Valve Manufacturers Help Maintain Geothermal Power Plants

Early geothermal plants were dry steam. They used the steam from the reservoirs as it came out of the wells and it was directly routed to the turbine or generators to make electricity.

The most common type of plant is known as a flash steam plant. It uses water that ranges between temperatures of 360F and 400F. The water is pumped using high pressure to generator equipment that reduces the water to steam and then pushes it through a turbine.

These steam plants are required to use valves, which are standard for any turbine-generated system used in geothermal power plants. The valves that are used in power steam application are all basically alike, although a different type is used in environments with high pressure that are highly corrosive. Common types of valves include butterfly valves, gate valves and globe valves.

The butterfly-type valve is used to regulate the inlet pressure as well as maintain the outlet vapor pressure of the evaporator. The poppet-type valve is a main stop valve that assures correct steam flow shut off if a turbine is stopped. An internal bypass valve is sometimes used for control in a low-steam flow.

According to Valve Magazine, the Department of Energy (DOE) is hoping that the near future will bring valves that offer more resistance to corrosion and pressure. They hope for it to be reliable and automated in order to fully seal a corrosive environment. This will help to prevent heat and fluid loss.

Many automated system currently use hydraulic or electric actuators. They have control panels that can be remote-controlled. Up-and-coming iPad and iPhone applications will make remote control and 24/7 monitoring become the norm.

GWC Valve has completed many Geothermal projects. As valve manufacturers, GWC's Global Operations are licensed and certified to API-6D, API-6A, API-600, PED and ISO 9000. We provide best-in-class service in Sales, Supply, and Customer satisfaction.

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