WAIRAKEI GEOTHERMAL POWER

TAUPO / NEW ZEALAND

WAIRAKEI

“Wairakei Power Station uses steam extracted from the geothermal fluid produced in this steam field to generate electricity. Initial investigations and exploratory wells in this steam field were undertaken in the 1950’s. There have been more than 200 wells drilled in this steam field and there are approximately 60 wells currently in production.”

WAIRAKEI

“Wells up to 2000 metres deep tap into zones of hot fluid, at temperatures of 230 – 260 degrees C. When the fluid reaches the surface it is separated at the wellhead into dry steam and hot water in a cyclone separator.”

WAIRAKEI

“The hot water is either collected and piped to secondary ‘flash’ separators at a Flash Plant, where additional dry steam is produced at lower pressure, or reduced to atmospheric pressure in well head silencers. The residual hot water is either piped to the Binary Power Plant at the power station, to reinjection wells on the steam field perimeter or discharged to open drains.”

WAIRAKEI

“Around 1400 tonnes per hour of steam is produced in the field and transmitted to the power station through insulated pipelines varying in diameter from 300 to 1200 mm. Steam travels at about 200kph in the pipelines.”

WAIRAKEI

“Many of these Steam wells have been in production since the power station was commissioned in 1958 generating renewable steam and sustainable energy.”

WAIRAKEI

WAIRAKEI