Kalina Cycle Geothermal Power Plant Constructed by Mannvit Engineering

Mannvit Engineering has designed and constructed the first Kalina cycle geothermal power plant in Iceland. The company had completed the project in collaboration with the Exorka International, which has secured a global sub-license for the Kalina power cycle technology. The geothermal power plant was installed near the Husavik town, North Iceland, in the year 1999. The plant was commissioned in the middle of the year, 2000.

The Kalina cycle geothermal power plant is a binary geothermal plant that generates 2 megawatts of power from the geothermal brine flow of 90 kilogram per second, at a temperature of 120 degrees Celsius. The brine leaves the geothermal plant at 80 degrees Celsius. The brine is used for various industrial uses, and district heating. The 2 megawatt power generated from the plant fulfills up to 80 percent of the electricity demand of the town. The geothermal plant gets heat source from the geothermal wells that are located at a distance of 20 kilometers from the south of Husavik town.

The Kalina Cycle features ammonia-water as the working fluid. The efficiency is obtained by the working fluid’s ability to parallel the heat source temperature and heat sink. In the case of Kalina cycle geothermal power plant, hot geothermal brine is the heat source and cooling water is the heat sink. The services provided by Mannvit Engineering for the geothermal plant are system planning, detailed mechanical design of power plant, project management, site supervision, bid preparation, tender evaluation, and commissioning.