The first unit was commissioned in 1958 and the last in 2005. Smith mc 1983 a history of hot dry rock geothermal energy. At that time, it was only the second largescale plant existing worldwide the first being the valle del diavolo devils valley plant in larderello, italy opened in 1911. The history of electricity generation also started in the larderello area, when a. Special issue on the wairakei geothermal field, new zealand.
The station is an important national generator of electricity. In the 1950s the wairakei geothermal power plant in the north island was the first in the world to generate electricity using a liquiddominated geothermal resource. Feb 09, 2016 if you think jumping is easy, this video shows you might need to rethink that. As such many decisions were taken on an adhoc or experimental basis. The wairakei golf course and sanctuary sprawls over 450 acres within the wairakei geothermal park just 10 kilometers north of new zealands largest lake, lake taupo. Geothermal investigations at wairakei began in 1950 and culminated with the commissioning of the first stage of the power station in 1958 and the second stage in 1964 bringing the installed capacity to 192 mwe. This increased the total capacity of the power station to 157 mw. Wa62474f alexander turnbull library, wellington, new zealand. Geothermal power in new zealand is a small but significant part of the energy generation capacity of the country, providing approximately 17% of the countrys electricity with installed capacity of over 900mw.
The paper discusses some of the plant design constraints, the early reputation of the plant and learning experiences from over 50 years of operation. The 166mw te mihi geothermal power plant has been constructed by contact energy on the wairakei geothermal steamfield in taupo, new zealand. The early history of wairakei with brief notes on some unforeseen outcomes. The wairakei geothermal field was the first liquid dominated reservoir in the world to be developed. Best ppt on geothermal powerplant linkedin slideshare. Geothermal how it works tauhara geothermal charitable trust.
The wairakei geothermal power station, north of taupo, was built in 1958 and was the first wet steam geothermal power station in the world. Most are located in the countrys tohoku and kyushu districts. This infrastructure is of type geothermal power plant with a design capacity of 171 mwe. Perhaps it is not surprising that we are at the forefront of geothermal electricity generation. Wairakei geothermal power station, taupo district 22 august 1963, ref. Location map of wairakeitauhara geothermal system showing. Built by the icelandic government, krafla came under the ownership of landsvirkjun in 1985.
A brief history of the wairakei geothermal power project ian a. See all 1 wairakei geothermal power station visitor center tours on tripadvisor. New zealand, like only a small number of other countries worldwide, has numerous geothermal sites that could be developed for exploitation, and also boasts some of the earliest large. Understanding of the structural framework of the taupo volcanic zone tvz, taupo rift, and the wairakeitauhara geothermal field has evolved over time. Contact energy ltd operates two geothermal power stations on the wairakei field producing 230 mw of electricity and is building a third, the te mihi plant, which will result in a 114 mw. In retrospect the choice of wairakei was fortunate. Plant changes including the decommissioning of the highpressure turbine generators, the installation of a 3. Steam pipelines towards wairakei geothermal power station. About 45mw of the existing 52yearold wairakei geothermal power plant is planned for decommissioning with. Sep 19, 2018 in 1958, new zealands wairakei power station became operational, making it the worlds second major industrial producer of geothermal electricity. The geology of the volcanic belt of the north island of new zealand is outlined and a description is given of the structure at wairakei where holes drilled to depths from 300 to 4000 ft 100 to 1240 m.
A binary cycle power plant was constructed in 2005 to use lowertemperature steam that had already gone through the main plant. Geothermics special issue on the wairakei geothermal. The sarulla operation limited sol, a consortium of medcoitochukyushuormat, has been granted the rights to utilize the sarulla geothermal resource for power generation under the framework of a joint operating. The wairakei geothermal area is located 8 km north of lake taupo in the center of the north island of new zealand figure 9. Reservoir engineering of wairakei geothermal field. Subsidence history match at wairakei, comparing calculated and observed levels and rates, using a modified boltzmann function. A brief history of the sarulla geothermal field development. In the latter case the subject of this book it is worthwhile to repeat the. Wairakei was the first liquid dominated geothermal field exploited for major power production. Rome2rio is a doortodoor travel information and booking engine, helping you get to and from any location in the world.
