Becciani M., De Maria C., Manfrida G., Tempesti D., 2014, Thermo-Economic Comparison of Different Layouts of a Steam Power Plant Integrated with Geothermal Resource, Chemical Engineering Transactions, 39, 385-390.
A thermo-economic analysis was performed of three different steam power plants, using a main fuel (coal or biomass) integrated with a geothermal resource. The purpose is to limit the use of fossil resources by means of geothermal integration, and to calculate and compare the unit cost of electricity produced by the power plant. Three cases are investigated: a reference 320 MW steam power plant, the same 320 MW unit modified for integration with geothermal resources, and a 160 MW steam power plant integrated with geothermal sources. The study shows that the conventional 320 MW power plant is the most convenient option in the case of a low price of fuel (coal), while, when replacing the fuel with a biomass, the geothermal integration represent a favourable economic solution.
