Above Ground Engineering

Mineral scaling has a dramatic impact on the long-term operational performance of geothermal development. It causes a significant reduction in the overall heat transfer coefficient whilst simultaneously increasing the pressure drop and reducing fluid flow, reducing the efficiency and affecting the energy recovery. The project investigates different types of mineral scaling in the geothermal environment (with focus on silica scaling in Heat Exchangers). We use a field-testing rig developed for this project that provides a controlled environment for understanding mineral scaling mechanisms, in order to investigate scaling control, and create mitigation and prevention techniques. The project is undertaken in collaboration with HERA and Contact Energy Ltd.

A dynamic model of an ORC plant is being completed and will be used to look at the effectiveness of different control strategies. The aim is to design a control system that takes multiple factors into account such as fouling, plant maintenance, resource consent compliance, reservoir status, and the optimisation of a network of electricity generation plants based on real-time market data.