Pre-requsites (CSM1274, CSM1259, CSM2251, CSM2288) or equivalent

An advanced course covering all aspects of geothermal energy including resource estimation, power conversion, deployment, economics and environmental impact. Heat pump applications at small and large scales for domestic and district heating are also explored.

By means of contributions to preparation of a technical / economic geothermal plant design and feasibility study report and to a technical presentation (including individual questioning), candidates should demonstrate:

Module Specific Skills

1. acquire comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the design and project development process for geothermal power plants or large scale ground source heat pump projects.
2. understanding of the particular characteristics of geothermal reserves (potential in global energy mix, extent and distribution), that these are effectively finite and require active management, and that there can be environmental impacts that require careful management.
3. ability to apply understanding of power and heat pump cycles, knowledge of precedent engineering practice and practical and economic issues relating to geothermal power plants and ground source heat pump projects such that these are taken into consideration in determining geothermal potential.
4. knowledge of, and can apply, mathematical and scientific methods to analyse new and/or abstract geothermal resource data and, without guidance, can produce bankable statements of the geothermal resource for specific sites.
5. acquire sufficient knowledge and understanding of engineering components and materials such that, by working autonomously, they can select appropriate power conversion plant, and can integrate this with balance-of-plant items, such that the efficiency of primary energy utilised is maximised, subject to constraints on cost and environmental impact.
6. knowledge of the planning and typical permitting processes for geothermal power plant and ground source heat pump developments.
7. coherent and detailed understanding of operational practice for geothermal systems, and awareness of regulations and codes of practice relating to hazards and operational safety.

Discipline Specific Skills

8. capability to produce solutions to problems, with minimum guidance, by applying their technical and economic understanding to novel and challenging situations while being aware of the limitations of technologies and methodology arising from uncertainty, or ambiguous or conflicting sources.
9. capability to make, with minimum guidance, accurate evaluations of technical and commercial risk.
10. ability to apply mathematical or scientific methods and techniques to account for industrial or commercial constraints in problem solving.

Personal and Key Skills

11. autonomy in planning and managing resources that support the syllabus plan and can reflect on the efficiency of use of these resources.
12. conduct and present / report calculations, to a deadline, with awareness of professional codes of conduct and standards and can incorporate an ethical dimension and/or exercise personal judgement into/on their work.
13. by means of oral presentation, candidates should demonstrate a capability to relay technical information effectively using the spoken word, supported by professional quality visual aids, and be to able to defend their reasoning and conclusions against probing questioning
14. interact effectively in a group situation and work as part of a team (including, possibly, as the leader) such that they can recognise differing team roles within a team.

Overview of geothermal energy

Geology primer for geothermal systems

Geothermal exploration & heat mapping

Geothermal reservoir characterisation

Analysis of temperature and heat transfer in a borehole

Geothermal Energy Case Studies I – Dry steam power plants

Geothermal Energy Case Studies II – Flash steam power plants

Geothermal Energy Case Studies III – Binary cycle power plants

Geothermal well bore drilling & completion

Geothermal well test analysis for electricity generation

Well performance and production decline analysis

Ground source heat pumps - Technology outline

Ground source heat pumps - System design

Analysis of Tremough Campus Media Centre test borehole results

District heating and cooling, commercial and industrial applications of heat pumps: aquaculture

Hot dry rock geothermal projects: Rosemanowes, Soultz

Financial appraisal of geothermal projects; project investment and delivery.

Hot Dry Rock Design Exercise

Basic reading:

ELE: http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/

Web based and Electronic Resources:

European Commission Altener Project, ‘Blue Book on Geothermal Resources’. Luxembourg, June 1999. ISBN: 9282858030. Executive Summary available at http://wire0.ises.org/wire/Publications/Whitepap.nsf/0/D08D19EC018DF89DC125691B004B2DE6/$File/bbgtes.pdf

Proceedings of the World Geothermal Congress 2005. Available on CD-ROM via the RE Share Drive

Proceedings of the World Geothermal Congress 2001. Available on CD-ROM via the RE Share Drive

Other Resources:

Reading list for this module: