The economic and environmentally sound handling of geothermal sulfur byproducts: A case history

Conference · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:175662

Grande, M G ^[1]

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1. Northern California Power Agency, Middletown, CA (United States)

The Geysers, located in California`s Mayacamas Mountains 75 miles north of San Francisco, is the largest dry steam geothermal resource in the world. While steam quality at the Geysers varies from one end of the field to the other, the presence of noncondensible gases in the steam, specifically hydrogen sulfide (H{sub 2}S), cannot be avoided. Permit and regulatory requirements for all Geysers power plant operators mandate that the H{sub 2}S entering a steam turbine be abated at some point to a level that presents no risk to the public or the environment. Various methods and technologies are utilized to accomplish this abatement. The most common abatement method utilizes the Stretford redox technology, where H{sub 2}S reacts with a vanadium solution to form an elemental sulfur by-product. A variety of factors have historically been a challenge, both from an economic and environmental perspective, to finding an acceptable means of managing the Stretford sulfur by-product. This paper will trace the ongoing endeavors of one Geysers power plant operator, namely the Northern California Power Agency (NCPA), to find an acceptable option for managing its geothermal sulfur by-product.

• OSTI ID: 175662
• Report Number(s): CONF-951037--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
BY-PRODUCTS
CALIFORNIA
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANTS
SULFUR
VAPOR-DOMINATED SYSTEMS