The NZ Geothermal Workshop, held in Taupo this year, had a higher attendance and number of presentations than in the past, and presented a very positive vibe for the geothermal industry overall. A number of delegates from the AGGAT team also attended this conference from both HERA and University of Auckland. The AGGAT team members…
Research aim 1-2 materials knowledge base research and 1-3 geothermal scaling and corrosion The AGGAT Materials Research Group has successfully completed a Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) Study on the Materials Test Rig scheduled to go onsite in December 2015. The meeting had all its key stakeholders present which was a very fruitful outcome, considering the complexity…
This month, we update you on our research themes of Heat Transfer and Materials/Fluids undertaken in the AGGAT programme. One of the Research Aims under Materials and Fluids is RA1-3 – Geothermal Fluid Scaling and Corrosion, led by AGGAT team member Dr. Sadiq Zarrouk (University of Auckland). The other theme of Heat Transfer has two Research…
HERA members can you help? An essential objective of the AGGAT program under this research aim is the installation of a materials test rig on a geothermal site to investigate field-based geothermal scaling and corrosion. The data gathered in turn will accumulate into an industry owned information database to base future decisions on in terms…
Representatives from the Geothermal New Zealand group met earlier this month in Auckland to follow up on outcomes from the World Geothermal Congress (WGC) held in Melbourne recently. Mike Allen (Executive Director Geothermal NZ) chaired the meeting of about 25 attendees to lead through a busy agenda of items which included international geothermal updates and…
Research Aim 1-1 – Expert Design Tool A major objective of the Above Ground Geothermal and Allied Technologies (AGGAT) Research Programme is to make the assessment of heat resources potential for energy generation (geothermal / waste heat) easier for heavy engineering member companies involved in the clean energy space. This objective is being addressed through…
Above Ground Geothermal & Allied Technologies (AGGAT) is a HERA-led co-operative research programme to support the development of Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) power plants utilizing low enthalpy geothermal resources or waste heat. The geothermal turbine, which converts the working fluid’s enthalpy into kinetic energy and then outputs the power, plays a crucial role in the…
As a substantial player in the agricultural space, New Zealand lurches from issues with droughts to floods to kiwifruit vine disease, the ever present danger of importing fruit flies to the proclivities of the global price for milk solids that has seen the Fonterra forecast payout per kilogramme of milk solids drop to a jarring…
“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” Those words were said by President John F Kennedy at his inauguration in 1961, and were designed to galvanize a nation to action through personal responsibility. After four years of effort and support by a lot of different people…
The World Geothermal Congress (WGC) was held in Melbourne at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 19th – 24th April 2015. The event was co-hosted by New Zealand, where a number of short courses and field trips to geothermal plants also took place post-conference. Over 1,600 delegates from over 80 countries attended the conference…
An AGGAT program associate has developed some interesting intellectual property in relation to a process to mitigate silica fouling in geothermal plants. They have run the technology at lab scale and now want to proceed to field trials and ultimately a pilot plant. They feel they could benefit by partnering with a fabricator with a…
Speakers are confirmed Ennio Macchi, Professor at Italy’s top engineering institution Politecnico di Milano Zhiqiang Guan, Senior research fellow with Queensland Geothermal Energy Centre of Excellence (QGECE) Nick Inskip, HERA General Manager Industry Development Boaz Habib, HERA Senior Research Engineer Mohammed Farid, Professor at University of Auckland Lei Chen, HERA Research Engineer Sadiq Zarrouk, Senior Lecturer at University of Auckland Holger…