| Title | The Geothermal Power Plant Bruchsal |
|---|---|
| Authors | T. Kölbel, P. Orywall, W. Münch, U. Bruchmann, P. Schlagermann, H. Hötzl, L. Wolf, D. Rettenmaier, H. Steger, R. Zorn, P. Seibt, G.-U. Möllmann, M. Sauter, J. Ghergut, T. Ptak |
| Year | 2010 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | Geology, Geothermal Energy, Geochemistry, Corrosion |
| Abstract | At present, worldwide installed capacity of geothermal power plants amounts to approximately 10 GW. The majority proportion of these plants is located in geologically excellent regions which have steam deposits, as opposed to the sparseness of having geothermal power plants in low enthalpy areas such as the river Rhine rift valley. In the wake of the first oil price crises in the mid-1980s, two boreholes to supply geothermal energy had been drilled in Bruchsal. The fundamental design was to supply heat energy, however, following the renewable energy act (EEG) came into force at the beginning of 2000, a change was necessary. By now, electricity generation by geothermal power plant was in the focus of all other measures. During the entire project period, many studies were conducted in Bruchsal. In addition to thermal parameters, hydraulic issues and especially the high mineralization of the fluid were investigated. With salt contents above 100 g/l and with high CO2 concentration, corrosion and scaling are challenging subjects, particularly for geothermal power plant operation. In recent years, a power plant with a planned electrical output of 550 kWel was built in the site following the Kalina principle. Currently, first commissioning tests on the thermal water sides are done; electricity production is expected in June 2009. The commissioning and the first operating years will be accompanied with further research. The focuses are on coupled models for the reservoir and the interaction between aquifer and power plant operations. |