Pilot cogeneration plant for Puga geothermal field : providing clean energy solution to a Nomadic Residential School in Puga, India

Abstract

The paper discusses the design of a pilot Binary power plant to electrify the Nomadic Residential School (NRS) in Puga, India. With the existing well and surface temperature of 80°C it is possible to generate more than 60 kW of electricity which is more than enough to electrify the school building continuously for 24 hours per day. Consideration were also made to use a screw expander instead of a turbine to reduce the cost of the project. The demand on the design accuracy for a turbine increases rapidly when the size becomes smaller, whereas the same demands do not change much for a screw expander. The design of a heating system for the school using the available geothermal fluid is also discussed. Calculation was made for heat load of the building without insulation (present scenario) and with building insulation. The results show that for long term energy savings it would be good to insulate the building which will reduce the heat load by more than half of the present heat load. The main objective is to provide a clean and sustainable energy solution with a comfortable indoor temperature of 20°C, even when outside temperature can go below -20°C.