Geothermal handbook: PlanninG and Financing power Generation t e c h n I c a L r e p o r t 2 / 2

Possible 
Applications
0
50
100
150
200
250
Power
Food Drying / Canning
Water Distillation
Freezing
Greenhouses
Space Heating
Fish Farming
Space Cooling
Swimmingpool
Snow Melting
Steam
Water / Brine
(Flash)
(Binary)
Generation
F I g u r E 1 . 1 7
Modified Lindal Diagram Showing Applications for Geothermal Fluids 
Source | Authors.
Coproduction by Extraction from geothermal Fluids
Coproduction (the production of silica and other marketable products from geothermal brines) could 
become a viable source of additional revenue for power plant owners. It is also a key technique for 
improving power plant economics by reducing operation and maintenance costs. The removal of silica 
may allow additional geothermal energy extraction in bottoming cycles (usually binary power plants 
using the waste heat from the flash or conventional steam cycle) or additional uses of low-grade heat 
that are presently prohibited due to scaling problems. 
Precipitated silica has a relatively high market value (US$ 1 to 10 per kg) for such uses as waste and 
odor control, or as an additive in paper, paint, and rubber. Silica removal has the additional benefit of 

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G e o t h e r m a l H a n d b o o k : P l a n n i n g a n d F i n a n c i n g P o w e r G e n e r a t i o n