Clay-mineral fabrics and chemistry in Salton Trough geothermal fields
Conference
·
OSTI ID:5372635
Fluid production from, and hence the economic viability of, a geothermal field is related to the amount of clay minerals in the caprock and in the reservoir rocks. In both the East Mesa and Cerro Prieto fields in the Salton Trough of southern California, United States, and Baja California, Mexico, scanning electron micrography (SEM) has vividly documented the role of clay fabrics in deltaic quartz-sandstone reservoirs. For example, in East Mesa well 78-30 at 1630 m depth in a zone of quartz dissolution, the clay present in pores exhibits an irregular, crenulate, honeycomb fabric and has the following composition from energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDAX): Si 61%, Al 25%, Fe 20%, Na 6%, K 2%, and Mg 1%. Platy clusters of clay (kaolinite) in Cerro Prieto well T-366 at 2522 m in a 300/sup 0/C geothermal aquifer were analyzed as: Si 62%, Al 25%, Mg 6%, and Fe 1%. In other samples, illite takes the form of wispy fibers whose intertwined ends form bridges across pores. These clay fabrics appear to reduce permeability significantly by clogging the pore throats, even though dissolution porosity ranges from 25 to 35%. Nineteen wells have been studied to date.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (USA); Terra Tek, Inc., Salt Lake City, UT (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 5372635
- Report Number(s):
- LBL-12348; CONF-8010260-1; ON: DE82008925
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
150904* -- Geothermal Engineering-- Geothermal Reservoir & Well Performance
152002 -- Geothermal Data & Theory-- Properties of Minerals & Rocks
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM SILICATES
CAP ROCK
CERRO PRIETO GEOTHERMAL FIELD
CLAYS
EAST MESA GEOTHERMAL FIELD
FLUID WITHDRAWAL
GEOTHERMAL FIELDS
Geothermal Legacy
ILLITE
INORGANIC ION EXCHANGERS
ION EXCHANGE MATERIALS
KAOLINITE
MATERIALS
MINERALS
MONTMORILLONITE
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PERMEABILITY
POROSITY
PRODUCTION
SILICATE MINERALS
SILICATES
SILICON COMPOUNDS
150904* -- Geothermal Engineering-- Geothermal Reservoir & Well Performance
152002 -- Geothermal Data & Theory-- Properties of Minerals & Rocks
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM SILICATES
CAP ROCK
CERRO PRIETO GEOTHERMAL FIELD
CLAYS
EAST MESA GEOTHERMAL FIELD
FLUID WITHDRAWAL
GEOTHERMAL FIELDS
Geothermal Legacy
ILLITE
INORGANIC ION EXCHANGERS
ION EXCHANGE MATERIALS
KAOLINITE
MATERIALS
MINERALS
MONTMORILLONITE
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PERMEABILITY
POROSITY
PRODUCTION
SILICATE MINERALS
SILICATES
SILICON COMPOUNDS