A geothermal work booklet for your class from sharyn varcoe of riccarton high school word 170k pdf 244k heres what sharyn has to say about her workbook i have attached an electronic copy of the work booklet i have put together for use with my class. In 19, the worlds first 250 kw commercial geothermal power plant began operation at larderello 4. Geothermal power station and its effect rives o havnr thee bee waikatn o published since the station became operative i thin ths wore latke ha 1950ss. Fifty years of geothermal power generation at wairakei. Generation at the wairakei power station commenced in november 1958. The wairakei power station is due to be phased out. Auckland to wairakei power station 5 ways to travel via. The wairakei geothermal power station has had a remarkable generation history since machine commissioning through the period 1958 to 1963. A unique and memorable walk for young and old through a geothermal wonderland. Prince piero ginori conti tested the first geothermal power generator on 4 july 1904 in larderello, italy. The nz government, through the department of scientific and industrial research and ministry of works commenced exploratory drilling in the late 1940s. View the panorama of wairakei geothermal power station.
Electric power generation from geothermal steam at. The sarulla geothermal field is located in the tapanuli utara district, north sumatra province, indonesia see figure 1. Pilot plant experiments at wairakei power station request pdf. Stay close to wairakei geothermal power station at any one of the 19 surrounding hotels and apartments. Wairakei geothermal power plant jump on john youtube. This power station would be the first in the world to make use of flash steam technology. At that time it was only the second geothermal plant in the world to. A study of some effects of the wairakei geothermal power. The wairakei power station is a geothermal power station near the wairakei geothermal field in new zealand. A97 is located nearby, and its early levelling history was used, with appropriate scaling, to extrapolate backwards in. Travale is a part of the world famous larderello geothermal region in italy. Te huka binary commissioned in 2010, te huka geothermal power station delivers around.
Wairakei geothermal power station is the perfect excuse for a holiday. While 30 leading companies are profiled in this book, there are over. The power station was built in 1958, the first of its type wet steam in the world, and it is currently owned and operated by contact energy. The wairakei geothermal system is part of the greater wairakei tauhara geothermal system figure 1, with the tauhara geothermal field also under development and supplying steam into the te huka power station 23 mwe. Visited in april 2012, so if my memory serves me right, this is one of the older geothermal stations still in operation today hope im not wrong. The wairakei geothermal system is part of the greater wairakeitauhara geothermal system figure 1, with the tauhara geothermal field also under development and supplying steam into the te huka power station 23 mwe.
Its located in taupo, which sits 65 kilometres from rotorua. The first geothermal power generation was demonstrated by prince piero ginori conti on july 4th, 1904 at larderello, italy. Geothermics special issue on the wairakei geothermal field. It takes three attempts to get a good solid landing.
Hot springs and other natural features are still present. Wairakei, new zealand, geothermal power station, modifications, reliability abstract the wairakei geothermal power station has had a remarkable generation history since machine. Apr 22, 2016 wairakei geothermal power station visitor center. The kawerau geothermal field has been the site of the largest industrial use of geothermal energy. Hudson aims 29 objectives 29 technical features of. This increased the total capacity of the power station to 181mw. Osullivan department of engineering science, university of auckland, private bag 92019, auckland, new zealand abstract a 3d numerical model of the wairakeitauhara field is used to investigate the effect of reinjection on liquiddominated twophase geothermal systems. The wairakei power station is the worlds second geothermal power station, and the first to utilise flash steam from geothermal water as an energy source. Geothermal energy use in new zealand is strongly tied to wairakei, where the first geothermal plant was opened in 1958. Krafla power station the national power company of iceland.
Find all the transport options for your trip from auckland to wairakei power station right here. Bridget williams books ltd and electricity corporation of new zealand. It is part of the taupo volcanic zone and features several natural geysers, hot pools. In the 20th century, demand for electricity led to the consideration of geothermal power as a generating source.
