Energy contained in the bowels of the earth. Geothermal energy of the earth

As the development and formation of societyhumanity began to look for more modern and at the same time economical ways of obtaining energy. To this end, various stations are being built today, but at the same time, the energy contained in the bowels of the earth is widely used. What does it look like? Let's try to understand.

Geothermal energy

It is clear from the title that it representsthe heat of the earth's interior. Under the earth's crust there is a layer of magma, which is a fiery-liquid silicate melt. According to research, the energy potential of this heat is much higher than the energy of the world's natural gas reserves, as well as oil. Magma - lava leaves on the surface. And the greatest activity is observed in those layers of the earth on which the boundaries of tectonic plates are located, and also where the earth's crust is characterized by subtlety. The geothermal energy of the earth is obtained as follows: the lava and water resources of the planet are in contact, as a result of which the water begins to heat up sharply. This leads to the eruption of the geyser, the formation of so-called hot lakes and underwater currents. That is, it is precisely those phenomena of nature whose properties are actively used as an inexhaustible source of energy.

Artificial geothermal sources

The energy contained in the bowels of the earth mustused competently. For example, there is an idea of ​​creating underground boilers. To do this, you need to drill two wells of sufficient depth, which will be connected below. That is, it turns out that practically in any corner of the earth it is possible to obtain geothermal energy in an industrial way: through one well cold water will be pumped into the reservoir, and through the second - hot water or steam will be extracted. Artificial heat sources will be beneficial and rational if the heat produced gives more energy. Steam can be directed to turbogenerators, which will generate electricity.

Of course, the heat selected is only a fractionwhat is available in the general stores. But it should be remembered that deep heat will be constantly replenished due to the processes of radioactive decay, compression of rocks, stratification of the interior. As experts say, the Earth's crust accumulates heat, the total amount of which is 5000 times more than the calorific value of all the mineral resources of the earth as a whole. It turns out that the operating time of such artificially created geothermal stations can be unlimited.

Sources Features

Sources for obtaining geothermalit is almost impossible to use it completely. They exist in more than 60 countries of the world, with most of the terrestrial volcanoes in the Pacific volcanic ring of fire. But in practice it turns out that geothermal sources in different regions of the world are completely different in their properties, namely average temperature, mineralization, gas composition, acidity and so on.

Geysers - energy sources on the Earth, featureswhich is that they spew out boiling water at certain intervals. After the eruption, the pool becomes free of water, on its bottom you can see a channel that goes deep into the ground. Geysers as sources of energy are used in such regions as Kamchatka, Iceland, New Zealand and North America, and single geysers are also found in some other areas.

Where does the energy come from?

Very close to the earth's surface isunheated magma. It emits gases and vapors that rise and pass through the cracks. Mixed with groundwater, they cause their heating, they themselves turn into hot water, in which many substances are dissolved. Such water is allocated to the surface of the earth in the form of different geothermal sources: hot springs, mineral springs, geysers and so on. According to scientists, the hot bowels of the earth are caves or chambers connected by passages, cracks and canals. They are filled with groundwater, and not far from them are the centers of magma. In such a natural way, the thermal energy of the earth is formed.

The electric field of the Earth

There is another alternative source in natureenergy, which is distinguished by renewability, ecological purity, ease of use. However, until now this source is only being studied and not being used in practice. So, the potential energy of the Earth lies in its electric field. To obtain energy in this way is possible on the basis of a study of the basic laws of electrostatics and the features of the Earth's electric field. In fact, our planet in terms of electrical - it's a spherical capacitor, charged to 300,000 volts. Its internal sphere has a negative charge, and the outer one - the ionosphere - is positive. The Earth's atmosphere is an insulator. Through it there is a constant flow of ionic and convective currents, which reach a force of many thousands of amperes. However, the potential difference between the plates does not decrease.

This suggests that in nature there is a generator,the role of which is to continuously replenish the leakage of charges from the capacitor plates. In the role of such a generator, the Earth's magnetic field, rotating with our planet in the stream of the solar wind, appears. Energy magnetic margins Earth can be obtained just by connecting to this generator of the energy consumer. To do this, you must perform a reliable grounding installation.

Renewable sources

Since the population of our planetis steadily growing, we need more and more energy to provide the population. The energy contained in the bowels of the earth can be very different. For example, there are renewable sources: wind, solar and water. They differ in ecological purity, and therefore they can be used without fear of harming the environment.

Energy of water

This method has been used for manycenturies. Today, a huge number of dams have been built, reservoirs in which water is used to generate electrical energy. The essence of the action of this mechanism is simple: under the influence of the flow of the river, the wheels of turbines rotate, respectively, the energy of the water turns into an electric one.

