Techno-economical Study for Geothermal Direct Usage for a Dairy Factory

Abstract

This research seeks to determine a dairy plant's technical and economic feasibility powered by geothermal energy compared to a traditional dairy plant. A comparison identifies the cost difference between dairy plants powered by geothermal energy and traditional dairy plants. A focus on the pasteuriser shows the benefits or disadvantages of using geothermal energy for milk pasteurisation. The simulation software Symmetry was used to generate the data. Different enthalpy levels present different plants throughput for comparison. An economic analysis determined the optimal heat exchanger. Geothermal energy presents some benefits; nonetheless, a plant-powered by fossil fuels presents more economic benefit than one powered by geothermal energy. Furthermore, it was found that large dairy farms with high enthalpy values from geothermal resources and higher temperature approach require less resource.