Vapor-liquid equilibrium of chlorides in aqueous systems to high temperatures: Application to the Geysers geothermal field

Conference · Thu Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1994

OSTI ID:10178409

Simonson, J. M.; Palmer, D. A.

Measurements have been made of the partitioning of chlorides including HCl, NaCl, NH₄Cl, MgCl₂, and CaCl₂ over wide ranges of solution ionic strength at temperatures to 350 °C. Thermodynamic distribution constants K_D have been determined from analyses of the concentrations of species in the coexisting phases using activity coefficients available or estimated from published measurements. These results indicate that it is unlikely that HCl, the single most volatile chloride species at all temperatures considered, is solely responsible for all chloride found in the vapor phase due to the low solution pH required to give the observed levels in steam. Noting that sodium is not found in appreciable levels in steam from the high-temperature reservoir in the northwest Geysers and that ammonia is present in significant amounts as a noncondensible gas, it is shown that a slightly acidic ammonium chloride brine is capable of producing steam having some of the characteristics observed in produced steam from the northwest Geysers.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States); Electric Power Research Inst., Palo Alto, CA (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 10178409
• Report Number(s): CONF-941043--5; ON: DE94017854
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
152001
AMMONIUM CHLORIDES
CALCIUM CHLORIDES
CHLORIDES
CORROSION
CORROSIVE EFFECTS
GEOTHERMAL FIELDS
GEOTHERMAL FLUIDS
HYDROCHLORIC ACID
MAGNESIUM CHLORIDES
PIPES
PROPERTIES OF AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS
QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
SODIUM CHLORIDES
STEAM
THERMODYNAMICS