Acidifiction of steam condensate for incompatibility control during mixing with geothermal brine

Patent · Tue Jun 11 04:00:00 EDT 1985

OSTI ID:6498801

Gallup, D L; Featherstone, J L

A method is provided for combining a high pH steam condensate with a flow of an acidic geothermal brine from which the steam is extracted so as to inhibit the formation of suspended particulate matter by the chemical combining of impurities in the condensate and brine. The method includes acidifying the steam condensate, preferably by hydrochloric acid, to reduce the pH to between about 7 and about 5.5 and then permitting the acidified condensate to outgas such volatiles as hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide before combining the condensate with the brine, formation of such insolubles as heavy metal sulfides and calcium carbonate being thereby inhibited. In a silica crystallizer stage in which flashed brine is contacted with a silica seed material to cause silica removal from the brine, the treated condensate is combined with the brine in a low pressure crystallizer upstream of brine clarification and reinjection stages. Part of the treated condensate is flowed to various pumps in the geothermal brine power production system to purge pump scaling and excessive wear.

• Assignee: Union Oil Co. of California Mono Power Co. Southern Pacific Land Co.
• Patent Number(s): US 4522728
• OSTI ID: 6498801
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
150903* -- Geothermal Engineering-- Corrosion
Scaling & Materials Development
ACIDIFICATION
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
BRINES
CALCIUM CARBONATES
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CARBONATES
CHALCOGENIDES
CONTROL
DEMETALLIZATION
DISPERSIONS
FLUIDS
GEOTHERMAL FLUIDS
GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANTS
HYDROCHLORIC ACID
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN SULFIDES
IMPURITIES
INORGANIC ACIDS
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS RECOVERY
MINERALS
MIXING
NATURAL STEAM
OXIDE MINERALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLES
PARTICULATES
PH VALUE
POWER PLANTS
PROCESSING
PUMPS
PURIFICATION
RECOVERY
SCALE CONTROL
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SILICA
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SILICON OXIDES
STEAM
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SUSPENSIONS
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING