Union Oil Company of California

Southern Pacific Land Co.

Mono Power Company

Gregory A Gritters

John L Featherstone

Walter E Nellis

Darrell L Gallup

Morton M Wong

Daniel P Hoyer

Jessie P Reverente

Jose M Perez

D Stephen Pye

A method is provided for producing electric power from hot, pressurized geothermal brine containing dissolved toxic elements without significant precipitation of toxic solids. When sludge produced by the process is washed, non-toxic solids are produced which can be disposed of or utilized in an environmentally acceptable manner. The method includes removing geothermal brine from an underground aquifer, separating non-condensable gases therefrom, and handling the non-condensable gases separately from the processing of the non-condensable gas-free brine to prevent reactions therebetween. An air-free flashed brine handling system is established to prevent contact of air with the flashed brine, and all brine contacted with air is injected into the geothermal brine aquifer through a separate, corrosion-protected injection well. Steam derived from the brine is used to produce electric power, the steam being condensed in the process. The steam condensate is air-cooled, and is used in the steam condensation process. Air-contacted steam condensate is deaerated before being combined with the brine, some of the deaerated condensate being used for scrubbing the steam obtained from the brine. The isolation of non-aerated brine and deaerated condensate from aerated brine, the removal of non-condensable gases from the brine, and the washing of the sludge produced from the brine results in a non-toxic sludge in accordance with government-accepted standards.

Method for the production of usable steam and non-toxic solids from

A process for treating hot, pressurized geothermal brine in a liquid-vapor phase separator comprises contacting the brine in the separator with between about 0.2 and about 1.5 parts per million of a defoaming agent so as to substantially reduce the amount of foaming in the separator caused, in part, by steam bubbling through the brine. The preferred defoaming agents are polyglycols having molecular weights between about 1000 and about 2500, those agents having molecular weights below about 1000 being too volatile and those above about 2500 being too difficult to solubilize in the brine. If the separator comprises a draft tube-type flash crystallizer in which silica-rich geothermal brine is contacted with a seed material onto which silica from the brine deposits, the process additionally includes establishing and maintaining a brine level in the crystallizer causing circulation of the brine at a rate substantially reducing the rate of silicious scaling of inner walls of the crystallizer which would result in the absence of brine circulation, the established and maintained brine level being such that in the absence of the defoaming agent, excessive amounts of brine in the form of foam would be carried over into steam discharged from the crystallizer. In preexisting separators in which a design steam production rate cannot be attained because of brine foaming, the addition of a defoaming agent by the present process may enable steam production at a rate greater than the design rate.

Process for treating geothermal brine in two phase brine separators

A process for regenerating media filters used to filter geothermal brine, especially flashed and clarified, silica-rich brine, comprises flowing steam through the filter in a backflush direction at a rate and for a time duration agitating the filter media and filtered-out material. The process includes, preferably after the steam flow is stopped, flowing brine, for example, filtered brine, through the filter in the backwash direction to flush out the material loosened and broken up by the steam scour and restratify the media bed components, and may include partially draining the filters prior to the steam scour. Preferably, the steam used for the steam scour is low pressure steam obtained from low pressure flashing of the brine being filtered. Steam flow rates are preferably between about 2 and about 10 SCFM per square foot of filter cross-sectional area in the region of the filter media; steam flow rate is preferably about 5 minutes after any steam quenching has ceased. Backflush brine flow rate is preferably between about 15 and about 30 gpm per square foot of filter cross-sectional area in the filter media region. The brine flow duration is preferably between about 5 and about 15 minutes.

Process for regenerating media filters used to filter geothermal brine

A nozzle of especial usefulness for injecting corrosive acids into geothermal brines and the like comprises a substantially straight, tubular injector body and a plurality of pairs of injection tubes connected such that the axial bores of the injection tubes are in fluid communication with the axial bore of the tubular injector body. The injection tubes of each pair extend in radial directions from, and in the same plane normal to, the axis of the tubular injector body. Moreover, all injection tubes are in one of two planes coincident to the axis of the tubular body and all pass through a plane parallel to the axis of the injector body.

Injection nozzle

An injection nozzle especially useful for injecting corrosive acids into geothermal brines and the like comprises a bullet-shaped hydrofoil injection housing, a tubular manifold conduit connected thereto, preferably such that the axis of said manifold conduit and hydrofoil intersect at right angles, and a plurality of injection tubes emanating from said hydrofoil in a direction opposite that of the point of the bullet.

Growing community of inventors

Indio, CA, United States of America

Gregory A Gritters