A FLASHING BINARY COMBINED-CYCLE FOR GEOTHERMAL POWER-GENERATION

The performance of a flashing binary combined cycle for geothermal pow er generation is analysed. It is proposed to utilize hot residual brin e from the separator in flashing-type plants to run a binary cycle, th ereby producing incremental power. Parametric variations were carried out to determine the optimum performance of the combined cycle. Compar ative evaluation with the simple flashing plant was made to assess its thermodynamic potential and economic viability. Results of the analys es indicate that the combined cycle can generate 13-28% more power tha n the conventional flashing plant. The economic assessment reveals tha t its unit generation cost is slightly less than that of a flashing-ty pe system. The proposed cycle thus represents a more effective utiliza tion of the resource, aside from helping to alleviate environmental de gradation.