ASTM E957-03
(Terminology)Standard Terminology Relating to Geothermal Energy
Standard Terminology Relating to Geothermal Energy
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Designation:E957–03
Standard Terminology Relating to
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Geothermal Energy
This standard is issued under the fixed designation E957; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
aquifer, n—a water-bearing, permeable body of rock or reservoir, production and injection wells, pipelines, and the
granular material below the surface of the earth. power plant or direct-use facility.
binary cycle plant, n—a facility that generates electric power geothermal fluid, n—water in a vapor or liquid phase or in a
by transferring heat from produced geothermal fluids to a mixtureofthesephasesthatexistswithinorhasbeenemitted
non-aqueous working fluid that vaporizes and causes a from a geothermal reservoir, together with any entrained or
turbine to rotate the shaft of a generator. dissolved substances.
brine, n—ingeothermal,fluidsinaliquidphasethathavebeen geothermal gradient, n—the change in temperature of the
produced from geothermal wells or from hot springs and that earth with depth, expressed either in degrees of temperature
contain appreciable amounts of sodium chloride and other per unit depth, or units of depth per degree.
salts. geothermal power plant, n—a facility for the production of
capacity, n—the power which a component of a geothermal electricity using geothermal energy, typically including a
facility (e.g., a well, a reservoir, a power plant, or a turbine, a generator, and associated surface equipment.
direct-use facility) is capable of supplying at a point in time, geothermal heat pump, n—a heat pump that transfers energy
assuming that other required components of the geothermal to or from the earth.
facility are available. Capacity is expressed in units of power geothermal reserves, n—the amount of energy anticipated to
(e.g., Megawatts, kilowatts). be economically recoverable from a geothermal facility over
direct-use facility, n—a facility which uses geothermal energy a specified time period (e.g., the project life) using existing
for purposes other than the generation of electricity (e.g., technology. Geothermal reserves are expressed in units of
space heating, greenhouses, bathing, and industrial pro- energy (e.g., terajoules in SI units), which are dimensionally
cesses). equivalent to units of power multiplied by units of time (e.g.,
fumarole, n—a vent at the earth’s surface that emits steam or Megawatt-years or kilowatt-hours). Geothermal reserves
gaseous vapor. may also be expressed as an equivalent amount of another
energy source (e.g., barrels of oil equivalent).
DISCUSSION—Such vents are usually found in volcanic areas.
DISCUSSION—Geothermal reserves can also be characterized as to the
geochemistry, n—the study of the chemistry of the rocks and
degree of certainty of recovery. By analogy to usage in the mining and
fluids of the earth for the purpose of understanding their
petroleum industries, reserves may be qualified as proved, probable, or
composition, their temperature, and their origin.
possible.
geothermal, adj—relating to or derived from the natural heat
Example of Usage:
of the earth.
This facility has geothermal reserves of 4,000 Megawatt-
geothermal anomaly, n—a conspicuous deviation of the
years, recoverable over a project life of 30 years.
earth’s temperature, geothermal gradient, or heat flow from
geothermal reservoir, n—an aquifer of sufficient temperature
average values; an area where such a deviation exists.
and permeability to support the economic use of geothermal
geothermal energy, n—the thermal energy contained in the
energy.
rocks and fluids of the earth.
geothermal facility, n—the physical components necessary
DISCUSSION—The extent of a geothermal reservoir is determined by
for the utilization of geothermal energy, including the
the degree of hydrologic interconnection. When an aquifer contains
both hot portions and portions that are too cool for economic use, those
portions that are sufficiently interconnected to have a significant
hydrologic or thermal impact on each other are considered part of the
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This terminology is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E44 on Solar,
same geothermal reservoir.
Geothermal and OtherAlternative Energy Sources and is the direct responsibility of
SubcommitteeE44.15onGeothermalFieldDevelopment,UtilizationandMaterials.
geothermal steam, n—a geothermal fluid in the vapor phase.
Current edition approved March 10, 2003. Published May 2003. Originally
geothermometer, n—a method of estimating the temperature
approved in 1983. Last previous edition approved in 2002 as E957 – 02. DOI:
10.1520/E0957-03. of a geothermal reservoir based on the minera
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