At the current rate of energy consumption of humanity has long been concerned about the many the thought of limb use of resources, particularly oil and gas.And it makes think about the use of other, non-conventional energy sources.As one of these sources, according to the scientists, can act geothermal energy.
At its core - it is the energy possessed by the region in the depth of the earth.According to research scientists, there is a temperature gradient in the 20-30 ° C per kilometer deep into the earth.At the depth of 10 km relative to the surface temperature can reach a very respectable values (300 ° C).Here is the internal temperature and produces geothermal energy.
In some cases, they are seen and act without any additional effort.Just enough to recall the Valley of Geysers in Kamchatka, and many other areas where the land of geysers and hot springs.This geothermal energy can not be used just to be able to use it, you need to build some kind of machine that will be able to capture this energy, and it will turn into something more familiar to us, the same energy.
Today, there are two ways that will lead to the use of geothermal energy:
-neposredstvennoe use of heat;
-Getting electricity.
Unfortunately, the direct use of heat is possible only in certain places, such as in Iceland and Japan.In this way, any hot water from the sources used for heating, or heat exchangers are mounted, often directly in the mines.
For electricity have to build a special geothermal power plants.In this case, geothermal energy is also used in several ways:
-in the case goes directly to the dry steam produced from the mines, leading to the heated portion in the depths of the earth.For this water is pumped deep into the mines, there is heated and converted to steam.This dry steam is supplied to the turbine blades, which drives the armature of the generator, whereby the latter generates an electrical current;
-used heated water, it is supplied under pressure from the bottom of the evaporator, where the pressure is suddenly reduced, the water evaporates and the generated steam is supplied to the turbine blades, which turns the anchor directly to the generator;
-used so-called "binary" way.In this case, geothermal energy heats the water.This water enters the heat exchanger where it is heated through heat exchange with another medium at the temperature of vaporization than water.The steam supplied to the turbine, and that drives the armature of the generator, generating a current.
In all these cases, the water remaining after evaporation processes can be used for space heating.
Here are ways geothermal energy can be used for household needs.
It should be noted that the first geothermal plant was built in Italy back in 1904, it works now.There are many other similar geothermal power plants in California, about 5% of the electricity accounted for geothermal power plants, and they work in El Salvador and Iceland.
reserves of geothermal energy is truly inexhaustible, and many times exceed the available reserves of fossil fuels.For geothermal power plants drawback is that they can be placed in areas where there are hot springs.However, it has been developed and tested in the station, which can incorporate geothermal anywhere.
Thus, the given information allows to consider geothermal energy one of the possible options for providing energy for the depletion of fossil resources.
