A flash steam power plant is one of the three main geothermal power technologies in use today, drawing deep, high pressure hot water of at least 180 degrees Celsius from an underground reservoir and releasing it into lower pressure tanks, where some of it instantly flashes into steam that then drives a turbine; the leftover water and any condensed steam can be reinjected into the reservoir. New Zealand Wairakei station, commissioned in 1958, was the world first flash steam plant and made the country the second major industrial producer of geothermal electricity after Italy. Flash steam plants now dominate global geothermal generation: as of 2022 they made up 36.7 percent of all geothermal power plants and 52.7 percent of the world installed geothermal capacity.
Facts
Technology TypeFlash steam geothermal power plant 1 Invented YearWairakei, New Zealand, commissioned 1958 as the first flash steam geothermal station; the Larderello station in Italy had used the earlier and different dry steam process since 1904. Connections
Uses Source
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Geothermal power station
WikipediaGeothermal power station, History section
In 1958, New Zealand became the second major industrial producer of geothermal electricity when its Wairakei station was commissioned. Wairakei was the first station to use flash steam technology.
Geothermal power station, lead and Flash steam section
Flash steam stations pull deep, high-pressure hot water into lower-pressure tanks and use the resulting flashed steam to drive turbines. They require fluid temperatures of at least 180 °C (360 °F), usually more.
View the Source Encyclopedia Britannica
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