Cascade Use of Geothermal Energy in Mexico

Abstract

Geothermal cascade systems are widely used around the globe. Once the geothermal resource is utilized in a main application, like power generation, it is led to secondary processes in which the thermal energy can still be utilized. Examples of these secondary processes include refrigeration, desalination, dehydration, defrosting, climate control of greenhouses, and paper recycling, among others. One of the main advantages of cascade systems is that, in major power generation plants, is not uncommon to find available geothermal resources on the surface. The iiDEA Group, an applied research group part of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, is currently developing three major projects aimed at the exploitation of low-enthalpy geothermal energy: a Flash Evaporation Binary Cycle (FEBC), a Modular Geothermal Desalination Unit (MGDU), and a Geothermal Food Dehydrator (GFD). In this article, an overall discussion of the aforementioned projects is presented as a proposal for cascade use of geothermal energy in Mexico.