ADVANCES IN HYDROGEOCHEMICAL INDICATORS FOR THE DISCOVERY OF NEW GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES IN THE GREAT BASIN, USA

Simmons, Stuart F¹  Spycher, Nicolas²  Sonnenthal, Eric²  Dobson, Patrick² 

[1] Colorado School of Mines;Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

关键词: geochemistry;    geothermal energy;    Great Basin;    Tough2 modeling;    chemical geothermometry;   

DOI  :  10.2172/1120825
RP-ID  :  DOE-CSM-0005522
PID  :  OSTI ID: 1120825

学科分类：再生能源与代替技术

美国|英语

来源: SciTech Connect

【 摘 要 】

This report summarizes the results of Phase I work for a go/no go decision on Phase II funding. In the first objective, we assessed the extent to which fluid-mineral equilibria controlled deep water compositions in geothermal systems across the Great Basin. Six systems were evaluated: Beowawe; Desert Peak; Dixie Valley; Mammoth; Raft River; Roosevelt. These represent a geographic spread of geothermal resources, in different geological settings and with a wide range of fluid compositions. The results were used for calibration/reformulation of chemical geothermometers that reflect the reservoir temperatures in producing reservoirs. In the second objective, we developed a reactive -transport model of the Desert Peak hydrothermal system to evaluate the processes that affect reservoir fluid geochemistry and its effect on solute geothermometry. This included testing geothermometry on ???reacted??? thermal water originating from different lithologies and from near-surface locations where the temperature is known from the simulation. The integrated multi-component geothermometer (GeoT, relying on computed mineral saturation indices) was tested against the model results and also on the systems studied in the first objective.