Radon and ammonia transects across the Cerro Prieto geothermal field

Conference · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1981

OSTI ID:7369382

Semprini, L; Kruger, P

Radon and ammonia transects, conducted at the Cerro Prieto geothermal field, involve measurement of concentration gradients at wells along lines of structural significance in the reservoir. Analysis of four transects showed radon concentrations ranging from 0.20 to 3.60 nCi/kg and ammonia concentrations from 17.6 to 59.3 mg/l. The data showed the lower concentrations in wells of lowest enthalpy fluid and the higher concentrations in wells of highest enthalpy fluid. Linear correlation analysis of the radon-enthalpy data indicated a strong relationship, with a marked influence by the two-phase conditions of the produced fluid. It appears that after phase separation in the reservoir, radon achieves radioactive equilibrium between fluid and rock, suggesting that the phase separation occurs well within the reservoir. A two-phase mixing model based on radon-enthalpy relations allows estimation of the fluid phase temperatures in the reservoir. Correlations of ammonia concentration with fluid enthalpy suggests an equilibrium partitioning model in which enrichment of ammonia correlates with higher enthalpy vapor.

• Research Organization: Stanford Univ., CA
• OSTI ID: 7369382
• Report Number(s): LBL-11967; CONF-810399-16; ON: DE82019261
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
150202* -- Geology & Hydrology of Geothermal Systems-- Non-USA-- (-1989)
ABUNDANCE
AMMONIA
CERRO PRIETO GEOTHERMAL FIELD
ELEMENTS
ENTHALPY
FLOW MODELS
FLUID FLOW
FLUIDS
GASES
GEOTHERMAL FIELDS
GEOTHERMAL WELLS
Geothermal Legacy
HYDRIDES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MASS TRANSFER
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN HYDRIDES
NONMETALS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RADON
RARE GASES
SAMPLING
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
THERMODYNAMICS
TWO-PHASE FLOW
WELLS