GE Project
Team 7
Chris Rinschler
Rucas Cuevas
ccr5077@psu.edu lsc5084@psu.edu
Jean-Pierre LaGuerre
jfl5103@psu.edu
Richard Ta
rtt5038@psu.edu
Table of Contents
1. Abstract
2. Introduction
3. Mission Statement
3.1. Objective
3.2. Gantt Chart
4. Customer Needs Analysis
4.1. Country Background
4.2. Needs Statement
4.3. Analytical Hierarchy Process
4.4. Weights of Criteria
5. External Research
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
5.1. Literature Search
5.2. Patent Research
5.3. Benchmarking
Target Specification
Concept Generation
Concept Selection
Embodiment Design and Final Design
Description
Conclusions
References
1. Abstract
Using the information we compiled regarding customer needs, we designed an operable geothermal
energy powered base station to power a cell tower in a rural, no grid area. How we came about
developing our design as well as additional information regarding the project are listed below.
2. Introduction
On October 15th, General Electric gave us the task of building a no grid telecom base station energy
storage system. Through research, we chose geothermal energy as our renewable energy source and a
lattice tower as the cell tower. Then we developed a customer needs table based on what GE wanted
for the system. Using this we developed different concepts for a durable, low cost, and energy efficient
no grid telecom base station energy storage system.
3. Mission Statement
3.1. Objective
Our goal is to develop an efficient and reliable geothermal based energy source to power a telecom
tower in a no-grid environment.
3.2. Gantt Chart
4. Customer Needs Analysis
4.1. Country Background
Indonesia is a prime candidate for the location of our geothermal powered radio towers because being
located in the Ring of Fire, Indonesia is estimated to have the largest reserves of geothermal energy. It
lags behind the United States and the Philippines who are first and second in the world respectively in
terms of geothermal power production, but its government is eager to invest in more geothermal
development.
The Government announced in December 2008 an investment program to establish an additional
10,000MW capacity, to be implemented from 2009-2014. A total of 4,733 MW or 48% of this capacity
has to come from geothermal resources. This is only a small fraction of the estimated 27 GW of
geothermal potential located in Indonesia, but it still a huge stepping stone for green power
implementation. PLN is the sole producer and distributer of electricity in Indonesia and due to
government policies they operate at a financial loss, so it should be easy to find good investment
opportunities with the company since they would be very willing to do business.
4.2. Needs Statement
Our design for the cell phone base will attract major cell phone corporations due to its use of
environment-friendly and low cost energy source and equipment. The use of “green” power is becoming
extremely popular in the world today, and cell phone companies such as Sprint and AT&T will use this to
their advantage. As the battle for environmental health continues, cell phone companies will not only
benefit from a new group of cell phone users, but they can also use it as a marketing ploy to advertise as
“eco-friendly” compared to other cell phone companies. Current and prospective cell phone users will
veer towards a company that is efficient and eco-friendly.
4.3. Analytical Hierarchy Process
Durable
Low
Cost
Energy
Aesthetics
Efficiency
Size
Easily
Operable
Total
Weighting
Durable
Low Cost
1
.5
2
1
.25
.2
4
3
2
1
2
1
11.25
6.7
.17
.101
Energy
Efficiency
4
5
1
10
8
5
33
.498
Aesthetics
.25
.33
.1
1
.5
.33
2.51
.038
Size
.5
1
.13
2
1
.5
5.13
.077
Easily
Operable
.5
1
.2
3
2
1
7.7
.116
66.29
4.4. Weights of Criteria
1. Durable (.170, .170)
a. Reliable (.333, .057)
b. Longevity (.666, .113)
2. Low Cost (.101, .101)
a. Affordable (.101, .101)
3. Energy Efficiency (.498, .498)
a. Low Input (.666, .332)
b. High Output (.333, .166)
4. Aesthetics (.038, .038)
a. Attractive (.038, .038)
5. Size (.077, .077)
a. Small Horizontal Area (.750, .058)
b. Small Vertical Area (.250, .019)
6. Easily operable (.116, .116)
a. Little Training to Operate (.666, .077)
b. Physically Demanding (.333, .039)
5. External Research
5.1. Literature Search
Pros of Geothermal:
·
Virtually endless energy supply
·
Redundant system
·
Low maintenance cost
·
Power for developing countries
Cons of Geothermal:
·
Large start-up cost
·
Energy dependant entirely on
·
Seasonal change
5.2. Patent Research
Function
Rectifier
Voltage
regulator
US3988896
US4181468
Load
Termination
PIU
US20060137349
ART
Turbine
Reinjection
Well
Production Well
Transforms
energy into
electricity
US20030165382
US20050025617
US20070224037
Returns excess
condensate to
thermal
reservoirs
US4972904
US4428200
Brings steam to
the turbine
US20060011472
US4342363
ART
Function
Geothermal
System
Concept Application
US4357802
Steam Transport
Gas Lifting System
Turbine 2 Phase Engine
System Software
Operating System
US4397612
US7134162
Generate Kinetic
Energy
US3972195
Design
US7181738
5.3. Benchmarking
Selection Criteria
Weight %
Guyed Tower
Stealth Tower
Lattice Tower
Aesthetics
3
Straight tower
supported by guy wires
Blends in with
background
Usually three
sided with
triangular base
Advantages
1
Cheaper than a free
standing tower
Very aesthetically
pleasing
Can be used as
electricity pylons
Disadvantages
2
Requires a lot of space
Can be very expensive
More expensive
than guyed
towers
6. Target Specification
Metrics
Units
Size
Power Output
Operation Time
Power Loss
Construction Cost
Maintenance Cost
Maintenance Time
Long Term
Durability
cubic feet
Benchmark Value /
Target
kilowatts
hours of day/night
%
dollars
dollars
hour per week
years
50x30x12
1.2
24 hours
<10
60000
1000
1
30
Based on this data and research done on the costs of a geothermal gas pump, “, the additional costs are
returned to you in energy savings in 5–10 years. System life is estimated at 25 years for the inside
components and 50+ years for the ground loop.”
