"Que Grand Tu As et souple le gousier!"

François Rabelais. Gargantua (La vie très horrifique du grand Gargantua, père de Pantagruel, fils de Grandgousier)

Geothermal power engineering. In the geothermal stations the heat of geothermal waters is used, which is converted into electric energy with the ground equipment (steam-turbines with electro-generators). 

Our planet includes the earth's crust that has a thickness of 20,65 km on continents and 5,6 km in ocean cavities, the mantle by a thickness of 2900 km and kernel by a radius of 3470 km. Physical and chemical properties of the earth's crust, mantles and kernels,  are changing depending on distance from a terrene to its center.

The heat in the kernel of Earth is continuously generated by disintegration of radio-active isotopes of uranium, thorium and potassium, which are in Earth. The heat that is generated in the middle of Earth and the heat that is radiated by Earth in space are not found in the state of equilibrium. In accordance with theoretical concepts our planet cools down. But the process of cooling flows very slowly.  The temperature of mantle for three milliards of years is decreased only on 300…350 °C, the temperature of kernel of Earth remains permanent at the level of 4000 °C

The geothermal gradient of temperature changes with a depth with a velocity of 2,5…3 °C/100. If a temperature on the surface of soil is equal 15 °C on a depth of 3000 m a temperature arrives to 90…105 °C.

Earth is an original boiler, in which geothermal streams achieve high temperatures and pressure sufficient for the commercial use. Of course, these streams pass on a depth more than 3000 meters and can be attained by the boring of mining holes. The ground equipment converts a geothermal heat into electric energy or heat that can be used for example for heating of houses.

The set thermal power of the thermal geothermal stations makes of 15145 MW, and the amount of useful heat makes 190,7х10¹² J.

Cost of the set power makes 2500…3000 US$/kW. Although the great part of the entered powers today is considerably cheaper (1200…2000 US$/kW). The price of electric power makes of 0,20…0,25 US$/kWхh.

The intensive use of geothermal energy for heating and cooling began from the moment of appearance of thermal pumps. Thermal pumps is machines, which remove a heat in direction opposite to a direction of his natural motion, in other words, from cold space or body to warm one. Thermal pumps are reversible devices and can work both in the modes of heating and cooling. 

Different systems of thermal pumps allow taking away and economically using thermal energy of low temperature bodies, such as earth, water of ponds. Modern pumps use a space temperature within the limits of 5…30 °C.

Biopower engineering. Biopower technologies allow getting thermal and electric energy from biomass. Chemical composition of biomass is a chemical composition of plants. Dioxide of carbon from an atmosphere and water from a soil take part in the process of photosynthesis with formation of hydrocarbons or saccharides - the main constructive elements of biomass. At incineration of biomass oxygen from an atmosphere and carbon that is in the plants enter into the chemical reaction «producing» dioxide of carbon and water.

All forms of materials of vegetable origin refer to biomass: wood, grass, corn and wastes of forestry. Calorific possibility of dry biomass makes near 15 MJ/kg. For anthracite coals this index is equal of 30 MJ/kg. But biomass ash is considerably below than anthracite coal ash, in biomass ash heavy metals are absent, therefore she is brought in soil as a fertilizer. 

Total mass of the organized matter - 2000 milliards of tons and total amount of the energy accumulated in biomass is equal to 24 000 EJ (1EJ = 10¹⁸ J). Annual increase of biomass - 400 000 millions of tons and the speed of accumulation of energy in biomass is about 3000 EJ/year. To compare: common consumption  of all types of energy - 400 EJ/year and a consumption of energy of biomass - 55 EJ/year.

Today biomass provides 14% of world consumption of energy, especially for developing countries, where its fate makes near 38%. Consumption of energy from biomass grows also in the developed countries. Specialists calculated: the land resources of agriculture and his infrastructure allow substituting all working atomic stations by the biopower stations without the price change on foods. Biomass is considered a very important renewable energy source today and in the future.

Limitations of bulk electrical power engineering. Considerable achievements of classic bulk power engineering provided stormy development of industry of world during almost three ages. They lighted up advantages of bulk power engineering, but also witnessed its considerable failings and limitations.

At first, macroscopic electrical power systems are the systems of indirect action. They need double and even triple intermediate transformations of energy. In thermal electrical power setting a chemical energy of combustion of fossil fuel is transformed in energy of steam or products of combustion, which in the turn, grows into kinetic energy of macroscopic elements – rotors of steam-turbines and generators. In atomic stations the energy of bond of nuclear particles grows into kinetic energy of elementary particles and thermal energy of electromagnetic radiation, then in thermal energy of water steam, which, in the turn, grows into kinetic energy of macroscopic bodies - steam-turbines and electro-generators. In thermal sun power-stations a thermal energy of sunlight is transformed in thermal energy of liquid and working steam, which moves turbines for production of electric power. In hydro- and wind power systems mechanical kinetic energy of streams of water or air grows into intermediate kinetic energy of rotors of hydro-generators or wind-turbines.

Secondly, in constructions of the bulk electrical power systems massive moving elements are used, that stipulates their high inertia and necessity in periodic maintenance at all time of exploitation.

Thirdly, the bulk electrical power systems mainly uses not renewable resources (atomic energy, thermal electrical power systems) and creates considerable ecological problems at the use of renewable energy sources (large hydroelectric stations, wind power-stations and thermal sun power stations).

Basic conclusion, which is got today as a result of exploitation of power resources, impossibility of subsequent extensive development of bulk electrical power systems. Subsequent development of bulk electrical power engineering is limited in the reason of reduction of not renewable fossil types of fuel, low efficiency of transformation of energy of fossil types of fuel and growing influencing of negative ecological factors on an environment.

Researcher and practical specialists of different countries conduct the intensive search of new effective renewable energy sources, which would become an alternative to Gargantua of electrical power engineering. The researches, executed in industry of receipt of energy, the successes in applied science and technologies changed our world and our view of the world.

The overcoming of failings of macroscopic power engineering is possible within the framework of quantum-electronic and molecular power technologies, which utilizes the methods of mainly direct receipt of energy by using power properties of molecules, atoms and ions of matter.

By Vasil Sidorov on October 26, 2009 in Queltanews.com

sidorovvasil@gmail.com