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Industrial uses of geothermal energy
Geothermics, Vol. 21, No. 5/6, pp. 587-588, 1992. Printed in Great Britain.
0375-6505/92 $5.00 + 0.00 Pergamon Press Ltd CNR.
PREFACE INDUSTRIAL
USES OF GEOTHERMAL
ENERGY
The use of geothermal energy is centuries old and spread all over the world. There is archaeological evidence of its use for cooking and without a doubt it found wide use for washing and bathing in prehistoric times. Well known are its balneological uses in the Roman and Ottoman empires, and similar uses in China and Japan of old are also documented. Over 1000 years ago, both the Maoris of New Zealand and the Vikings, who settled in Iceland, used hot water from geothermal springs for cooking, bathing and washing. After balneological and domestic uses, in time came its industrial use. As far back as the seventeenth century, Icelanders mined sulphur for export; famous is the borax industry of Larderello, Italy, which preceded and was probably instrumental in the birth of the first electricity generation facility in the world. International debate on the potential of geothermal energy as a viable, albeit alternative, energy resource, can be said to have started about 30 years ago with the UN Conference in Rome in 1961. Initially classified as a renewable energy, the main emphasis in the early part of this century was laid on electric power generation, with the exception of a few areas, notably in Iceland, where its potential for domestic heating and industrial use was given priority. Gradually it became clear that the renewability of geothermal energy was very limited, a fact that has helped to focus attention on a more comprehensive and efficient utilization of this resource, in particular through the cascade use of suitable geothermal applications. The Federation of Icelandic Industries set up a committee in 1988-1989 to discuss ways and means of promoting a new, uniquely Icelandic, industrial development. This Organizing Committee, under the chairmanship of Agtist Valfells, recognized that geothermal energy might have a great potential in this respect and decided to promote and sponsor an international conference on the industrial uses of geothermal energy, to be held in Iceland. As its co-sponsors the Federation enlisted the following: the Commission of the European Communities-DG XII, the International Geothermal Association (IGA), Idnadarr~iduneytid (Ministry of Industry), Landsvirkjun (National Power Company), Orkustofnun (National Energy Authority), Hitaveita Reykjavikur (Reykjavik District Heating), H~isk61i Islands (University of Iceland), Idnt~eknistofnun Islands (Technological Institute of Iceland) and Markadsskrifstofa Idnadarr~iduneytisins og Landsvirkjunar (Icelandic Energy Marketing Unit). The Conference was held from 2 to 4 September 1992 in Reykjavik and attended by about 200 specialists from 31 different countries. A total of 87 papers was accepted by the Technical Programme Committee, comprising Gudmundur P~ilmason and Baldur Lfndal. Sixty-eight of these papers were presented during three Plenary Sessions and 16 Technical Sessions, run 8 and 8 in parallel. The remaining 19 papers were presented at a Poster Session. One pre-conference and two post-conference field excursions were arranged, as well as several social events. The logistic organization and day-to-day running of the Conference were chiefly in the hands of the Conference Department of the Icelandic Travel Bureau. Pre-prints of the papers presented at the Conference were given to participants on registration. The Editors of Geothermics agreed to publish selected papers from the Conference in this Special Issue of the journal, setting an upper limit of 400-500 pages. A special Guest Editorial 587
588
Preface
Board, comprising the authors of this preface, was apppointed to select suitable papers and prepare them for publishing. Forty-one papers were pre-selected by the Board. The pre-selection was based on the criterion that, to be accepted, a paper should meet the basic objective of the Conference, that is, it should deal with topics that are relevant to industrial applications. Each of the pre-selected papers was submitted for technical/scientific review by two recognized specialists in the relevant field. The reviewers are listed in this Special Issue, and the Guest Editors wish to express their gratitude for the professional and expeditious manner in which they executed their task. Thirty-nine of the forty-one papers were accepted and are published (as camera-ready copy) in this issue of Geothermics. Our gratitude is extended to Pergamon Press for publishing the selected conference papers in this Special Issue. Our thanks also go to the authors for permitting their papers to be published and for all the hard work involved in preparing their manuscripts at such short notice. Benedikt Steingrimsson Einar T. Eliasson Baldur Lindal G u d m u n d u r P~lmason
Reykjav{k, December 1992
0375-6505/92 $5.00 + 0.00 Pergamon Press Ltd CNR.
PREFACE INDUSTRIAL
USES OF GEOTHERMAL
ENERGY
The use of geothermal energy is centuries old and spread all over the world. There is archaeological evidence of its use for cooking and without a doubt it found wide use for washing and bathing in prehistoric times. Well known are its balneological uses in the Roman and Ottoman empires, and similar uses in China and Japan of old are also documented. Over 1000 years ago, both the Maoris of New Zealand and the Vikings, who settled in Iceland, used hot water from geothermal springs for cooking, bathing and washing. After balneological and domestic uses, in time came its industrial use. As far back as the seventeenth century, Icelanders mined sulphur for export; famous is the borax industry of Larderello, Italy, which preceded and was probably instrumental in the birth of the first electricity generation facility in the world. International debate on the potential of geothermal energy as a viable, albeit alternative, energy resource, can be said to have started about 30 years ago with the UN Conference in Rome in 1961. Initially classified as a renewable energy, the main emphasis in the early part of this century was laid on electric power generation, with the exception of a few areas, notably in Iceland, where its potential for domestic heating and industrial use was given priority. Gradually it became clear that the renewability of geothermal energy was very limited, a fact that has helped to focus attention on a more comprehensive and efficient utilization of this resource, in particular through the cascade use of suitable geothermal applications. The Federation of Icelandic Industries set up a committee in 1988-1989 to discuss ways and means of promoting a new, uniquely Icelandic, industrial development. This Organizing Committee, under the chairmanship of Agtist Valfells, recognized that geothermal energy might have a great potential in this respect and decided to promote and sponsor an international conference on the industrial uses of geothermal energy, to be held in Iceland. As its co-sponsors the Federation enlisted the following: the Commission of the European Communities-DG XII, the International Geothermal Association (IGA), Idnadarr~iduneytid (Ministry of Industry), Landsvirkjun (National Power Company), Orkustofnun (National Energy Authority), Hitaveita Reykjavikur (Reykjavik District Heating), H~isk61i Islands (University of Iceland), Idnt~eknistofnun Islands (Technological Institute of Iceland) and Markadsskrifstofa Idnadarr~iduneytisins og Landsvirkjunar (Icelandic Energy Marketing Unit). The Conference was held from 2 to 4 September 1992 in Reykjavik and attended by about 200 specialists from 31 different countries. A total of 87 papers was accepted by the Technical Programme Committee, comprising Gudmundur P~ilmason and Baldur Lfndal. Sixty-eight of these papers were presented during three Plenary Sessions and 16 Technical Sessions, run 8 and 8 in parallel. The remaining 19 papers were presented at a Poster Session. One pre-conference and two post-conference field excursions were arranged, as well as several social events. The logistic organization and day-to-day running of the Conference were chiefly in the hands of the Conference Department of the Icelandic Travel Bureau. Pre-prints of the papers presented at the Conference were given to participants on registration. The Editors of Geothermics agreed to publish selected papers from the Conference in this Special Issue of the journal, setting an upper limit of 400-500 pages. A special Guest Editorial 587
588
Preface
Board, comprising the authors of this preface, was apppointed to select suitable papers and prepare them for publishing. Forty-one papers were pre-selected by the Board. The pre-selection was based on the criterion that, to be accepted, a paper should meet the basic objective of the Conference, that is, it should deal with topics that are relevant to industrial applications. Each of the pre-selected papers was submitted for technical/scientific review by two recognized specialists in the relevant field. The reviewers are listed in this Special Issue, and the Guest Editors wish to express their gratitude for the professional and expeditious manner in which they executed their task. Thirty-nine of the forty-one papers were accepted and are published (as camera-ready copy) in this issue of Geothermics. Our gratitude is extended to Pergamon Press for publishing the selected conference papers in this Special Issue. Our thanks also go to the authors for permitting their papers to be published and for all the hard work involved in preparing their manuscripts at such short notice. Benedikt Steingrimsson Einar T. Eliasson Baldur Lindal G u d m u n d u r P~lmason
Reykjav{k, December 1992