H 2 S emission from Sabalan geothermal power plant and its control in such plants

Subject Areas : environmental management

Abdoreza Karbasi ¹ , Faride Atabi ² , Sepide Sahar Mirzaei ³

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Received: 2008-03-09 Accepted : 2008-03-09 Published : 2009-03-09

Keywords: Air pollution, geothermal power plants, sulfur dioxide,

Abstract :

Visible   steam   emitting   from   the   cooling   tower   and   H 2 S   smell   are   obvious   environmental manifestations of a geothermal facility. They are usually coupled with concerns about exposure to the high  toxicity of  mercury  and  arsenic  along  with  radon  radiation. They  have been,  to  a  large  extent, responsible  for  the  perception  that  air  quality  is  significantly  affected  by  geothermal  activities.  In reality, air quality is affected by geothermal facilities a little, especially as compared to many other industries  or  fossil-fuel  power  plants.  If  the  quality  of  air  is  considered  in  the  construction  and utilization of geothermal installations, worries about air quality will be removed. The key to success in air quality programs is the early collection of data, plant operational scenarios, educational programs, etc.The  present  study  aims  at  predicting  dispersion  pattern  of  one  of  the  main  gases  of  Sabalan geothermal power plants to find a solution for its probable negative effects.