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ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF EXPLOITATION OF DEPOSITS OF THERMAL WATERS IN KAMCHATKA

[Article by V. N. Popov, Kamchatkan Commercial Administration, pp 134-137]

[Text] In regions of modern volcanism there is widespread occurrence of de-

posits of thermal and heated waters. The waters of these deposits are re-

lated primarily to a fracture-vein type of circulation; this has caused

some peculiarities of their exploitation.

At the present time one deposit of heated water and four deposits of ther-

mal water are being exploited on Kamchatka.

The Pauzhetskoye deposit, steam hydrothermae, is exploited for the purpose of

supplying steam to the geothermal electric power station with an installed

power of 5 MW. A steam-water mixture (SWM) with a mean heat content of 175

Cal/kg is produced by eight boreholes. The electric station uses only steam

and a considerable volume of hot water is discharged into a stream. Now plans

call for the expansion of the geothermal electric station to 9 MW; this will

make it possible to use not only steam, but also hot water, for producing

electric power. A total of 16 boreholes will be in operation, of which 13

already are present in the deposit and are connected to steam lines.

In carrying out an economic analysis of operation of the Pauzhetskoye deposit

we will examine two variants. The first variant is the existing volumes of

water intake for operation of an electric power station with an installed

power of 5 MWo The second variant provides for the operation of 16 boreholes,

which will ensure operation of the geothermal electric station with a power

of 9 MW.

In the deposits of thermal waters the boreholes are operated on the artes-

ian principle. All the differences in the operation of this type of depos-

its relate to the method of delivering the water from the borehole to the

user.

The principal shortcomings of the employed methods for the exploitation of

deposits of thermal waters are: a) the mean annual removal of water is con-

siderably less than the operational reserves due to the nonuniform heat re-

quirement; b ) the great expenditures on the tie-in of the boreholes in con-

nection with their scattering over a considerable area.

102

Table 1

MeCTopo*•elise aHT iBap*- | • | A. • 3. | P.· 1 It. 1 U.

•Kon/T •T.pyd.•T.pyd.|T.23,6.|:.p,6.|T.po,6.

_._._.. A--_--1.-51--ill.__1...1.-_1._.E nao·xerozoe I - 26.0 30,0 9,0 37,0 23,0

2 I,85 89,8 60,9 I8,0 74,0 46,0

F Cpe;ate-Hapa-

Tylickoe

0 3CCOBOKOO

I 28,3

2 I,94 65,8

I- 3,0

2 0,85 9,6

58,2

7I,5

27,0

32,9

IO,3 97,8

I2,4 II7,4

I,I I4,0

I,6 2I,0

II,8

I4,3

I,2

I,9

222,I

H nap

56

Rap

31;I - T c,321-032 T cpoK-Tuc. IcTolu.9. ! 61,Ab, •OKyllae-

!. 3!1·/roA 11·r IA: 1T.rr.,0.11·locrit,

K | Kon L i roAM 1 reA N

I2,7 63,0

4760 39 nap296,0 6,0

I nBc 4,5 BOBa'3

3532 5,8 I02.4 IO

4980 7,6 54,8 27

I000 4,6 4I,0 3,7

I900 4,4 8I,7 2,9

A) Deposit; B ) Variant; C) EGEW 0 kop/toni D) A, thousand rubles; E) Pauzhetskoye; F) Middle Para-

tunskoye; G) Essovskoye; H) ste4m; I) SWM; J) water; K) DCor, thousand tons/year; L) Cost 1 m3 kop;

M) Profit, thousands of rubles per year; N) Time of recovery of costs, years

-- -

P000

In the Paratunskoye deposit of thermal waters we carried out experimental

studies for the forced operation of boreholes; this revealed a fundamental

possibility of increasing water discharge by means of a decrease in the dy-

namic level below the ground surface without a temperature reduction.

An economic analysis of operation of deposits of thermal waters was carried

out in the Middle Paratunskiy sector and in the Essovskoye deposit. Here the

deficit of hot water in winter time is felt most acutely.

The first variant includes existing methods of operation and volumes of water

discharge; the second includes partial use of the forced operation method

during the winter period.

The use of the second variant makes it possible to increase the water yield

from the deposits, eliminate the deficit of thermal water and increase its

mean weighted temperature.

Computations of the cost of production of hot water or steam-water mixture

(SWM) were made using the formula:

C= EGEW/0 +A+W+R+G+ Oth/QCor, where

C is the cost of 1 ton of SWM or 1 m3 of water, rubles; EGEW are the expend-

itures on geological exploration work, rubles; 0 are the reserves of heated

or hot water in the water source, tons/25 years; A is the amortization costs,

rubles; W are wages, rubles; R is current repair, rubles; G are the "work-

shop" and general commercial expenditures, rubles; Oth are other expendi-

tures, rubles; Q is the quantity of extracted SWM or hot water, tons/year;

Cor is a correction factor taking into account the nonuniform seasonal require-

ments for the SWM or hot water.

The initial data and the results of the computations are given in Table 1.

A considerable economic effect is obtained from the second variant of

operations in the Pauzhetskoye and Essovskoye depositso In the Middle Para-

tunskiy sector the second variant was less profitable than the first if one

takes into account the expenditures on carrying out geological prospecting

work. At the present time these expenditures are not being recouped.

104