Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : EGU2012-6377- Geophysical Research Abstracts vol. 14
The hot geothermal fluid produced by the wells of the Bouillante power station, in Guadeloupe, contains various dissolved species such as silica or some metals (Zn, Pb, etc). During the exploitation, the geothermal fluid is flashing and cooling (from 260 to 160°C for the high-pressure steam-liquid separation and down to 110°C for the low-pressure phase separation of a part of the separated liquid at 160°C). Consequently, the dissolved species can form scale deposits such as amorphous silica or poly-metallic sulphides, according to the exploitation conditions, and cause serious scaling problems on the production and the surface installations. These minerals could also precipitate during the partial underground re-injection of the production fluids which is being set up in the Bouillante power station. In this study, in order to predict and prevent the possible silica precipitation at temperature lower than 160°C, during the partial underground reinjection of the production fluids of Bouillante or their thermal valorization down to 110°C temperatures, we propose to investigate on site the kinetics of silica precipitation as a function of temperature and pH. The experiments presented here were carried out on site on samples of separated waters collected after the steam-water separator at 160°C, containing about 600 ppm of SiO2, at four cooling temperatures: 22, 50, 75 and 90°C, and for pH ranging from 4 to 9. These experiments showed that the silica deposition was always initiated by a polymerization mechanism characterized by an order 2 kinetic law and the formation of a white colloidal gel, which slowed down the silica precipitation under solid form. This latter was observed much later, after the polymerization stage, and only in particular conditions (long time of atmospheric exposure, water stagnation,. . . ). The results also confirmed that the silica precipitation kinetics is strongly dependent on pH. In acidic solution, a transition period is observed before the beginning to the silica polymerization. At neutral-basic pH, there is no transition period and the rate of polymerization is maximal for pH close to 8. The undergoing modeling of these experimental data and specific surface area measurements on the colloidal gel will allow us to determinate the kinetics parameters useful for the prediction and prevention of silica precipitation under the specific exploitation conditions of Bouillante power station. This work is financially supported by ADEME (French Agency for Energy and Environment), BRGM and UAG.
EGU General Assembly 2012
Vienne, Austria

hal-00697627
https://hal-brgm.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00697627

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : 1 page
The main aim of this study, co-funded by BRGM, Regional Council of Guadeloupe, European Union, ADEME and UAG, was to examine the silica deposition mechanisms and estimate their deposition kinetics at acidic and basic pH conditions, during the cooling from 260 to 25°C of separated waters, discharged from production wells, located in the Bouillante geothermal field. The acquisition of this type of information is very useful not only for the geothermal exploitation but especially, if production fluids are re-injected in the ground, as this is envisaged in the Bouillante geothermal field. The different on site experiments showed that, in these conditions, the silica deposition was always initiated by a silica polymerization mechanism and the formation of a white colloidal gel, which slowed down the silica precipitation. In agreement with the literature data, this polymerization mechanism is characterized by an order 2 kinetic law, strongly dependant on pH. The determination of the specific surface area by specific mercury porosimetry for this gel (250 m2/g) in the UAG laboratories, allowed estimating the corresponding kinetic constant at 25°C. Other experiments at different final temperatures (50, 75 and 100°C) are necessary in order to define this constant as a function of the temperature. The silica precipitation under amorphous silica form was observed much later, after the polymerization stage, and only in particular conditions (long time of atmospheric exposure, water stagnation...). The pH of the Bouillante geothermal fluid is estimated to be close to 5.3±0.3, at 260°C, in the reservoir conditions. If this parameter, very influent on the kinetics of silica deposition, can be preserved at values less than 7 during the re-injection of the production fluids in the ground at relatively high temperatures (150-160°C), it is strongly probable that no chemical treatment is necessary to avoid silica precipitation.
19ème Conférence Géologique de la Caraïbe - 2011
Gosier, Guadeloupe, France

hal-00575943
https://hal-brgm.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00575943