Master's lecture in Mechanical Engineering - Elías Steinn Leifsson

Master's student: Elías Steinn Leifsson 

Title: Geothermal pipeline route design with regard to visual impact

Faculty: Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science 

Advisors: Magnús Þór Jónsson

Other in Master´s Committee: Ólafur Sverrisson , MSc

Examiner: Tómas Philip Rúnarsson 

Abstract:

Increased emphasis has been placed on reducing the environmental impact of geothermal power developments. Part of this is the visual impact of geothermal pipelines going from wells to steam separators. This thesis compares the use of the Chamfer distance algorithm and a Dijkstra’s algorithm distance transform to find the least cost pipeline route through a geothermal landscape, from borehole to steam separator, with regards to the pipeline’s visual impact. The method also finds the least cost steam separator placement with regards to the least cost pipeline routes. Key observation points are taken into consideration, where each location visible from an observation point is given a cost depending on how visible the pipeline would be in that location. The view cost is used as a distance multiplier in the three dimensional distance transform. The study finds that Chamfer distance algorithm is faster than Chamfer distance algorithm when determining pipeline distances in a physical landscape subject to elevation changes, and that the visibility method directs the pipeline route away from highly visible areas.