Geothermal Engineering

Arnold Watson was most recently Director of the Geothermal Institute at the University of Auckland, from which he retired and entered private consultancy in 2003. His previous appointments include Geothermal Division Manager at KRTA (KML) Ltd., Auckland; Lecturer in Engineering, Simon Engineering Laboratories, University of Manchester; and Scientific Officer, UK Atomic Energy Authority. He holds a PhD from the University of London.

Introduction.- Sources of Geothermal Heat.- Thermodynamics Background and the Properties of Water.- The Equations Governing Heat and Single-Phase Fluid Flow and their Simplification for Particular Applications.- Geothermal Drilling and Well Design.- Well Measurements from Completion Tests to the First Discharge.- Phase Change Phenomena and Two-Phase Flow.- The Discharging Well.- The Transient Response of Formations to Flow in a Well – Transient Pressure Well Testing.- The Economics of a Geothermal Electricity Generation Project.- The Power Station.- The Steamfield.- The Resource Development Plan.- Struggles Between Commercial Uses and Conservation – Examples from New Zealand.- Appendix 1: Saturation Properties of Water from the Triple Point to the Critical Point.- Appendix 2: Compressibility of Water from 0-100°C and 0-1000 Bar.- Appendix 3: The Boiling-Point-for-Depth Curve.