![By United States Geological Survey [Public domain], <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kilauea_eastern_rift_zone_fissure_eruption_May_2018.jpg">via Wikimedia Commons</a>](https://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/hawaii-volcano.jpg?quality=83)
Guest essay by Eric Worrall
Puna Geothermal Venture has removed 60,000 litres gallons of flammable Pentane from a geothermal plant in the path of the Hawaii volcanic eruption. But concerns remain that if the geothermal wells break, they could flood the neighbourhood with toxic volcanic gasses.
Volcanic activity threatens Hawaii geothermal plant long at center of resident concerns
By Breena Kerr May 12 at 6:32 AM
PAHOA, Hawaii — The dangers of building a home on the skirt of an active volcano have become quite clear in recent days, as residents here have needed to evacuate from neighborhoods around Kilauea to avoid the lava flows and toxic gases that have emerged from numerous fissures.
But the advancing molten rock — and the potential for future eruptions and ejections of boulders — threatens more than the homes. Nearby, nestled between two neighborhoods, is a geothermal plant that is home to thousands of gallons of flammable chemicals and deep wells that pose serious risks if they overheat or are breached.
Long a concern for residents and the target of lawsuits challenging its placement on an active volcano, the Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV) is a major safety issue in the wake of the eruptions and earthquakes that have shaken the Big Island for days, government officials say. Authorities worry that the seismic activity could cause gas leaks or explosions at the plant, which is near fissures that have broken the surface. Before dawn Thursday, PGV employees removed a large reserve of pentane — 60,000 gallons of highly flammable solvent used in the powering of wind turbines — because of fears that it could leak and ignite.
…
Residents and officials remain concerned about potential explosions and toxic gas leaks from the underground wells that provide heat for energy production. If the wells break, they could release dangerous gas — including colorless, flammable and toxic hydrogen sulfide — into the area around Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens, the evacuated neighborhoods that already are choked with volcanic fumes.
“Volcanologists know there is magma under and around the geothermal well fields,” County of Hawaii Council member Jennifer Ruggles, who represents western Puna, said in a statement Thursday night. “The magma is moving and it is unpredictable. There is a real risk that the wells could be damaged.”
…
I’m shocked to learn geothermal plants use Pentane in such quantities. Pentane is a heavier than air unbreathable hydrocarbon gas low boiling point liquid, very similar to though slightly heavier than butane and propane. A potential suffocation risk if released in large quantities, in addition to the risk of explosion. Hydrogen sulfide is also very nasty, even small concentrations can incapacitate and kill in minutes.
Correction (EW): 1. The quantity was in gallons, not litres (h/t R. Shearer).
2. Pentane is a low boiling point liquid, whose boiling point ranges from 9C (48F) to 36C (97F) depending on isomer (h/t Phil), so less of a suffocation risk than I thought, unless heated above room temperature…
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“Long a concern for residents and the target of lawsuits challenging its placement on an active volcano, the Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV) is a major safety issue”
I can understand why a geothermal plant might be built on an active volcano. Harder is why “residents” chose to build there.
It’s a volcanic island. They don’t have a lot of options.
Cheap real estate. Read that residents can get a large ocean view lot for about $10,000. Seems the risk is reflected in the price and people made a conscientious decision to buy and live there.
Here’s a like to the geothermal plant site. https://www.hawaiianelectric.com/clean-energy-hawaii/clean-energy-facts/renewable-energy-sources/geothermal/puna-geothermal-venture-(pgv)
May 17 will be an increase in volcanic activity.
http://pics.tinypic.pl/i/00964/7tqh18zpync9.png
Okay, ren, but WHERE will this increase take place? It’s more believable if you are even a little specific about it.
Is that an increase locally, or an increase worldwide?
Just asking, because the numbers of volcanoes in active eruptions now started going up about 18 months ago, and not just on the Ring of Fire or in Japan. I mean globally.
