Design of 8 MW Geothermal Power Plant in Osiao, Sorsogon City.

Presented to

The School of Mechanical Engineering

North Eastern Mindanao State University

In Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements of ME-321 Power Plant Design With Renewable Energy for
the Degree of Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Submitted by:
Mike E. Suan

March 2024
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
 1.1 PROBLEM STATEMENT AND INTRODUCTION

1.1.1Background of the Study

Since its inception, electricity has become one of humanity’s fundamental needs. The demand
for electricity continues to increase globally and is projected to continually increase further. As such,
power generation also becomes increasingly important. In the Philippines, power generation is heavily
reliant on fossil fuels. The installed capacity for the country in 2019 was 15,124 MW, more than 70% of
which was generated using fossil. Currently, the Philippines is still heavily reliant on fossil fuels,
considered the primary contributor to climate change. Renewables make up only 29.5% of the country’s
energy mix, according to a report from the Department of Energy.

However, this dependence on fossil fuels have resulted to several negative consequences. The
Philippines imports fossil fuels which have led to inflexibility, high and unstable power costs, and trade
deficits. In addition to this, fossil fuels have been linked as primary contributors to environmental crisis

This necessitates the need for alternative means of power generation. The Philippines is in the
Pacific Ring of Fire, a series of tectonically active structures surrounding the Pacific Ocean which has
significant prospects for geothermal energy. As such, power generation by geothermal means is an
attractive prospect for the Philippine energy mix. In fact, the Philippines is one of the world’s leading
producers of geothermal energy.

One location in the Philippines that has been identified of having a geothermal already is in
Sorsogon City. In this paper, a design of a single flash geothermal power plant is proposed. The power
plant is intended to cater for the 8MW power demand in Osiao, Sorsogon City.

1.1.2 Location of the Power Plant

 The proposed location of the power plant is at Osiao, Sorsogon City. Osiao is located on the
south-eastern tip of Albay, adjoining the south-eastern limit of Legazpi City. The west and NW coast of
Manito lies along Poliqui Bay opposite the city of Legazpi as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Location of the power plant

1.2.2 Type of Geothermal Power Plant

Flash Steam Geothermal Power Plant

In flash steam power plants, the geofluid is a liquid-vapor mixture. By lowering the pressure, the
geofluid mixture is separated into their vapor and liquid components. The vapor component is used to
drive the turbine. This power plant can only be used for geofluids whose temperature is above 182°C
(CEC, 2015). Since the geothermal reservoir in Sorsogon City has an estimated temperatures range
240°C to 320°C based on previous geoscientific research and downhole data, flash steam is the most
suitable type of power plant for the project. A simplified schematic diagram for flash steam geothermal
power plants is shown in Figure 3.

Figure 2. Simplified schematic diagram for flash steam geothermal power plants (CEC, 2015)

1.2.3 The Energy Source Cycle

Although all types of geothermal power plants use geothermal fluids as energy source, they vary
in the way in which energy is extracted from the geofluid. In this paper, the proposed power plant takes
the form of a single flash steam geothermal power plant. Hence, only the energy source cycle for the
said power plant is discussed.

Figure 5 shows the temperature-entropy diagram for single flash steam power plant operation.
The process begins at point 1 where a high-pressure geofluid is pumped to the Earth’s surface. The
flashing process (process 1-2) is considered as an isenthalpic process as it occurs steadily without heat or
work involved and changes in potential and kinetic energies are considered negligible. After flashing, the
liquid and vapor components are separated isobarically. Process 2-3 accounts for the liquid component
sent back to the well while process 2-4 accounts for the steam being sent to the turbine. Steam expands
in the turbine in process 4-5. Process 4-5s represents the ideal turbine expansion process. After
expansion, the steam is condensed into a saturated liquid in the condenser as shown by isobaric process
5-6 and pumped back into the reservoir.
 Figure 3.
Temperature-entropy diagram for single flash steam power plant (DiPippo, 2012).

CHAPTER 2: DESIGN, CALCULATION, AND COMPUTATION

2.1 SINGLE FLASH POWER PLANT CONFIGURATION

The configuration of the power plant is shown in Figure 6.

