Industrial use of geothermal energy at the Tasman Pulp and Paper Co. , Ltd's mill, Kawerau, New Zealand

Journal Article · · Geothermics (International Journal of Geothermal Research and its Applications); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0375-6505(92)90022-2· OSTI ID:6416869

Carter, A C; Hotson, G W ^[1]

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1. Tasman Pulp and Paper Company, Kawerau (New Zealand)

Tasman Pulp and Paper Co. Ltd's mill at Kawerau has an annual production capacity of 380,000 tonnes of Newsprint and 200,000 tonnes of Kraft pulp. The mill electrical requirement amounts to 128MW. Geothermal steam has a significant impact on the mill energy balance and contributes around 35% of the mills steam requirements. There are five geothermal to clean steam heat exchangers with a total capacity of 140t/hr of 345kPa saturated process steam and two boiler feedwater heaters which supply two chemical recovery boilers and three power boilers. Additional geothermal steam is used to heat combustion air and operate shatter sprays at the recovery boilers. A 10MVA geothermal turbo-alternator exhausts steam to a black liquor pre-evaporator and a heat exchanger to heat clean process water. All the available geothermal condensate is collected and treated in a condensate recovery plant to meet quality specifications for boiler feedwater. This meets all of the feedwater requirements of the geothermal heat exchangers plus the make up for the recovery and power boilers. Geothermal water separated in the borefield is used by Bay of Plenty Electricity in two Ormat binary cycle turbines which generate 2.0MW nett. The discharge from the binary cycle plant is also processed in an experimental pilot scale Precipitated Silica plant to recover silica which is used as a newsprint additive. The remainder is discharged through a serpentine canal to the Tarawera river.

• OSTI ID: 6416869
• Journal Information: Geothermics (International Journal of Geothermal Research and its Applications); (United States), Journal Name: Geothermics (International Journal of Geothermal Research and its Applications); (United States) Vol. 21:5/6; ISSN GTMCAT; ISSN 0375-6505
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
150500* -- Geothermal Energy-- Economics
Industrial
& Business Aspects
151000 -- Geothermal Energy-- Direct Energy Utilization
AUSTRALASIA
BY-PRODUCTS
CHALCOGENIDES
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DIRECT CONTACT HEAT EXCHANGERS
ELECTRIC GENERATORS
ENERGY
ENERGY SOURCES
ENERGY SYSTEMS
FEEDWATER
FEEDWATER HEATERS
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
GEOTHERMAL HEATING
GEOTHERMAL HEATING SYSTEMS
GEOTHERMAL PROCESS HEAT
HEAT
HEAT EXCHANGERS
HEATERS
HEATING
HEATING SYSTEMS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
INDUSTRY
NEW ZEALAND
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PAPER INDUSTRY
PROCESS HEAT
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SILICON OXIDES
WATER
WOOD PRODUCTS INDUSTRY