Tracing Geothermal Fluids Page: 4 of 43
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Executive Summary
Geothermal water must be injected back into the reservoir after it has
been used for power production. Injection is critical in maximizing the
power production and the lifetime of the reservoir. To use injectate effec-
tively the direction and velocity of the injected water must be known or
inferred. This information can be obtained by using chemical tracers to
track the subsurface flow paths of the injected fluid. Tracers are chemi-
cal compounds that are added to the water as it is injected into the res-
ervoir. The hot production water is monitored for the presence of this
tracer using the most sensitive analytic methods that are economically
feasible. The amount and concentration pattern of the tracer revealed by
this monitoring can be used to evaluate how effective the injection strat-
egy is.
However, the tracers must have properties that suite the environment
they will be used in. This requires careful consideration and testing of
the tracer properties. In previous and parallel investigations we have de-
veloped tracers that are suitable for tracing liquid water. In this investi-
gation, we developed tracers that can be used for steam and mixed wa-
ter/ steam environments. This work will improve the efficiency of injec-
tion management in geothermal fields, lowering the cost of energy pro-
duction and increasing the power output of these systems.
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Adams, Michael C. & Nash, Greg. Tracing Geothermal Fluids, report, March 1, 2004; United States. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc898033/m1/4/: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.