 Figure 6. Configuration of the power plant

The geothermal fluid will be obtained from 1 production wells. In a production well, a wellhead
valve will be used to reduce the pressure of the fluid to the flash tank pressure. A well will also have a
flash tank where the steam will be generated. The fluid retained after the flashing process will be
reinjected into the reservoir using the reinjection well.

The steam produced from the well-separator units will be collected in the steam receiver tank.
The steam will then be sent to drive the turbine-generator unit to produce electricity.

After undergoing expansion, the steam will be turned back into a fluid in the surface condenser.
Cooling water will be used to remove heat from the steam. A cooling tower will be used to cool the
cooling water as it reenters the condenser. Some part of the condensed fluid will be used as make-up
water for the cooling tower. The remaining fluid will be reinjected into the reservoir.

2.2 THERMODYNAMIC CYCLE

The T-s diagram for the proposed geothermal diagram is shown in Figure 7.

3.3469 MPa

240°C

Figure 7. T-s
diagram for the power plant

State 1 represents the condition of the geothermal fluid at the reservoir. The temperature of the
geothermal fluid is 240°C. The fluid is assumed to be a saturated liquid, and the corresponding pressure
is 3.3469 MPa. The enthalpy of the geofluid is:
 kJ
h1=hf @ 240℃ sat .temp .=1037.6
kg

State 2 represents the liquid-vapor mixture obtained after the flashing process. The flashing process is
assumed to be isenthalpic; hence, the enthalpy and quality at State 2 are:

kJ
h2 =h1=1037.6
kg

kJ kJ
1037.6 −670.56
h2−h f @ P =600kPa kg kg
x 2= = =0.1759
h fg@ P=600 kPa kJ
2086.3
kg

The liquid-vapor mixture is separated isobarically into its liquid and vapor component. The
separator pressure is set to 600 kPa, adjusted from the average 620 kPa separator pressure for single
flash power plants reported from literature. State 3 represents the liquid component while State 4
represents the vapor component. Their properties are:

kJ
h3 =hf @ 600 kPa=670.56
kg

kJ
h 4=h g @600 kPa=2756.8
kg

kJ
s4 =s g @ 600 kPa=6.76
kg−K

State 5s represents the working fluid after undergoing the ideal isentropic turbine expansion process.
The condenser pressure is set to 10 kPa, adjusted from the average 12 kPa condenser pressure for single
flash power plants. The properties are:

kJ
s5 s =s 4 =6.76
kg−K

kJ kJ
6.76 −0.6493
s −s kg−K kg−K
x 5 s= 5 s f @ P=10kPa = =0.81466
s fg @ P=10 kPa kJ
7.5009
kg−K

h5 s=h f @ P=10 kPa + x 5 s ( hfg @ P =10 kPa ) =191.83

kJ
kg (
+0.81466 2392.8 )
kJ
kg
=2141.15
kJ
kg
However, the turbine expansion process is not actually isentropic. State 5 represents the actual state of
the wet mixture entering the condenser. Turbines used in single flash power plants have typical
isentropic efficiencies of 81 to 85%. Assuming an isentropic efficiency of 85% for the turbine, the actual
enthalpy and quality after turbine expansion are:

h4−h5
nt =
h4 −h5 s

h5 =h4 −nt ( h4−h5 s )=2756.8

kJ
kg (
kJ
−0.85 2756.8 −2141.15
kg
kJ
kg
=2233.50
kJ
kg)
kJ kJ
2233.50 −191.83
h −h kg kg
x 5= 5 f @ P=10kPa = =0.8533
hfg @ P=10 kPa kJ
2392.8
kg

At the exhaust of the condenser or State 6, it is assumed that the wet mixture has been converted into a
saturated liquid. The enthalpy of the liquid is:

kJ
h6 =hf @ 10 kPa sat . press .=191.83
kg

The state working fluid during the entire cycle is summarized in Table 1.

