| Abstract |
Geotechnology, Inc. in a joint venture with Pacific Power and Light and SPS, Inc. placed a 40 kwatt organic rankine cycle power generation system on a 178 degree F artesian geothermal resource south of Lakeview, Oregon. The system demonstrated that electrical power could be generated from such low temperature resources for a capitalization cost of $1850/kwatt exclusive of reservoir engineering. However, due to a number of relatively prosaic problems, the commercial feasibility of the system was not demonstrated. Moreover, we are unable to recommend use of a technology which employs an expander deriving its lubrication from the working fluid in this temperature range. |