It’s been two years since the MEET project started and today, we are proud to share some promising advancements!
One of the aims of the MEET project is to demonstrate the feasibility to convert heat into electricity from various low flow and/or low temperature (70 – 120°C) geothermal sources using a small scale ORC device (Figure 1). An ORC or Organic Rankine Cycle is a module able to convert heat to electricity, based on thermodynamic cycle with a High molecular fluid. To do so, 6 demonstration sites were selected on 3 different geological contexts, i.e. sedimentary, granitic and volcanic.
Figure 1: Small scale ORC module installed in the Soultz-sous-Forêts geothermal power plant. The module is composed by Gasket Plate Heat Exchanger, an Enogia ORC and an internal cold loop with a dry cooler.
Enogia has customized its ORC machines so that they can perform under the various and drastic geological conditions encountered on each site. Together with the Iceland Innovation Center, ES-Geothermie and Vermillion, Enogia has been able to innovate and propose ORCs compatible with the particularly corrosive conditions often found in geothermal wells.
After the design, the manufacturing and few months of delay accumulated in part because of covid-19, the three machines reached their first demonstration sites. Since its commissioning on 12th of June, the first ORC module installed in Chaunoy (France) on the Vermillion site has already produced 11 MWh. It is approximately the annual energy consumption of 50 m² apartment occupied by 2 people. The Icelandic module was received at Grásteinn Farm (Iceland) last July (Figure 2). The third module arrived at Soultz-sous-Forêts (France) on ES-Geothermie geothermal power plant at the end of August. The 3 firsts demonstration sites will be commissioned in October.
Figure 2: The ORC module delivered to the first demonstration site at Grásteinn Farm in Iceland. On picture there are the site Owner and ICI team members.