7. Concept Classification Tree
Wind
Flash tank system
Store or
accept
energy
Geothermal
Solar
Binary Geothermal system
Photovoltaic solar power System
Concentrating solar power system
Hydro
Solar thermal power system
We used the concept classification tree to divide the entire space of possible solutions into
several distinct classes which facilitate comparison and pruning to narrow down our options to the most
feasible and efficient choice. On our “tree” the first set of branches corresponds with the different
energy choices; Wind, Geothermal, Solar, and Hydro power. The classification tree provided us with at
least four important benefits; the pruning of less promising branches (wind, solar, and hydro),
identification of independent approaches to the problem, exposure of inappropriate emphasis on
certain branches and refinement of the problem decomposition for a particular branch. After going
through each benefit we were able to narrow down our choice to geothermal energy.
7.1
Concept Combination table
Convert heat to potential
energy
Production well
Convert potential energy to
kinetic energy
Binary system
Flash tank
8. Concept Generation
Apply energy to system
Turbine
9. Concept Selection
In our process of selecting concepts for a final design we put heavy ephasis on the requirements set
forth by GE itself. We made sure that the powering station could constantly feed energy to the telecom
tower without need of supplemental electricity from an energy grid. The base station must also operate
at a 1.2-kW load and run on green, resource friendly sources.
Selection Criteria
Concept 1
Concept 2
Durability
0
0
Energy Efficiency
0
+
Aesthetics
0
-
Ease of Operation
0
+
Cost
0
+
Pluses
0
3
Zeros
5
1
Minuses
0
1
Net
0
2
Rank
2
1
The final concept we selected was a combination of a few different ideas listed in our concept
generation. A major feature that highlights energy saving that we decided to incorporate into our
system is the direct heat/cooling system. This heating system is one that only a geothermal energy
source can offer, as it is a byproduct of energy production in the combustion chambers. Heated and
cooled air produced by water combustion into steam can be directly used to heat/cool the hut and other
features of the telecom base station. This is much more energy efficient when compared to capitol
heating and cooling systems.
Another major feature that is key to energy production is the use of turbines. Mainstream energy
production using turbines incorporates two major types of turbines- impulse and reaction. Based on
information researched, reaction turbines seem to work better for steam-based systems, so the team
decided to use those for our turbines.
A third concept combined into our final product is the cell phone tower-type. When looking for a tower
to use for our telecom base station, we compared: lattice, monopole, stealth, and guyed. For monetary
and structure-stabilizing reasons, the team decided to go with the lattice structure.
The structure of the hut was also considered in the final product. When comparing concepts to each
other, the team selected a more “boxy” style compared to the round style in order to accommodate the
room needed for gaseous waste
10. Embodiment Design and Final Design Description
This is our physical model prototype.
11. Conclusions
We feel that our final design has succeeded in meeting customers’ needs stated earlier in the report.
We were able to incorporate many deigns that are innovative, ground-breaking, and effective. Using
research and our ideas we were able to design and geothermal energy plant to power a cell tower that
can be successful in meeting the needs stated by General Electric. In addition, the use of geothermal
power is becoming more and more relevant in today’s society. “Going green” is a movement in response
to the lack of resources available, and our telecom base station is a small part of making them
movement possible. The cell phone company that purchases the system will be benefitted for utilizing a
form of “green” technology.
12. References
“Telecom Towers.” Articles Base. 29 Nov. 2010 <http://www.articlesbase.com/communicationarticles/telecom-towers-technology-101-3563253.html>
“Indonesia.” Wikipedia . 29 Nov. 2010 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia>
“Geothermal Deals.” United Press International. 31 Nov. 2010
<http://www.upi.com/Science_News/Resource-Wars/2010/04/28/Indonesia-5-billion-in-geothermaldeals/UPI-75251272464182/>
“Geothermal Plant Patents.” Patents Online. 29 Nov. 2010
<http://www.freepatentsonline.com/712483.html>
“Impulse Turbine” DD Encyclopedia. 31 Nov. 2010
<http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/I/AE_impulse_turbine.html>
“Cell Phone Tower Types and Information” Steel in The Air. 29 Nov. 2010
<http://www.steelintheair.com/Cell-Phone-Tower.html>