Wairakei geothermal power development engineering new zealand. Go inside the power station to see the different sets of turbines, condensers and generators that make wairakei so efficient. Wairakei geothermal power station visitor center taupo. He succeeded in lighting four bulbs by geothermal power. At krafla power station, high and lowpressure steam from 18 boreholes drives two 30 mw turbines. If youre on your way down to taupo and have some time to spare, you can take some time 1015mins or so to stop by the lookout of the wairakei geothermal power station. Wairakei geothermal field is part of the wairakei tauhara system. Geothermal how it works tauhara geothermal charitable. The wairakei power station is owned and operated by contact energy limited, who produce 25% of nzs electricity. Equipment is being installed to increase this figure first to 69 mw and later 150 mw. Wairakei geothermal power plant new zealand is located at north of taupo, waikato, new zealand. The station was operated until 1987 by the new zealand government when ownership was passed to a stateowned enterprise soe, the electricity corporation of new zealand ltd. Cleland mcveigh, in mechanical engineers reference book twelfth.
The poihipi road power station was commissioned in 1997 and was bought by contact in 2000. Larderello 3 station was the first power station created specifically to. Geothermics special issue on the wairakei geothermal field, new. Wairakei a small settlement and geothermal area in the centre of the north island, near taupo, new zealand, and the location of wairakei power station. Initial geophysical surveys of the tvz determined it to be a ne. Combine 360 spins and passing nature by incredibly close at. Note p128 is located near the centre of the bowl and was first installed in 1966. If you book with tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. Total net output from all geothermal power plants is 535. The second pat1 of this study uses flow data from three geothermal features at the alum lakes, wairakei, and wairakei reservoir data, to calibrate a twodimensional model of the wairakei geothermal system. Box 11 595, wellington, new zealand gns science, wairakei research centre, 114 karetoto road, taupo 3384, new zealand a r. Later, in 1911, the worlds first commercial geothermal power station was built there. Wairakei geothermal power station in new zealand stock.
If so please email it to us and we will add it to this section, with or without credit to you your choice teachers, if you are stuck for ideas, then this is the page to. Wairakei geothermal power development engineering new. Pilot plant experiments at wairakei power station showed that at an average steam velocity scrubbing performance decreases as pipeline diameter increases brown and bacon, 2009. Rome2rio makes travelling from auckland to wairakei power station easy. Wairakei geothermal field is part of the wairakeitauhara system. Reinjection at wairakei tauhara geothermal field e. The overall conversion efficiency is affected by many parameters including the power plant design single or double flash, triple flash, dry steam. Teachers, did you make your own unit or activity or lesson plan for this field trip. We recommend booking wairakei geothermal power station visitor center tours ahead of time to secure your spot. It is situated on the wairakei geothermal system and is now operated as an integrated part of wairakei steamfield. Wairakei geothermal field has been damaged by power development and no geysers remain. Geothermal development history of the taupo volcanic zone. Pdf the broader geothermal resources associated with the wairakei. Principles, applications and case studies is the latest book from ron dipippo, professor emeritus.
In 1958 when wairakei power station was commissioned, new zealand became only the second country in the world to use geothermal energy for electricity. Wairakei is a small settlement, and geothermal area a few kilometres north of taupo, in the centre of the north island of new zealand, on the waikato river. Pdf geothermal energy geothermal energy, nature geothermal. Box 11 595, wellington, new zealand gns science, wairakei research centre, 114 karetoto road, taupo 3384, new zealand a r t i c l e i n f o. Thain, president new zealand geothermal association introduction november 15, 1998 marks the 40 th anniversary of the commissioning of the first generator at wairakei geothermal power station, in new zealand. Geothermal development history of the taupo volcanic zone brian r. A brief history of the wairakei geothermal power project. Wairakei power station international geothermal association. Since then, it has provided the countrys most reliable source of electricity. Wairakei geothermal power station visitor center tripadvisor.
Electric power generation from geothermal steam at wairakei. The largest group of geothermal power plants in the world is located at the geysers, a geothermal field in california, united states. You can learn more about the different types of geothermal power stations here. New zealand geothermal association wairakei geothermal. Construction began with trial boreholes in 1974, the first turbine unit started up in august 1977, and regular operations began in february 1978. Photo about wairakei geothermal electric power generating station in the taupo volcanic zone in new zealand.