Determining the Geothermal Energy Potential of Bulgaria

by Rebecca Dunn

Submitted : Fall 2017

The primary objective of this project is to calculate the geothermal gradient of the Earth’s interior at a chosen location through the use of the gradient formula as related to the more-specific Fourier’s Law, or the equation of heat conduction. Fourier’s Law is used in order to model the rate of heat conduction in one-dimensional or three-dimensional cases; in this project, only the one-dimensional case will be explored as an addition to the main focus on geothermal gradients. We examine how the geothermal gradient can increase based on the type of crust involved, and how such geothermal gradients are used in order to locate optimal sources of geothermal energy.

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