The direct application of geothermal energy to provide process heat in Guatemala

One part of an energy and resource development program in Central America is a geothermal process heat project in Guatemala. The feasibility of the direct heat application depends upon the production characteristics and reliability of the geothermal source. Other factors are the distance from the heat source, quantity of use, and capacity factor of the use facilities. Favorable conditions would be distances of under 5 km, heat requirements approximately equal to the well capacity, and high capacity factors (say 60% or higher) in the industrial plants. Depending upon the values of these factors, energy costs of less than $1.00/million Btus to greater than $5.00/million Btus have been estimated. This can be compared to about $5.00/million Btus for petroleum-based fuels in Guatemala in mid 1987. A survey was made of existing industries in the Amatitlan and Zunil geothermal areas. In both Amatitlan and Zunil the existing industries are spread out over an area too large to be called an optimum. The most promising situation for an industrial park development is at Amatitlan, except that proven production wells are not yet available. At Zunil, production wells exist, but a diverse nearby industrial base does not. However, both of these two areas are sufficiently promising to merit further development. Consequently, a demonstration project is underway aimed at the ultimate establishment of an agricultural processing center at Zunil. This center would have the capability to process agricultural products by dehydration, freezing, and cold storage. 2 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs