In the middle of that small picture is a double shafted motor or generator, probably about 700-1000 HP, connected to what are either a pump and a turbine or possibly two turbines. That equipment represents well over a million in capitol costs alone.
Posted on 08/01/2006 11:15:01 AM PDT by aculeus
Imagine if I could convince "only a fraction of a percent" of the people on earth to give me $10.......I'd be rich!!!!!
Its a nuclear reaction, pretty much self-sustaining and on a the human scale, limitless. But.
This guy is flat out dishonest.
Yes, the heat is there and it's almost limitless but...
He completely ignores the problems associated with its extraction, which have not been solved. I have lived all my life in the area close to the guysers, and the production has been scaled back dramatically since the trial began 30-40 years ago.
The problem is similar to oil shale extraction. The process is easy enough. Dealing with the byproducts is not.
Heavy concentrations of minerals in the process render all the equipment useless in a very short time. Treating the mineral deposits and neutralizing them renders the resulting energy uneconomical; when factoring in the total cost of extraction, it is still economically not viable today.
The problem is analagous to the ICC building at Georgetown University, with a gigantic roof covered with solar cells which had great promise. Until the cost of maintenance and keeping the cells clean for peak efficiency was factored in. It is now just a feel-good white elephant.
There is a fundamental dishonesty with subsidized energy production.
Consider that a very large object like earth has a huge volume compared to surface area - as explained by this page:
http://www.tiem.utk.edu/~gross/bioed/bealsmodules/area_volume.html
Since heat can only escape via the surface, most of the heat generated by radioactive decay is trapped inside.
You couldn't drain the core of heat no matter how you tried - The huge amounts of heat we could drill to are a mere onion skin on the earth.
In the middle of that small picture is a double shafted motor or generator, probably about 700-1000 HP, connected to what are either a pump and a turbine or possibly two turbines. That equipment represents well over a million in capitol costs alone.
The antifreeze liquid comes out of the ground at 59 F.
Go to the website linked above in my post and educate yourself a bit. The problems you refer to have been solved and are used on a daily basis.
The Geysers has reduced capacity because the geothermal field has been depleted to the point of no longer being economically viable as it once was.
The heat is produced by radioactivity within the earth. It's a small amount of radioactivity per cubic inch of interior, but there are a whole lot of cubic inches of material within the earth. The outer layer of the earth acts like a super insulator. The "R" value of the earth is not too good. It's only about R=1 per inch of thickness, compared with R=3 or 4 per inch for a good ceiling insulation. However, again, there are a whole lot of inches of insulation in several miles thickness of earth surface layers. So, the heat from the radioactivity is contained within the earth because of this very thick insulation layer on the surface. The amount of heat generated is large compared with the mount that would be used up with any geothermal devices, so it should last indefinitely.
Many of the problems you refer to have been solved and Geothermal Energy is succesfully used on a daily basis.
Radiation, pressure, and friction.
Nevada is also a huge source for geo-thermal energy in the areas which are entirely owned by the Federal Government and used as a buffer between civilization and the secret air force base which doesn't exist a couple hours north-northwest of Las Vegas.
Eric, I'm assuming AC means Air Conditioning.
In areas where freezing or snow occurs, a few loops under the driveway to bring the Earth's latent heat up to melt the snow would also be welcome.
I wonder if anyone has tried to put together a low-grade energy generation system utilizing a solar collector for the heat, and a geothermal loop for the cooling? While it would be somewhat weather dependent, the investment costs seem affordable enough to make it worth while for a small plant. Some heat and cooling would be secondary benefits of such a system.
Or to look at it another way, keeping your house cool in the Summertime, and your driveway free of snow and ice in the Wintertime, would be the primary benefits, and a steady stream of low-wattage energy for lights and the refrigerator would be secondary benefits.
In a very limited area, where it happens to be both readily accessible and near population centers, which set of special conditions is exceedingly rare.
But the "universal geothermal energy" proposed here is sheer crackpottery.
Internal heating within the Earth comes from the gravity compression from formation of the planet plus radioactive decay of Potassium, Uranium, and Thorium. It will continue for many millenia. More info here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/12/031215072752.htm
We do get snow in mid-Missouri and you're correct. The snow melts on the cement driveway, courtesy of this system. Check it out at www.waterfurnace.com.
Put me on. I'm very interested.
That was very interesting, thank you!
No, actually, it's Global Cooling.
That part of the Globe is already Hot as ... well let's just say it's hot.
Geothermal Energy is not renewable. It's simply inexhaustible.
But ... at least there is that -- "no exhaust."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.