There are new eruptions sites that didn’t exist 28 months ago, and old, long-dormant volcanoes that have been showing signs of activity for about 3 years now.
When you say something as non-specific as ‘an increase in volcanic activity’, it doesn’t mean anything.
Ooo! What if the total volume of SO2 increased exponentially on a global scale due to an increase in the number of long-term eruptions everywhere?
Would that and an inactive Sun shut of the ‘global warmiun’ prognosticators?
However, the volcano observatory now warns that as the magma column in the summit reservoir connecting to the lava lake continues to drain and drop, the risk of potentially large explosions increases. This will be especially true if the surface of the magma column drops beneath the ground water table under the caldera floor, which would allow water to seep into the hot conduit, and likely trigger violent steam-driven (phreatic) explosions, perhaps similar to those observed in 1924, when violent phreatic activity destroyed the pre-1924 lava lake and excavated the Halema’uma’u crater as it was known after 1924.
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/kilauea/news/68868/Kilauea-volcano-update-Summit-lava-lake-continues-to-drop-risk-of-explosions-increases.html
Date & time: Sat, 12 May 18:06:47 UTC – 60 minutes ago
Magnitude: 3.2
Depth: 6.0 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 19.37°N / 154.97°W [Map]
Nearest volcano: Kilauea (34 km)
Primary data source: EMSC
Doesnt make sense Ren. Its a long standing source of magma, there isnt going to be groundwater anywhere near the summit of Kilauea. Volcanic rock is perfect for draining surface water away, likely to the ocean
No. Kilauea is draining out because it is going into the rift system. So this is the end of this episode.
Stop being cynical. This is ‘free energy’. And once the data has been smoothed and homogenised with other volcanoes you will see that the lava is pure denialism. there is no lava
From the article: Hydrogen sulfide is also very nasty, even small concentrations can incapacitate and kill in minutes.
Despite what you wrote, that’s not even a fair warning statement for H2S. I deal with H2S in the Canadian prairie, and I can tell you that when the warning siren goes off, you better run FAST. If you gulp a high concentration slug of H2S in the air, you’re DOA.
Some neighbors argue that a geothermal plant that uses dangerous chemicals never should have been built in Pahoa.
“This is one of the most unstable pieces of land on the entire planet, and they knew that,” said Robert Petricci, president of the Puna Pono Alliance watchdog group, who lives near the plant. “They built it anyway to make money.”
The PGV has irked residents for decades, even as it produces clean energy for the island. The plant has nine wells that run as deep as 8,000 feet, according to Wil Okabe, managing director for the County of Hawaii. The wells allow steam and hot liquid to rise and power turbines, but they have the potential to explode. They normally produce up to 38 megawatts of electricity, which is sold to Hawaii Electric Light Co.
Who would have thought that drilling 2450 metres into an active volcano could have caused problems?
And he chose to build a house on one of the most unstable pieces of land on the entire planet, AND HE KNEW THAT. What an idiot.
It not only makes money, but it makes 38 MW of clean, renewable energy. Sounds quite reasonable to me. Good for “them”
Despite his inability to perceive the inconsistency in his views, Mr Petricci has managed – against all obstacles – to articulate the fundamental principle of the capitalist system. I doubt if he appreciates the profundity of his insight.
Ve2 May 12, 2018 at 2:19 pm
Some neighbors argue that a geothermal plant that uses dangerous chemicals never should have been built in Pahoa.
“This is one of the most unstable pieces of land on the entire planet, and they knew that,” said Robert Petricci, president of the Puna Pono Alliance watchdog group, who lives near the plant. “They built it anyway to make money.”
Just like the gas station nearby which poses a similar risk, I wonder if he protested that?
I would like to see 60000 gallons of pentane ignite . Would make for a spectacular explosion. Just wouldn’t want to be too close
Location, location, location…
This sounds like the same engineering team who put the emergency cooling water systems at the Fukushima nuclear plant down near the beach, within reach of Japan’s frequent tsunamis.
