Classification of geothermal resources by exergy

Abstract

Geothermal resources have been classified as low, medium and high enthalpy resources according to their reservoir fluid temperatures. There is no general agreement on the arbitrary temperature ranges used. Classification of a geothermal resource by its reservoir fluid temperature can be ambiguous because two independent properties are required to define the thermodynamic state of a fluid. Geothermal resources should be classified to reflect their ability to do thermodynamic work. In this paper, it is proposed that geothermal resources be classified as low, medium and high quality resources with reference to their specific exergy indices (SExI), SExI<0.05, 0.05⩽SExI<0.5 and SExI⩾0.5, respectively. The demarcation limits for these indices are exergies of saturated water and dry saturated steam at 1 bar absolute. These demarcation lines can be plotted on a Mollier diagram to form a classification map of geothermal resources.