Record Details

Title Krafla Geothermal Electric Power Plant, Iceland
Authors Eliasson, Einar T.; Einarsson, Asbjorn; Jonsson, Valdimar K.
Year 1980
Conference Geothermal Resources Council Transactions
Keywords Power Generation; Case History; Iceland; Krafla; Geology; Volcanoes; Construction; Corrosion & Erosion; Material Selection; Drilling; Explorations
Abstract Description is given of Iceland's first major Geothermal Electric Power Plant, constructed at Krafla Geothermal Field located northeast Iceland. The power consists of two 30 MW Turbine-Generator units with underlying direct contact jet condenser. The cooling water is circulated through a forced draft crossflow cooling tower. The turbine is a double pressure, impulse turbine with 5 stages. The construction started in 1975 simultaneously with production wells being drilled. The start up of one unit on part load (8MW) was commissioned in February 1978. Shortly after the powerhouse exterior shell was completed, volcanic eruption occurred on the e20th December 1975 about 3 km away from the powerhouse. Although the eruption lasted only a few hours a spectacular rifting episode affecting a 80 km long segment of the plate boundary has continue up to data with few short eruptions. This has caused some difficult in the steam production.
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