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Notice Concerning Copyright Restrictions NOTICE CONCERNING COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS This document may contain copyrighted materials. These materials have been made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, but may not be used for any commercial purpose. Users may not otherwise copy, reproduce, retransmit, distribute, publish, commercially exploit or otherwise transfer any material. The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. A GIA, pe Agenda item II.A.2 (b) GEOTHERMAL POWER DEVELOPMENT AT WAIRAKEI, NEW ZEALAND H. Christopher H. Armstead * New Zealand's goethermal power scheme at an earlier project, now abandoned, to install a Wairakei has been generating power since November chemical distillation plant at Wairakei, taking steam 1958. The load carried is 65 MW or more, and outputs at 50 lb/sq in. gauge and exhausting at * lb/sq in. up to 101 million kWh per week have been generated, gauge. This plant, which was to have been combined equivalent to about 12 per cent of the total energy with topping sets on the upstream side and condens- production in North Island. The authorised installa- ing sets on the downstream side, was cancelled after tion of 192 MW was sanctioned in two stages. The the associated turbo-alternators were in an advanced first (69 MW ), completed in March 1960, makes use state of manufacture, and its place was taken by of bore steam only and employs seven small turbo- two IP back-pressure sets.1 But for this historical alternators of approximately 6* MW and 11 MW complication a simpler arrangement of plant would ratings. The second stage (123 MW), now under have been chosen. Direct bore steam enters the construction, will introduce to a limited extent the station at two pressures, as shown, and the hot water use of hot water in addition to bore steam; it will will be partly flashed into steam at 50 and at t lb/sq also be partly served by larger (30 MW ) turbo- in. g. To retain as far as possible an undisturbed alternators., balance of steam flows when any set in the A station Figure 1 shows the thermal field where some is out of service, bypass reducing valves are connected twenty-six production bores are now in use, and a across each back-pressure set, and a dump condenser further twenty-five or more will probably be in is provided as a flow substitute for an LP condensing service within a year or two. Steam is led from the set. bores through 20" and 30" pipelines to the two power The 30 MW turbines will be of the mixed pressure stations sited on the left bank of the Waikato River, type, taking most of their steam at 50 lb/sq in. g some two miles from the centre of the bore field. with additional "pass-in" steam at 1 lb/sq in. g. One of these stations, the "A" building, contains Ultimately if is intended that all the pass-in steam all the smaller (6* and 11 MW ) sets, whereas the shall be derived from flashed hot water, but while "B" building, now under construction, will accom- the quantity of piped hot water is limited it will modate the 30 MW sets. Hot water will at first be be necessary to bypass some of the pass-in steam piped to the station from a group of seven wells from the IP main through a reducing valve. only, situated about half way along the steam pipe Since there is no need to recover the condensate route. from the LP and MP sets, these machines are served The decision to site the power stations close to by jet condensers. The incondensible gases are re- the river bank was taken after first considering the moved from the condensers of the LP sets by means alternative of placing them near the centre of the of high speed multi-stage rotary exhausters and from 1 bore area and serving them with cooling towers. those of the MP sets by means of steam ejectors. The riverside site showed a slight economic advan- Certain design problems are considered in the tage over the bore field site, and this advantage following section. was reinforced by the availability of a far more convenient building area. Design problems A future extension has been tentatively planned for doubling the size of the B station to accommodate THE PROBLEM OF FIXING OPERATING PRESSURES three more 30 MW sets, thus raising the total in- AND TEMPERATURES stalled capacity to 282 MW. If satisfactory experi- The choice of working pressures was partly dictated ence is gained with the hot water plant now under b · force of circumstance. The requirements of the construction, the intention is to generate the greater c]ienlical plant which rvas originally to have formed part of the additional 90 MW from hot water. About one-third of the ultimate output would then be derived from hot water. 