Table 1. State of the working fluid during the cycle

State Temperature Pressure Enthalpy Quality

(°C) (kPa) (kJ/kg) (%)
1 200 3374.6 1037.6 0
2 158.85 600 1037.6 17.59
3 158.85 600 670.56 0
4 158.85 600 2756.8 100
5s 45.81 10 2141.15 81.50
5 45.81 10 2233.50 85.33
6 45.81 10 191.83 0

2.3 DESIGN AND SELECTION OF FLASH TANK

The typical efficiency of single flash power plants at a given reservoir enthalpy is shown in Figure
8. The enthalpy of the geothermal fluid in the geothermal prospect in Osiao, Sorsogon City was
determined to be 1037.6 kJ/kg (See Table 1). At this enthalpy, the typical single flash geothermal power
plant efficiency is approximately 8%.
 Figure 8. Efficiency of single flash power plant vs. reservoir enthalpy

This efficiency can be used to estimate the total amount of groundwater needed to achieve the rated
capacity of the plant.

Power Output
η=
mgw (h1 )

Power Output 8000 kW kg

mgw = = =96.38
η (h1) kJ s
0.08 (1037.6 )
kg

(
ms =x2 ( mgw )=0.1759 96.38
kg
s )
=16.95
kg
s

Hence, the total amount of liquid to be reinjected into the reservoir is

kg kg kg
mi=m gw−ms=96.38 −16.95 =79.43
s s s

The specifications for the flash tank are summarized in Table 2.

Table 2. Flash tank specifications

Number of Units 1
Operating Pressure 600 kPa
Mass of Groundwater kg
96.38
s
Mass of Steam Produced kg
16.95
s
Mass of the liquid for reinjection kg
79.43
s

Manufacturers will be asked to customize flash tanks that will meet the specifications stated in Table 2.

2.4 DESIGN AND SELECTION OF STEAM TURBINE

The work of the turbine, at 85% isentropic efficiency, is

W t =ms ( h 4−h 5 )=16.95

kg
s( kJ
2756.8 −2233.50
kg
kJ
kg )
=8869.935 kW

The steam turbine must have a rated capacity of 8 MW to sustain the load demand. The inlet and outlet
pressure of the steam turbine are 600 kPa and 10 kPa, respectively. The steam entering the turbine has
a temperature of 158.85°C, and the turbine must be able to handle 16.95 kg/s of steam. The
specifications required for the turbine are summarized in Table 3.

Table 3. Turbine requirements

Rated Capacity 8 MW
Steam pressure 600 kPa
Steam temperature 158.85 °C
Exhaust pressure 10 kPa
Mass of steam 16.95 kg/s
 Figure 9. The Geothermal Steam Turbine Range

The selected turbine that meets the requirement for this power plant is the SST-400 GEO unit. The unit
is shown in Figure 12.

Figure 12. SST-400 GEO unit

 2.5 DESIGN AND SELECTION OF THE CONDENSER

m s =16.95
s (
kg 2.20462 lb
1 kg
=37.37)lb
s

Pcondenser =10 kPa ( 0.145038

1 kPa
psi
)=1.45038 psi
At the condenser pressure, the temperature, and specific volume are

T sat =114.4768 ℉

3
ft
v=0.0161679071
lb

The temperature of the cooling water at entering the condenser is set to 80ºF. The terminal difference
between the steam and the cooling water at the outlet is set to 10ºF.

T cw ,out =T sat −θi

T cw ,out =114.4768−10=104.4768 ℉

Solving for the log mean temperature difference of the condenser

T cw ,∈¿
θm =T cw ,out − ¿
ln ⁡¿ ¿

104.4768 ℉−80℉
θm =
114.4768℉−80 ℉
ln ⁡( )
114.4768℉−104.4768 ℉

The tubes are designed to be 18 BWG, admiralty metal with 7/8” diameter. The velocity of the cooling
water is set to 7 fps. The cleanliness factor is set to 0.85 and the prime mover is set to 1.0. Other factors
are obtained as c=263, Ft=1 ,∧Fp=1 .
 Figure 15. Heat
transfer coefficient factors

The heat transfer coefficient for the tubes is computed as

U =c √ vel

U =263 √ 7 fps

BTU
U =695.8326 2
ft −hr −℉

Applying the correction factors,

U =U (F t )(Fm )(F c )(F p)

