Geothermal

Energy

Geothermal energy is a renewable energy resource that is constantly being generated by

the earth, around the clock, every day. This energy is harvested from the heat produced
within the earth that rises to the earths surface in the form of hot springs, volcanoes,
geysers and underground reservoirs.
In colder places like Oregon, USA,
pipes of geothermal water are

In the United States, it is projected

that geothermal energy use will
increase and cover
the countrys

installed under

of

sidewalks

and roads to keep them from

icing over during the harsh winter
months.

ELECTRICAL

demands by year

W H O?
WHAT?
WHY?
H OW ?

10%

2050.

Geothermal energy is used in industrial applications, office buildings and homes, in over 20
different countries including Iceland, the United States and China to generate electricity or to
heat and cool buildings.
Thermal energy is a renewable resource derived from the earths internal heat, contained in the
rocks and fluids beneath the earths crust.
For the most part, geothermal energy is a clean, widely available, resource. Geothermal power
plants involve no combustion and emit very low levels of greenhouse gases.
Geothermal energy is cultivated and converted for use by power plants. The three types of
commercial power plants are, Flash Steam, Dry Steam and Binary Power Plants.

1 Collect

the energy from the earth.

3 Use

the energy to power office

buildings and homes.

2 Convert

the energy into a type of power source,

electricity as an example.

WHAT DO WE DO WITH ALL OF

THIS ENERGY?
Residential and Industrial heating
Balneology (Hot Spring & Spas)
Agriculture (Greenhouse, Milk Pasteurizing & Soil Warming)
Aquaculture (Farming of Fish, Prawn & Alligators)
Industrial Uses (Product Drying & Warming)

FUN FACTS ABOUT GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

Adjective | The word geothermal comes from two Greek words, Geo meaning earth and
Therme meaning heat. Geothermal energy rises to the earths surface in many forms like

volcanoes, geysers, hot springs & even in underground reservoirs.

Since 20 BCE

The Earths soil stays at a constant

50F to 60F and the

the Roman Civilization

Earths core

were the most well known for

utilizing hot springs primarily for
bathing and spas, but they also
used them for food preparation, agriculture, greenhouses & more.

is hotter than the surface of

the Sun!

The oldest

known use of geothermal energy, is a hot

water spa located in China dating back to the

3rd century BCE (300 BCE)

Jigokudani
Monkey Park

is a famous hot
spring area near
Nagano, Japan. Well known for the large
population of wild Snow Monkeys that go to
the hot springs during the winter to stay warm.

Yellowstone National Park

was the worlds first national park, established in

1872.

The park alone contains half of all

the worlds known geothermal
features like geysers, hot springs
and other thermal areas. The last
full-scale eruption at Yellowstone occurred almost

640,000 thousand years ago.

MEASURING GEOTHERMAL ACTIVITY

Temperature, pressure and flow rate are just some of the types of data that can be monitored at a geothermal facility.

Temperature:

Temperature levels need to be monitored when entering or exiting a system to ensure temperatures
are cool enough or hot enough for the next phase.

Pressure:

Pressure is essential when it comes to flash steam power plants. To produce flash steam, the
pressure keeps the water in a liquid state as it travels through the steam separator, even though
the water temperature is well above the boiling point. Once it reaches the surface, the pressure is
relieved and the water flashes into steam.

Flow Rate:

Monitoring flow rate is important to regulate the water flow volume and speed in each type of plant.

How do we measure that data?

To grow and maintain efficiency, this industry needs
to collect data, analyze it and use it to validate and
optimize each systems performance.
PRESSURE RECORDER

Data Loggers and data logging software

are essential tools for this task. Durable and
reliable data loggers used for geothermal
applications are designed to withstand harsh
environments. Data logging software helps
by storing electronic records and making
data easy to analyze and share in reports.

F1

F2

F3

F4

PR2000

Created by the MadgeTech Marketing Team

www.madgetech.com | Ph. (603) 456.2011 | Fax (603) 456.2012
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