1 The following abbreviations have been used in this paper: HP ........ High pressure Figure 2 and tables 1 and 2 show the arrangement, IP. Intermediate pressure capacities and rated steam consumption of the turbo- LP . Low pressure alternators. The use of back-pressure and condensing MP ........ Mixed pressure sets in "cascade" in the A station is the result of TSV . Turbine stop valve klb/hr . · · · Thousands of pounds per hour in. Hg ....... Conventional inches of mercury * Merz and MeLellan, Consulting Engineers, United Kingdom. CW ........ Cooling water 274 Power development at Wairakei, NZ G14 Armstead 275 M •88• 1 - 41\1: M & 83: . 4,2. %,0 ,- m C.S1 i 5 01%5. i, 944'11,1 2- .036 '1'' i<-4 V ':< .* , zi=- -'- .--111 --- 111• C 1 -&5 -- 0 /\ 0 i. 91'./ J - •M 0 ( .* e FJ '.... •f»-11 »i 0:ow.,04 = ) 5 ia 3 6' i . --*-0- pb 4 m »» 1 = g -t F » 61 4 -•0.3 3g 14 j nfo 21 +E 1.-,-1 -f»• ---ZE " S 4,4 ix 'C« C, 0 ,S ,* •22 i 2, 5 = 07/ : /-- c ./i 1 5: 1 .,4 , 1 1( f 3 .W I * <Azl (1 = 1i 1 i m \ \ // a L )! 7 * 4'0 ( -/ 1 042On 1 4413 1 1 . 0 d% 1 K:a.c - %•0 l :. \»- T., 44 l --t . m : =W SO / 1 G 3 1 3Z (iap .'I ;:1 . =.: W3• 2- .lik 0i 30 / m. <Z C- K .11 E M-I t«,$'"r•88 .g 1-I 6 .i.3 '•' .0 41 6*E. =1 j Z p E2 i: . 1 , g,4 M ST l l 4 d 1 j 68' •. } \ 4 3 S 3. 4 <fil f /-'. \ 1 1 f 276 ILA.2 Harnessing geothermal energy - Electricity production Table 1. Installed generator capacities In the A station ' In the. B station Total Turbo-alternators 'TSV *yesswe (MW) (MW) (MW) 13 HP Sets . 180 lb/sq in.g 2 X 6.5 2 X 11.15 22.3 22.3 IP sets 50 lb/sq in.g 2 X 11.15 44.6 LP sets . 0.5 lb/sq in.g 4 X 11.15 ( 1*-in.Hg back-pressure) 90 MP sets 50 and 0.5 lb/sq in.g 3 x 30 ( 1 *-in.Hg back-pressure) 192.2 Authorized plant . , 102.2 90 Possible future extension : 90 MP sets ..'.. 50 and 0.5 lb/sq in.g 3 X 30 ( 1*-in,Hg back-pressure) 282.2 Planned ultimate development 102,2 180 part of the project defined two pressure systems and when'that plant was cancelled it was convenient within the plant area, namely 50 lb/sq in. g and to install two IP back pressure sets in its place, each 1 lb/sq in. g, but it was necessary to fix a suitable of about. 11 MW rating, thus enabling the same size admission pressure to the topping sets. Economy of of alternator to be used as with the LP sets. design of these sets · and of the steam pipelines For the extensions there was greater freedom of favoured the choice of a relatively high admission choicein sizing the generators since the chemical plant pressure ; optimum 'yield of wells favoured a lower was no longer a factor to be considered. For the choice. The value chosen was 180 lb/sq in. g. additional HP sets there were advantages in fixing The established IP and LP mains in the power the size either at 6* or at 11. MW to enable the first stations are ·at pressures which are entirely suitable stage alternators to be repeated. Expectations of HP for sequential flashing of hot water. steam winnings were such as to justify a choice of the larger size. The Wairakei bores fall into two classes: those of better quality, the HI? bores, being suitable for Whilst 62* MW and 11 MW sets were regarded as supplying the topping sets, and those of secohdary acceptable sizes for the small pioneering installation quality, the IP botes, being suitable for feeding of 69 MW total, sets of larger size were obviously directly into the IP main at the power stations (see desirable when ,it was decided to extend the plant to a much greater total capacity.
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