Developments in geothermal energy in Mexico—part seven: Thermodynamic analysis of the operation of geoethermal electrical power generation facilities

Abstract

The operating histories and performance of a large (180 MW_e) central condensing plant and five small (5 MW_e) wellhead backpressure power plants are presented. The thermodynamic performance of the central plant is compared with an estimated possible performance based upon the work of Michaelides [2]. Both types of plant have been shown to be reliable despite some problems due to the contaminants which are associated with geothermal steam.