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El_Minadero t1_irx1lz3 wrote

Reply to comment by grambell789 in Geothermal May Beat Batteries for Energy Storage: Enhanced geothermal systems are well suited to store excess renewable power as heat. by filosoful

Sure. but the way newer geothermal binary cycle plants work is the hot geothermal water goes through a heat exchanger at the surface but is never allowed to change into a gas. The intermediate working fluid is typically something like butane. round trip cycle efficiency is limited by the carnot cycle but its not like closed cycle geothermal plants are just leaking water left and right into the ground.

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grambell789 t1_irx2pfv wrote

i wouldn't let the well water from a geothermal system anywhere close to something like a turbine that has precise moving parts. I will look into butane as intermediate.

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El_Minadero t1_irx40cb wrote

Lots of geothermal plants use a binary cycle. Look up Ormat or the FORGE project.

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