Industrial Division
The Core Concept
Hydrostatic System for a Large-Scale Geothermal Power Plant
The essential change is in the ground loop design and construction. During construction and power plant operation, hydrostatic pressure management maintains structural integrity of the central main shaft. The design uses bore holes drilled into dense hot granite to move water through the ground loop with a central shaft that connects all the bore holes. This creates a ground loop with a shape much like a leaf. The veins and capillaries in a leaf are similar to the main shaft and bore holes of the ground loop. These veins and capillaries can be viewed as a well designed circulatory system, with a pumping station as the heart. This geothermal leaf will be capable of drawing heat from far greater reserves and even some from the planets core itself. The industry standard open loop model uses fractures in the rock to move the water. These natural or artificial fractures are random at best and limit the size and effectiveness of these systems. With no well defined circulatory system these systems are limited in size much the same way an insect is limited in size, by not having a circulatory system with veins and arteries. Producing massive amounts of power requires moving massive amounts of water and this is often uneconomical on a large scale using tiny fractures in the rock.
Recent Developments
For the past ten years Atlantic Geothermal has largely focused on the technical design of a deep heat canal and hydrostatic system to deliver an unlimited amount of water for geothermal power. In March of 2007 the company filed patent applications with the United States Patent Office for the hydrostatic system/canal.
With provisional patents in place, Atlantic Geothermal has begun contacting major construction and tunneling corporations to engage them in the process of building this major power plant. The responses from corporations to these initiatives have been very positive, with several leaders in the energy construction sector indicating their willingness to evaluate and submit bids for the construction and implementation of Atlantic Geothermal's design.
160 MW Geothermal Power Plant
A Mega Generation Deep Earth Closed Loop System
Traditional geothermal power engineers say the best place for developing geothermal power is where the hot rocks can be found close to the earth's surface. Their rationale is easier access to the heat source translates into lower up front construction and extraction equipment costs. True as this benefit is, near surface hot rocks have a finite amount of heat stored in them, and once the heat is extracted, recharging the heat source takes more time and effort than is economically feasible. Because of this fact, these plants are generally designed for 20- 30 years of production and then decommissioned. A one generation investment is achieved where less depth is rewarded.
The next generation of geothermal power plants will tap deep earth hot rocks 30,000 feet or more below the surface, utilizing a far vaster heat reserve that will recharge rapidly and supply heat energy for thousands of years versus the 2 or 3 decades for the traditional geothermal power design. This "mega-generations" design presents the possibility of much larger geothermal power plants producing greater amounts of power for a much longer time. More depth is more reward.
To attain this new investment mindset, we must radically change our way of thinking when it comes to geothermal power plants. Conventional systems are usually open loop systems that pump water into the ground, where it travels through fissures in the earth back into the loop. The problem with this design is, the deeper you go, the rock gets denser, and the fissures get smaller, thus necessitating more energy pumping more water into the loop. In addition, surface contaminants could potentially get into the water table, causing environmental problems.
The Mega Generation Deep Earth Closed Loop system, particularly suited for the Eastern U.S., will tap unending reserves of heat energy that recharge virtually on demand. One central bore shaft replaces multiple bore holes, reducing the surface footprint of the power plant, which should reduce maintenance costs by reducing the number of equipment locations. By using a closed central loop, you need far less energy pumping water into the system, thus reducing operating costs.
Each method has its advantages and disadvantages. Initial construction and start-up costs for the open loop system are much lower, but it's relative short life span results in a finite profit. Conversely, the higher construction cost of the Mega Generation Deep Earth Closed Loop system can be spread out over many more years of greater power output, thus creating long-term profitability. It all boils down to the fact that our growing society, both in the U.S. and worldwide, are putting greater demands on the power grid every day, and the finite reserves of oil are rapidly being depleted and impacting our shared environment. The Mega Generation Deep Earth Closed Loop systems will not only be a part of a new generation source of power, it will also contribute significant reductions in greenhouse gases for base load power in comparison to fossil fuel plants.