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2015/05/26/claim-new-chinese-nuclear-plants-are-unsafe/#comment-1946251
Fearless Fukushiming Leader:
We’ll put the emergency cooling water systems down near the beach – what could go wrong?
Newby on Team:
What about tsunami’s?
Fearless Fukushiming Leader:
Screw it! It’s time for lunch. Are you a team player or not?
Team:
Hai ! ( OK! )
….
Later…
Team:
Oh Fukushima!
Well my country has been generating electricity from geothermal sources since 1957.
nzgeothermal.org.nz/elec_geo/
Interesting reading and it appears that regular expansion and new plants have been created without fuss or bother.
Pentane?
Well I looked to see if that word appeared on the above website and came across this which may help to explain the use of pentane. http://nzgeothermal.org.nz/generation_technologies/
Cheers
Roger
http://www.rogerfromnewealand.wordpress.com
I was there in about 1990. The area smelled of SO2. Smoke drifted up from the ground behind a roped off area. The earth was noticeably warm. In the distance, steam rose up from the ocean where magma was surfacing on the ocean floor. My thoughts were, what the hell am I doing standing on top of a pool of magma?
On my drive down, trusted guidebook in hand, I detoured off the main road to see what the book described as, “the quintessential fishing village.” There was no standing structure. The small grid of streets were criss-crossed by black ribbons of solidified lava. The book had been written eight years earlier.
It is wrong to equate this with living in areas prone to such things as hurricanes. Moving here would be like moving into a house in an area under a hurricane warning. The threat is real, obvious, and clearly imminent. And no one can claim they didn’t know the risk.
You may have smelled elemental sulfur, odoriferous, but not highly toxic. When it is hot and is oxidized, SO2 is formed, which is highly irritating and has a noxious sharp odor. Hydrogen sulfide can be present, may be deadly, and is the smell of rotten eggs. Under some conditions, H2S and SO2 react with each other to make elemental sulfur and water.
From an earlier Big Island eruption. (Note the boats.)
Washington Post has updated/corrected the original article …
Before dawn Thursday, PGV employees removed a large reserve of pentane — 60,000 gallons of highly flammable solvent used in the powering of turbines — because of fears that it could leak and ignite.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/volcanic-activity-threatens-hawaii-geothermal-plant-long-at-center-of-resident-concerns/2018/05/11/61c55c0a-5533-11e8-abd8-265bd07a9859_story.html?utm_term=.479aa97163e7
Am still grappling with why the need to use something/anything like pentane to power turbines – UNLESS the primary heat-source is not hot enough to boil water.
The efficiency (work extractable) of any heat engine depends on how big the difference between the input and output temperatures = a-la Carnot
The working fluid you put in there is irrelevant. Subject to the boiling water proviso.
So why pentane.
[Its a real hot house of activity round here in North Lincs and Notts – what about this…]
Flixborough
“Earthquake activity, ground deformation, and continuing high emission rates of sulphur dioxide in the area indicate additional outbreaks of lava are likely as this eruption continues. The location of future outbreaks could include areas both uprift (southwest) and downrift (northeast) of the existing fissures, or, existing fissures can be reactivated. Communities downslope of these fissures could be at risk from lava inundation.”
https://youtu.be/Dy4lG6YzLI8
Paul Johnson stated;
“That’s true. If you think about it, they probably had an emergency volcano response plan to evacuate the pentane.”
Probably a horrible plan. Governor Ige had to get involved to get them off their arse to finally start moving the pentane.
Eh, bruddah, no worries. We fix’um bumbye.
Plant sits on a cinder cone so lava slopped downhill will deflect around the plant.
Rift eruptions to the west of the plant and east of the plant, but not north of it. This does produce the possibility that the plant has drawn out enough heat from the system that eruptions around the plant are unlikely to occur.