rals. Olhl'f'\ bdi('"\"(' th,1l the
<br />brine could IX' Temj('"(:tt'd Inlo IIw rt"'<,(~r-
<br />voir 10 r("('h3r~e it. \Io'il of till' un-
<br />si~hdy pipt'"s Gill 1)<' buri('{1 under-
<br />ground and c.-olhtTm<l1 powt'rpl.lnts
<br />are much ~maller Ih.ln till' rn.l~si\'t:: nu-
<br />ckar plants with lheir cooling IOwe-f'S
<br />('.eoth("rmaJ rC"iOurt:"eS ha\'('" bc:l'n pul
<br />to <;Olne unusu,ll and practical appli-
<br />cations in the l -'.S. and abroad The
<br />Rus."ians hit\'('. .!I1 experimenlal plant
<br />thaI U<.("S an inpul of ,!:cothl'"nual waler
<br />with a temperature of only] iO to ]8U
<br />-F. The plant U'<('"'i fmm. which ha, a
<br />low boiling point. Thi, de\'elopnwnt
<br />ma\' makt' cCllllllmicalh feasibk the-
<br />production of ek-clric power from rela-
<br />
<br />
<br />Drilling under Nay 101 new Geysers Nell
<br />
<br />ti\'e!v low tempnarure l.:eolhermal rf'-
<br />'ilHIf('('~, .-\. (;ros"lin~ points out, Ihis
<br />could open \';\,t ar(",ls of the lJ.S., in-
<br />c1udinl!: rhe Gulf stal," arra and till'
<br />Ea,rrrn sc'i1board 10 ~t'{)thermal de\'d-
<br />OpnH"1l1.
<br />Other u.e, include:
<br />. Space heating. Eighty pc>rcf'"1ll of
<br />Icdand\ capiral city i, h(",iled frum
<br />~eothl'rmal ,,<JUr(TS. In Boi'<,(~. Idaho.
<br />~.t-t eU~lOmers ;ln~ ,,'r\'('{! wilh hOI walf'l"
<br />
<br />,
<br />
<br />for ~pace heatin~ and dom~ti(: pur-
<br />P'''l's. Thc Ru'Sians an- Ihinkill~ of
<br />h.'.nine: rheir llni\"eNiry al (;mzn\' and
<br />OIh('r ,mall towns in isolated areas.
<br />. (;rt,.'nhou'h. HOlh Iceland and the
<br />So\'iet Cnion ;ue making l'xtensi\'e' uS("
<br />of t.:eothermal hC"al for grITllhouSC'S.
<br />. .-\nima] farm~, On .'cw Zealand's
<br />:\"orlh J.;hllld. th.' wor]d's firH ~('olher-
<br />mal-he;tlf'd pig farm product"S 3.000
<br />porkrr;;;l \'e,lf.
<br />. Spa and JX'>o] healing for thnape-ll_
<br />lie m("dieine. The Sll\.ier Union and
<br />In'bnd are exp(Tim(,llIin~ with pools 10
<br />help illth('rapeuric nledi~'ine.
<br />. Thermal energ\ from the earth can
<br />al", he uS/..d for f),h farming, honicu]-
<br />[Ure. In induslrial pr<....t"''i(~'i, for air con-
<br />ditioninl!:, refrigeLlliun. fr<-'('ze dr\'ing,
<br />in hmpirals and municipal hc:ating.
<br />BanH"a 'ap that l1;enthermal t"xp]or-
<br />ation LOtb\' is al till' s<tn1(' sta'l't' that oil
<br />exp]oralion was in the 18iO.. .'\\~t' an'
<br />ju,t h..ginllin~. BUI now h'e ha\'e Ihe
<br />te..:hnicill knowledge to obtain en('r~\
<br />simph and economically with th~
<br />:.",,,rent"''' of our en\'ironment. Th(" (1os-
<br />sihilitie, ;Ir(' enormous. nol onl\l for the
<br />industrializcd rountrit"S but for the un-
<br />(lerdt'\'e1oped ~h wdl."
