- Home
- Companies
- Thermochem
- Products
- Thermochem - Chemical Process Treatment ...
Thermochem - Chemical Process Treatment Equipment
Scaling and corrosion is a common and costly problem for geothermal operations. Scale can accumulate in wellbores, gathering systems, in the plant and reinjection pipelines, derating generation and causing regular plant shut-downs. Corrosive fluids damage equipment and present significant safety issues, from well blowouts, burst pipelines to turbine failures. With the correct process design and chemical treatment, corrosion and scale problems can be effectively mitigated. Often this can be done with inexpensive commodity chemicals rather than high-priced proprietary inhibitors.
Silica Scale Control
Silica scaling affects nearly all geothermal projects, especially high-enthalpy resources. In order to maximize energy extraction from the fluid, the brine reinjection temperature must be reduced to below the silica saturation limit. Silica scaling can be mitigated kinetically by optimizing the reinjection temperature and pH-modification. In a properly-designed process, the brine should actually be sub-cooled to the maximum extent possible given heat rejection limitations. The low brine pH and low temperature kinetically controls silica deposition. Thermochem has the expertise and experience to optimize your power plant process and deliver pH-modification and control systems to inhibit silica scaling.
Corrosion Control
Corrosion is caused by acidic brine, condensate and steam, resulting in damage to well casings, gathering systems, turbines and injection systems. Acidic brine and steam may require treatment downhole. Superheated, corrosive, steam is typically treated on the surface, and acidic oxygenated condensate is treated at the injection pipeline or wellhead. Thermochem can identify potential corrosion issues before they cause damage and shut-downs. We design effective downhole and the surface mitigation methods, using commodity chemicals rather than expensive inhibitors where possible.
Downhole Treatment for Scale and Corrosion
Thermochem can access the nature of wellbore scaling and corrosion problems using our exclusive two-phase downhole sampler, identifying the fluid phase regime, temperature, brine and gas chemistry, versus depth-Solutions may include plugging corrosive entries, installing liners, or downhole chemical injection. Thermochem can simulate the required treatment process and design the downhole tubing string assembly, surface chemical metering skid and monitoring system to effectively mitigate difficult downhole scaling and corrosion problems.