Geothermal Supply System for a Winery on a Volcanic Island (Lanzarote, Canary Islands)

Abstract

Geothermal energy comes in many different forms depending on the specific conditions of the resource. For example, in volcanic areas (such as the Canary Islands) or with subduction of tectonic plates, deposits of water/steam of very high energy and temperatures (150°–350 °C) are sometimes produced, known as high enthalpy resources. Due to their high quality, these can be used for electricity production in binary cycles. The design of a geothermal heat pump system to replace conventional cæold and heat production systems in a winery on the island of Lanzarote (Canary Islands, Spain) is presented. First, a calculation system based on the Matlab program was designed to review the influences of the winemaker’s decisions on the cold and heat consumption of the winery. After calculating hot and cold water consumption and heat pump requirements, a field of geothermal probes was designed using available software. Subsequently, the dimensions of the liquid impulsion equipment were estimated, and an electrical installation was created for the whole system. The data considered are related to winery logistics, must properties, environment, tank dimensions, and energy needs (cooling and heating). Finally, it was decided to use a reversible heat pump with exhaust heat recovery. This system allows heat extracted by the cooling system to be partly used to produce hot water instead of all of it being discharged to the ground. The cooling system will be operated for 18 h daily as a design criterion. The pump selected for the final project installed has an exhaust heat recovery system that allows domestic hot water to be produced in cooling mode. Hot water generation, when the heat pump is cooling, is 15 kW, and the temperature provided is 60 °C, which is adequate to meet the hot water needs of the winery. In addition, the heat pump’s heat sink is in the ground, which remains in practically constant conditions throughout the year, so the effect of outside temperature is minimized. In general, the main advantages of installing a geothermal system are energy savings and reduction in CO2 emissions. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.