Water injection as a means for reducing non-condensible andcorrosive gases in steam produced from vapor-dominated reservoirs
Large-scale water injection at The Geysers, California, hasgenerated substantial benefits in terms of sustaining reservoir pressuresand production rates, as well as improving steam composition by reducingthe content of non-condensible gases (NCGs). Two effects have beenrecognized and discussed in the literature as contributing to improvedsteam composition, (1) boiling of injectate provides a source of "clean"steam to production wells, and (2) pressurization effects induced byboiling of injected water reduce upflow of native steam with large NCGconcentrations from depth. In this paper we focus on a possibleadditional effect that could reduce NCGs in produced steam by dissolutionin a condensed aqueous phase.Boiling of injectate causes pressurizationeffects that will fairly rapidly migrate outward, away from the injectionpoint. Pressure increases will cause an increase in the saturation ofcondensed phase due to vapor adsorption on mineral surfaces, andcapillary condensation in small pores. NCGs will dissolve in theadditional condensed phase which, depending upon their solubility, mayreduce NCG concentrations in residual steam.We have analyzed thepartitioning of HCl between vapor and aqueous phases, and have performednumerical simulations of injection into superheated vapor zones. Oursimulations provide evidence that dissolution in the condensed phase canindeed reduce NCG concentrations in produced steam.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE. Office of the Chief Financial Officer. Cost ofReimbursable and Cooperative Work - Non-Federal Entities
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC02-05CH11231
- OSTI ID:
- 928235
- Report Number(s):
- LBNL-62376; R&D Project: G3W027PRUESS; BnR: 600303000; TRN: US200815%%797
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Thirty-Second Workshop on Geothermal ReservoirEngineering, Stanford, CA, 22-24 January 2007
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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