Use of geochemical-equilibrium computer calculations to estimate precipitation from geothermal brines

Technical Report · Fri Jan 28 04:00:00 EST 1977

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/7213963· OSTI ID:7213963

Miller, D G; Piwinskii, A J; Yamauchi, R

The Helgeson-Herrick geochemical code was used to calculate the solubility of NaCl, KCl, and KCl-NaCl in water and to predict which minerals will precipitate from Salton Sea Geothermal Field brines. The code's predictions of sulfide-silicate precipitation from the Magmamax No. 1 brine are in good agreement with field tests of scaling, although the observed sulfide-silicate scale matrix is in amorphous form, rather than the crystalline form predicted by the code. The code's predictions of scale precipitation from wells with different brine compositions are also in good agreement with field tests. The code appears to be a useful screening tool, despite reservations about the use of purely thermodynamic predictions in systems with important kinetic constraints. Several ways to improve and apply the code in the future are suggested.

• Research Organization: California Univ., Livermore (USA). Lawrence Livermore Lab.
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 7213963
• Report Number(s): UCRL-52197
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
150903 -- Geothermal Engineering-- Corrosion
Scaling & Materials Development
152001* -- Geothermal Data & Theory-- Properties of Aqueous Solutions
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
BRINES
CALIFORNIA
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMISTRY
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
COMPUTER CALCULATIONS
COMPUTER CODES
COPPER
ELEMENTS
EQUILIBRIUM
FLUIDS
FORECASTING
GEOCHEMISTRY
GEOTHERMAL FIELDS
GEOTHERMAL FLUIDS
Geothermal Legacy
H CODES
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HIGH TEMPERATURE
MEDIUM TEMPERATURE
METALS
NORTH AMERICA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PH VALUE
POTASSIUM CHLORIDES
POTASSIUM COMPOUNDS
PRECIPITATION
SALTON SEA GEOTHERMAL FIELD
SCALING
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SILICATES
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SILVER
SODIUM CHLORIDES
SODIUM COMPOUNDS
SOLUBILITY
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
USA
WESTERN REGION