BTU
U =695.8326 2
(1)(1)(0.85)(1)
ft −hr −℉

BTU
U =591.4577 2
ft −hr −℉

It was suggested by the Heat Exchanger Institute that for surface condensers for non-reheat turbines,
the change in specific enthalpy is hfg=950 BTU /lb . The surface area required is
 BTU
(m s )(950 )
lb
A=
(U )(θ m)

lb 3600 s BTU
(37.37 )( )(950 )
s 1 hr lb
A=
BTU
(591.4577 2 )(19.7760 ℉ )
ft −hr −℉
2
A=10920.80289 ft

The required mass of the cooling water is

Q R=mc w (cp c w )¿

QR
mc w=
(cpc w )¿ ¿

lb 3600 s BTU
(37.37 )( )(950 )
s 1hr lb
mc w =
BTU
1 (104.4768 ℉−80 ℉ )
lb−℉

lb
m c w =5 , 221 , 491.371
hr

Converting to volume,

mw
volw =
ρw

volw =
5 ,221 , 491.371 (
lb 1 hr
hr 60 min )
gal
(7.48 3 )
lb ft
62.4 3
ft

volw =10 , 431.82571 gpm

Solving the number and length of tubes using data shown in Figure 16,

Figure 16. Factors for condenser tubes

 volw 10 , 431.82571 gpm
No . of tubes= =
factor ( vel) 1.48(7 fps)

tube
No . of tubes=1006.93
pass
2
Area 10920.80289 ft
Length of tubes= =
(no . of tubes)(factor ) ft
2
(1006.93)(0.2297 )
ft

Length of tubes=47.22 ft

Based on recommended tube lengths shown in Figure 17, for a condenser surface area of over 10,000 to
20,000 sq. ft., the length of the tubes must be 18-24 ft. In order to satisfy this condition, the
configuration of the condenser is set to be a two-pass condenser, and the number and length of tubes
are adjusted.

Figure 17. Recommended tube lengths

Lemgth of tubes
Actual Length= + [ 2(tube sheet thickness) ]
no . of pass

Actual Length=
47.22 ft
2 pass [
+ 2(0.49∈×
1 ft
12inches
)
]
Actual Length=23.69 ft

Actual no . tubes=(no .if tubes)(no . of pass )

 tube
Actual no . tubes=(1006.93 )(2 pass )
pass

Actual no . tubes=2013.86 tubes

The specifications required for the condenser are summarized in Table 5.

Table 5. Condenser requirements

Type Shell-and-tube type surface

condenser
Pass 2
Operating pressure 10 kPa
Mass flow rate of cooling water 657.897 kg/s (5 , 221 , 491.371 lb/hr)
Volume flow rate of the cooling 2369.33 m3/hr (10 , 431.82571 gpm)
water
Cooling water inlet temperature 26.67ºC (80ºF)
Cooling water outlet temperature 40.26ºC (104.48ºF)
Velocity of the cooling water 7 ft/s
Tube material 18 BWG, Admiralty Metal
Tube diameter 7/8”
Tube length 23.69 ft or 24 ft
Number of tubes 2013.86 tubes

Due to the specificity of the condenser, the developers will find manufacturers for the condenser to be
custom-made based on the parameters listed in Table 5.

2.6 DESIGN AND SELECTION OF COOLING WATER PUMP

With a two-pass configuration and a cooling water velocity of 7 fps, the friction loss on the condenser
can be computed using the factors shown in Figure 18.
 Figure 18. Friction loss factors on the tube

h f =(no . of pass) [ ( Actual length ) ( factor )+ Pressure Loss ]

h f =(2 pass ) [ ( 23.69 ft )( 0.325 )+1.4 ft ]

h f =18.20 ft

The cooling water leaving from the condenser will be discharged into the cooling tower. The point of
discharge within the cooling tower is 10 m (32.81 ft) above the inlet of the cooling water to the pump.
Therefore, the total dynamic head is

H t =∆ z +h f =32.81 ft+ 18.20 ft=51.01 ft

The density of the cooling water is

1 1 lb
ρ= = =61.85
v ft
3
ft
3
0.0161679071
lb
With pump efficiency set to 75%, the required brake horsepower of the pump is

g0
(H t )(volw )( ρ)( )
gc
BP= 3
ft −lbf
33,000 (η)
hp−min

ft
3 32.2
ft lb s
(51.01 ft )(1394.53 )(61.85 3 )( )
min ft 32.2 lbm−ft
lbf −s 2
BP=
ft 3−lbf
33,000 (0.75)
hp−min

BP=177.77 HP

The summary for the cooling water pump specifications is shown in Table 6.

