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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Klamath Falls geothermal field, Oregon

Conference ·
OSTI ID:5459028
Klamath Falls, Oregon, is located in a Known Geothermal Resource Area which has been used by residents, principally to obtain geothermal fluids for space heating, at least since the turn of the century. Over 500 shallow-depth wells ranging from 90 to 2,000 ft (27 to 610 m) in depth are used to heat (35 MWt) over 600 structures. This utilization includes the heating of homes, apartments, schools, commercial buildings, hospital, county jail, YMCA, and swimming pools by individual wells and three district heating systems. Geothermal well temperatures range from 100 to 230{degree}F (38 to 110{degree}C) and the most common practice is to use downhole heat exchangers with city water as the circulating fluid. Larger facilities and district heating systems use lineshaft vertical turbine pumps and plate heat exchangers. Well water chemistry indicates approximately 800 ppM dissolved solids, with sodium sulfate having the highest concentration. Some scaling and corrosion does occur on the downhole heat exchangers (black iron pipe) and on heating systems where the geo-fluid is used directly. 73 refs., 49 figs., 6 tabs.
Research Organization:
Oregon Inst. of Tech., Klamath Falls, OR (USA). Geo-Heat Center
Sponsoring Organization:
DOE/CE
DOE Contract Number:
FG07-87ID12693
OSTI ID:
5459028
Report Number(s):
DOE/ID/12693-4; CONF-891031--8; ON: DE90003230
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English