(GP/GT) for Additional Water Supply in the Lower Rio Grande

POTENTIAL AGRICULTURE/AQUACULTURE ApPLICATIONS
Various agriculture/aquaculture applications are under consideration that
could use the fluids and energy found in geopressured resources. One or more
of these applications can be installed in cascaded uses where the hot fluids
that have been used for one process are then used in another application.
Current commercial production of both aquatic and agriculture products is
commercially limited by cold winter weather when growth rates can be severely
hampered by lowered and fluctuating temperatures. This in turn disrupts
established markets, often making it necessary to create new markets when the
products are once again available. For example, alligators grown in
Louisiana achieve a marketable length of -4 ft in 3 years with ambient
temperatures. If the surrounding air and water temperature is maintained near
90°F, alligators will grow to 7 ft in the same 3 year period, doubling the
potential income (Ray, 1990). Fish growth rates can be increased 50 to 100%
with constant temperatures. Thus, utilizing the heat and fluid available in
geopressured resources for agriculture/aquaculture applications can
significantly improve growth rates, marketability, and profits. A brief
summary follows of some agriculture/aquaculture applications under
consideration for use at geopressured resources.
Greenhousing
A large variety of fruits, vegetables, flowers, and ornamentals can be
grown in geotherma11y heated greenhouses; this has been proven using
hydrothermal resources. The type of product selected for growth at a
geopressured site will depend on the market. Heat from a geopressured
resource would be utilized in greenhouses by separating actual heating
equipment from the geopressured fluid. For operation purposes, a heat
exchanger is placed between two circulating loops, the geopressured loop and
the clean loop. Heating equipment could be finned pipe, unit heaters, finned
coils or soil heating, depending on growers choice and resource temperature.
The potential for greenhousing with geopressured resources is very
promising in Southern Louisiana and Southern Texas. It is recommended that
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