Table 6. Cooling water pump requirements

Volume flow rate of cooling water 10 , 431.82571 gpm

Total head 51.01 ft
Power requirements 177.77 HP
Manufacturers will be asked to customize cooling water pump that will meet the specifications stated in
Table 6.

2.7 DESIGN AND SELECTION OF COOLING TOWER

For the calculations for the cooling tower, the information regarding the cooling water has been
computed in the calculations for the condenser. For the air entering the cooling tower, the temperature
is set to 29°C while and the relative humidity is 76% which are average values according to online
sources [ CITATION Tim21 \l 13321 ]. The air leaving the cooling tower is assumed to be 27°C and
saturated. A system diagram for the cooling tower is shown in Figure 22.
 Figure 22. System diagram for the cooling tower

Using the steam table to obtain water properties,

@ water inlet

kJ
h w ,i=168.6542
kg

@ water outlet

kJ
h w ,o=111.3706
kg

Using psychrometric chart to obtain air properties,

@air inlet (T = 29°C, RH = 76%)

kJ
h a ,i=78 , SH a , i=0.019
kg

@ air outlet (T=27°C, RH=100)

kJ
h a ,o=86 , SH a , o=0.023
kg

From energy balance,

mw ,i h w, i−mw , o h w ,o=ma (ha , o−h a ,i )

kg kJ kJ kJ kJ
2410 (168.6542 )−m w ,o (111.3706 )=ma (86 −78 )
s kg kg kg kg

ma=50,807.08−13.92 mw ,o

From mass balance

mw ,i −mw ,o =ma (SH a ,o −SH a , i)

kg
2410 −mw , o=50,807.08−13.92 mw, o (0.023−0.019)
s

kg
m w , o=2,336.9
s
The mass of air is

kg
ma=50,807.08−13.92(2,336.9 )
s

kg
m a=18,277
s

The mass of the make-up water is

kg kg
m make−up=m w ,i−mw , o=2410 −2,336.9
s s

kg
mmake−up=73.1
s

The heat needed to be rejected is

lb BTU 1.055 kW
Q=ms hfg =37.37 (950 )( )
s lb BTU
1
s

Q=37,454.08 kW

Checking if the air conditions are sufficient to reject this amount of heat,

Q=18,277
kg
s ( kJ
86 −78
kg
kJ
kg )
=146,216 kW

The requirements for the cooling tower summarized in Table 7.

Table 7. Cooling tower specifications

Mass of water entering 2,410 kg/s

Mass of water leaving 2,336.9 kg/s
Volume flow rate of water 2369.33 m3/hr
Mass of air 18,277 kg/s
Mass of make-up water 73.1 kg/s
Heat to be removed 37,454.08 kW (32,204,711.952 kcal/hr)
Due to the specificity of the cooling tower, the developers will find manufacturers for the cooling tower
to be custom-made based on the parameters listed in Table 7.
 2.8 DETERMINING THE DESIGN CAPACITY

Typical generator efficiencies used in geothermal plants ranges from 95.7 to 99%. Taking 99% as the
generator efficiency, the electrical power that is produced by the turbine is

EP=ηg ×W t =0.99 × 8869.935 kW =8403.64 kW =8.40 MW

The efficiency of power plant is

EP 8403.64 kW
η= = =0.084=8.4 %
mgw (h1) kg kJ
96.38 (1037.6 )
s kg

This efficiency is close to the typical 6% - 9% efficiency of single flash steam geothermal power plant
associated with the enthalpy of the geothermal reservoir as shown in Figure 11.