Design of Geothermal Groundwater Heating and Cooling Plant: A Trial Study in Eleme Fertilizer Company in Niger Delta Region

Abstract

A geothermal groundwater heating and cooling plant consisting of a heat pump and heat exchanger has been designed. Geothermal heating and cooling systems play a crucial role in the decarbonization of the environment, helping to prevent global warming and promote energy savings due to the reduced energy required to power the plant, which in turn generates more geothermal energy for the heating and cooling needs of the fertilizer company. This study considered Eleme Fertilizer as a case study for the scaled-up and installation of the prototype designed of the geothermal groundwater heating and cooling plant. Both manual and software simulation designs were conducted based on material and energy balance principles. Error analysis and deviations were used to validate the design results. The results of the plant's unit design showed that the power drive, overall efficiency, and coefficient of performance for heating and cooling were 354.1 kW, 402%, and 2.82 & 1.05, respectively. For the heat exchanger, design type 10-E-01, the values for heat duty, overall heat transfer coefficient, exchanger area, and tube pressure drop were 309.5 kW, 0.2104 kW/m²°C, 60.32 m², and 390 MPa, respectively. Error analysis conducted on the design work showed negligible values of RMSE (0.02, 0.025, 20 and 0.656) and deviation (0.014, 0.05, 0.05, 0.002) for coefficient of performance of heating and cooling, heat pump efficiency and the drive power of the plant respectively. The values obtained from the design of the units in the geothermal plant were reasonable and are thus recommended for academic and industrial applications