A new study administered recently by Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory appears to point out that by pumping carbon dioxide through hot rocks 2 completely different positive effects can be realized. First, this technique has the power to come up with power, that has obvious effects with regard to this the present modes of manufacturing power. Additionally to the present advantageous result, by propelling the carbon dioxide through the new rock, these dangerous greenhouse gases that are produced by fossil fuel power stations could be absorbed.
Karsten Pruess, the hydro-geologist at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory who administered this studied, claims that “carbon dioxide could theoretically boost the number of energy made by hydrothermal plants by fifty% or more….” and that “the technique might be used to dispose of the carbon dioxide made by conventional power plants, which contributes to world warming.”
In order to take management of the geothermal power, heat must be extracted from below the surface of the Earth. This new method being studied by Pruess can extract this heat additional efficiently than this method, which involves water being pumped through the new rocks and subsequently being extracted again.
Pruess’ hypothesis previous to utilizing the Soultz hydrothermal plant located in northwest France was that his technique would be additional resourceful than the plant’s technique of pumping water. Though he was not fully assured in this hypothesis prior to commencing the study, he learned that it is beneficial to require risks and attempt new solutions.
On prime of the very fact that driving carbon dioxide through the new rocks produces additional energy by up to 50 %, it conjointly necessitates less energy to be used in undertaking the process. This is due to the very fact that the hot gas in the exit hole of the rocks is a smaller amount impenetrable than the cooler gas at the entry, subsequently meaning reduced pumping would need to be done because of this density. Overall, this novel idea seems to be a win-win state of affairs relating to the proposal of a new form of renewable energy.
Let us conjointly look to the second side of absorbing the dangerous greenhouse gas that carbon dioxide is. According to Pruess’ study, it seems to be inevitable that some quantity of the gas would seep into the rock, storing the carbon dioxide. Though this looks prefer it would be an extreme positive, Robert Pine of the Camborne College of Mines within the United Kingdom thinks there could be some adverse affects from this.
His tackle it’s this: “While carbon dioxide is unlikely to flee from such traps, rock fractures, which are common in regions used for hydrothermal operations, might enable gas to leak out. Using gas fields would possibly be higher, but as a result of they don’t seem to be terribly hot you’d have to travel very deep to urge to the heat.”
Therefore, though he still appears to, generally, advocate the concept that Pruess has proprosed, in his opinion there are precautions that should be taken to make sure the most advantageous results from the new method.
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