A Pore-To-Process Digital Design Methodology for Life-Cycle Assessment of a Geothermal Power Plant

Abstract The development and operation of geothermal plants play a vital role in the transition to sustainable and low-carbon energy systems. In this paper we presented a seamless and flexible pore-to-process digital solution for the design and assessment of geothermal systems, encompassing the geothermal reservoir, gathering network, and geothermal power plant. Our primary focus in this study is on the geothermal power plant. This includes a detailed analysis of the functionality and performance of two common geothermal power plants; 1. A single-flash power plant and a double-flash geothermal power plant within the overall system. This work shows that overall exergy efficiency of the studies geothermal power plants decreases overtime due to a decrease in the geothermal reservoir quality. The analysis performed in this study demonstrates that variation of the inlet separator pressure affects the overall plant behavior. The parametric studies also display the overall exergy efficiency of the power plants as well as the turbine power reduction as the inlet separator pressure increases. This is due to lower efficiency in converting the available energy into useful work. Our studies displayed that a substantial portion of the available exergy in the geothermal fluid is being dissipated in the condenser. Therefore, optimizing the condenser design and operation becomes a crucial factor for enhancing the overall efficiency of the studies of geothermal power plants.