Meteorological aspects of geothermal energy development are first
discussed in general terms. An instructive case study is then presented
of a hypothetical 100 MW geothermal electrical generating plant at
a site near Vale, Oregon. Long-term climate data from Ontario Airport
near Ontario, Oregon, are used to describe meteorological characteristics
of the Vale site and the effects of topography are discussed.
Source data were taken from descriptions of similar plants. A simple
Gaussian plume model is applied to the data to estimate typical visible
plume lengths at different times of day and year, and fog inducement in
terms of extra hours per year. A ballistic-type drift deposition model
is used to analyze the impacts of cooling tower drift in terms of drift
"rain" intensity and annual moisture deposition. Assumptions and
approximations, made with the intention of presenting upper limits to
predicted effects, are discussed. Comments and suggestions concerning
the extension of the results to contaminant emissions and additional
data that would be needed to perform a more detailed and conclusive
study are included. / Graduation date: 1980
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/29023 |
| Date | 12 November 1979 |
| Creators | Freeman, Daniel Lee |
| Contributors | Slinn, W. George N. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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