Did you know geothermal energy can be used for warming room or pasteurisation or drying vegetables or as electrical energy round the clockIJ If not, then Sangeeta Mandal, a Class XI student of KB Girl’s High School, Ratu Road has found such unexplored utilities in several hot springs of India. The school girl has prepared a model which if implemented in Indian hot springs, including Suraj Kund and Dumka in Jharkhand, Bakreshwar in West Bengal, Taptapani in Odisha, Rajgir in Bihar and other hot springs in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Sikkim and Karnataka, can facilitate electricity, pasteurisation, candle manufacturing, dry fruits or vegetables and work as room heaters.
“We need to set a container at the eruption point of a hot spring. Boiling a small amount of isopentane liquid in many containers kept on hot spring can form vapour which if falls on turbine can generate continuous electrical energy. The hot water of the hot spring can also be kept on a covered metal box. On the top of the box, wet fruits or vegetables can be kept and dried,” said Sangeeta during the inaugural ceremony of the State level 42nd Jawaharlal Nehru National Science, Mathematics and Environment Exhibition 2014-15 at Zila School on Sunday.
“Similarly, if the hot water of the hot spring is mixed with cold water in a metal plate and milk is passed inside a metal pipe touching the mixed water at the outer portion of the pipe layer, the bacteria prevailing in milk will vanish resulting to pasteurization. In winter season, the same water of the hot spring can be kept in metal pipes attached to a metal sheet which if touched to the wall of a room can work as heater,” added Sangeeta. Interestingly, the water of hot spring can produce large amount of electricity in industries as well. “The process for generating electricity is costly but a renewable way of availing constant power supply,” Sangeeta’s guide teacher Suresh Kumar Sinha said.
The school girl was felicitated for her creativity with ‘Best Individual Model’ and ‘Best Model’ at BITM, Kolkata in January wherein 182 students across the eastern region displayed their models. Prior to achieving this honour, she was selected at district level for her geothermal project following her selection at the ongoing state level exhibition. Asked about her aim, Sangeeta said she is willing to become a scientist. Around 119 models are being presented by 124 government school students from 23 districts. The exhibition is divided into five categories including community health, waste management, energy resources, IT and transport. 18 models will be selected by judges for the national level of this exhibition at the closing ceremony on Monday. It was inaugurated today by Urban Development Minister CP Singh and will be witnessed by Human Resources Development Minister Neera Yadav at the closing ceremony.