<br />
<br />Nuclear detonation could aid geothermal exploration
<br />
<br />\\'hik gcothermal e'XI)('"ns are ('.udul (0
<br />nOll' lhat their ,ourn-o of power is rda-
<br />ti\'d\l pollution-free. a r('"Cenl sHldv
<br />may im;t'"n'<t' l'n\'irnnml'ntali'ils.
<br />Pacific :\"onlw,(';;'l [.aboralnric", a di-
<br />\'ision of Bal1d]e \lcmorial In~ti1Ute,
<br />Rich]and. \,';\sh.. conductl'd a 'IUd\'
<br />thaI luob into the possihilil\' of usin~
<br />atomic enen;:\' 10 de\"('lop tht' nation',
<br />'l't"Olht'"rmal IT'S/Jurccs. Th(' idea is 10 ll'il'
<br />lhe- rOl.'k cnlshinl: power of a nuclear
<br />dedn' tn prodllo' a lanl'c' ca\'it\ tilled
<br />with broken rock from which heat can
<br />bc' rxtr.lctN::!. The heat n..mo\'a] is ac-
<br />compJi,ht'd by driJlin'l' a '<t"tTlIld hole
<br />into the hntlom of tht' t',a\'i1\ and <ld-
<br />dine- WOller. The resulting hie:h pn""'lIre,
<br />hiC'h rrmp'~ralllrt". sUp<'rhe'atl'd Sle,ll11 is
<br />rcmo\"("d from the top Olf thc' C,,\'ilY and
<br />uSt'd 10 p<.>\',er a turblll('" ~enl'fator. thrn
<br />condt'no;c.-d and returned 10 Ihcca\'ih'.
<br />Sincf." the detonalilln is dl't'"p. <;Cll'n-
<br />tist.'i fttl that n.. \'enlill~ will '''''Cl1r
<br />\h-v.t of the fi.'>Sion products arc frolen
<br />in th(" molten rod of th(" C:1.\"iIY wall.
<br />Ham-III." ..ays, if the approach pro\"t">
<br />m('CC'S,ful. man\' of the limitations of
<br />~corhnmal p]anh would be rcmo\'('"d_
<br />Bur ~eOlherm,llislS ~\', bC<'ausl'" hot
<br />rock is ale\' (("qulrt'men! to the pru<:'(~-
<br />
<br />coooo..1o-t,,,
<br />c.t..ru>ofl
<br />.,
<br />
<br />COOlJO<<;~
<br />
<br />T_"'~'
<br />..-'
<br />$n_ ~"
<br />',_"'_1
<br />~,_I
<br />'0
<br />11 J.
<br />b V- "e'1O::l
<br />.~~
<br />
<br />'Sl/A(,l.....
<br />
<br />~....,.
<br />Io1;T.......
<br />
<br />....
<br />--
<br />
<br />--
<br />--
<br />
<br />DevIces would be e-.;ploded 1-2 miles deep
<br />
<br />clure, scielllish ~hnllld be lookin'l' for a
<br />wa\' to extract thl' heat without rcsort-
<br />in~ to Ilucle-ar dc--\,'ic(',;. Scienti~ls sa\
<br />th.lI wirhin fi\'e year<. heal will b<" ex-
<br />tran~ economically frolll praclicall\"
<br />;tl1\- area. without havinc: to Io!:enerate
<br />heat by nuckar detonation_
<br />......n. :\lan Bible (D.:\"l'\',llnlroducc-d
<br />a bill in \tarch that w'ould authoril('"
<br />the- .-\tomk F.nergv Commis.~illn to un-
<br />dertake a progr;lm to ascrrtain the
<br />fl'"asibilitv of lhis approach.
<br />
<br />36 F.'>:R ~1.,,6.1971
<br />
|