How does hot water and steam generate electricity from geothermal energy?

Question

How does hot water and steam generate electricity from geothermal energy?

Answer 1

they use it to turn a turbine. much the same way all other forms of energy are used

Answer 2

First I quote choice because what he said is very good. For people that have read his answer skip to the bottom



Geothermal power plant- Hot water and steam from deep underground can be piped up through underground wells and used to generate electricity in a power plant. Three different types of geothermal power plants exist:



1. Dry steam plants - Hot steam is piped directly from geothermal reservoirs into generators in the power plant. The steam spins turbines, which generate electricity.

2. Flash steam plants - Water that's between 300 and 700 degrees Fahrenheit (148 and 371 degrees Celsius) is brought up through a well. Some of the water turns to steam, which drives the turbines. When the steam cools it condenses back into water and is returned to the ground.

3. Binary cycle plants - Moderately hot geothermal water is passed through a heat exchanger, where its heat is transferred to a liquid (such as isobutene) that boils at a lower temperature than water. When that fluid is heated it turns to steam, which spins the turbines.



You can simply use the heat contained in the steam and hot water to drive a Stirling cycle engine which almost completely solves all the problems with minerals dissolved in the water.

Answer 3

Geothermal power plant- Hot water and steam from deep underground can be piped up through underground wells and used to generate electricity in a power plant. Three different types of geothermal power plants exist:



1. Dry steam plants - Hot steam is piped directly from geothermal reservoirs into generators in the power plant. The steam spins turbines, which generate electricity.

2. Flash steam plants - Water that's between 300 and 700 degrees Fahrenheit (148 and 371 degrees Celsius) is brought up through a well. Some of the water turns to steam, which drives the turbines. When the steam cools it condenses back into water and is returned to the ground.

3. Binary cycle plants - Moderately hot geothermal water is passed through a heat exchanger, where its heat is transferred to a liquid (such as isobutene) that boils at a lower temperature than water. When that fluid is heated it turns to steam, which spins the turbines.

Answer 4

Thermal Power Plants



Thermal power plants are a common design for generating electricity. The basic idea is to use a heat source to boil water into steam, and then use the steam to turn the blades of a turbine, which then is used to power a generator and produce electricity. In this way, a thermal power plant converts heat energy into mechanical energy, and mechanical energy into electricity. Most designs use fossil fuels as a source of heat, and nuclear power plants use nuclear fission. A geothermal plant uses heat and steam tapped directly from the interior of the Earth. Most power plants are located on tectonic plate edges, where the necessary heat sources are easier to access.

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