Geothermal Energy and Electricity Production
Welcome to this education resource about geothermal energy and electricity production. These pages have been produced by Heurisko Ltd for New Zealand students of Science and Physics at years 9-13.
The upper level of Station A at Wairakei geothermal
power station houses the 4 low pressure turbines,
numbered G7 to G10. The steam turbine of Generator
10 is being reassembled after maintenance.
The turbine shaft is visible in the middle
right and its cover is slung beneath the crane
in the upper distance. Twenty minutes later
it was in place. The lower part of the image
looks down on the condenser which is painted
green. The white line around the turbine shaft
is a sealant - Image: Heurisko Ltd, click
to enlarge.
Contents
- Introduction to Wairakei
- History of the Wairakei Borefield
- Geology
- Dry Steam, Wet Steam, Water and Ice
- The Dissolved Compounds
- Borefield Equipment
- Water Discharge and Re-injection
- Steam Turbines
- Electrical Generators
- Wairakei Turbines and Generators
- The National Grid
- Transformers
- Switching High Voltages
- Three-Phase Electricity
- Glossary
To take a field trip to a New Zealand power station please visit the LEARNZ website at www.learnz.org.nz.
Note: All images in this section click to enlarge.