Today there is a large numberhydroelectric power stations that convert the energy of the water flow into electricity. The peculiarity of this method is that hydropower resources are renewed, accordingly, such designs have a low cost price. That is why, despite the fact that the construction of the hydroelectric power station has been going on for quite some time, and the process itself is very costly, yet these facilities significantly benefit from electricity-intensive industries.

The energy of the sun: modern and promising

Solar energy is obtained with the help of solarbatteries, however modern technologies allow using new methods for this. The world's largest solar power plant is a system built in the desert of California. It fully provides energy for 2,000 houses. The design works as follows: from the mirrors reflect the sun's rays, which are sent to the central boiler with water. It boils and turns into steam, rotating the turbine. It, in turn, is connected with an electric generator. The wind can also be used as the energy that the Earth gives us. The wind blows the sails, rotates the mills. And now with its help you can create devices that will generate electrical energy. Rotating the blades of the windmill, it drives a turbine shaft, which, in turn, is connected to an electric generator.

The internal energy of the Earth

It appeared due to several processes,the main of which are accretion and radioactivity. According to scientists, the formation of the Earth and its mass occurred in a few million years, and this was due to the formation of planetesimals. They were sticking together, respectively, the mass of the Earth was getting bigger. After our planet began to have a modern mass, but still lacked the atmosphere, meteor and asteroid bodies fell unhindered to it. This process is exactly called accretion, and he led to the fact that significant gravitational energy was allocated. And the larger the bodies hit the planet, the more energy was released in the interior of the Earth.

This gravitational differentiation has led to,that the substances began to separate: heavy substances simply drowned, and the lungs and the flying floated up. Differentiation also affected the additional allocation of gravitational energy.

Atomic Energy

The use of ground energy can occurdifferently. For example, using the construction of nuclear power plants, when the heat energy is released due to the decay of the smallest particles of the matter of atoms. As the main fuel is uranium, which is contained in the earth's crust. Many believe that this is the most promising way to get energy, but its application involves a number of problems. First, uranium emits radiation, which kills all living organisms. In addition, if this substance enters the soil or atmosphere, then a real man-made disaster will occur. The sad consequences of the Chernobyl disaster we are experiencing today. The danger lies in the fact that radioactive waste can threaten all life for a very, very long time, for thousands of years.

New time - new ideas

Of course, people do not stop there,and every year more and more attempts are being made to find new ways of obtaining energy. If the energy of the earth's heat is obtained fairly simply, then some methods are not so simple. For example, as a source of energy, it is perfectly possible to use biological gas, which is obtained when rotting waste. It can be used for heating houses and heating water.

Increasingly, tidal power plants are being built,When dams and turbines are installed across the mouths of reservoirs, which are activated by tides and flows, respectively, electricity is produced.

Burning garbage, we get energy

Another method that is already used inJapan, is the creation of incineration plants. They are now built in England, Italy, Denmark, Germany, France, the Netherlands and the US, but only in Japan, these enterprises were used not only for their intended purpose, but also for electricity. Local plants burn 2/3 of all garbage, while plants are equipped with steam turbines. Accordingly, they supply the surrounding areas with heat and electricity. At the same time, it is much more profitable to build such an enterprise than to build a CHP plant.

A more attractive prospect looksThe use of the Earth's heat where volcanoes are concentrated. In this case, it will not be necessary to drill the Earth too deeply, since already at a depth of 300-500 meters the temperature will be at least twice the boiling point of water.

There is also such a way of obtainingelectricity, like hydrogen power. Hydrogen - the simplest and lightest chemical element - can be considered an ideal fuel, because it is there where there is water. If you burn hydrogen, you can get water that decomposes into oxygen and hydrogen. The hydrogen flame itself is harmless, that is, there will be no harm to the environment. The peculiarity of this element is that it has a high calorific value.

What's in the future?

Of course, the energy of the Earth's magnetic field,which is received at nuclear power plants, can not fully satisfy all the needs of mankind, which grow every year. However, experts say that there is no reason to experience, since the planet's fuel resources are still lacking. Moreover, more and more new sources are being used, environmentally friendly and renewable.

There remains the problem of environmental pollution,and it grows catastrophically fast. The amount of harmful emissions goes off, respectively, the air we breathe is harmful, the water has dangerous impurities, and the soil is gradually depleted. That is why it is so important to study the phenomenon such as energy in the bowels of the Earth in a timely manner in order to find ways to reduce the requirements for organic fuels and to make more active use of non-traditional sources of energy.