CO2 in Geothermal Steam: A Rapid, Precise, and Accurate Field Assay Technique

Abstract

A systems for sampling and measuring noncondensable gases in steam has been devised for field use, giving results for CO2 and non CO2 fractions as weight percent in steam. Six to eight determinations can be made per hours with a precision better than +/- 0.04 of the measured value, providing a way to examine short period patterns in gas contents as well as finding concentrations needed for engineering design. In this assay type method condensate and non-condensable are collected together in calibrate syringes at a precisely measure pressure and at ice water temperature. Henry's law is applied to compute the portion of total gas which is dissolved in the condensate. Hardware is designed around 1/8" O.D. stainless steel tubing which solved in a simple way sampling problems that otherwise tend to give serious inaccuracies. Several additional advantages flowing from the use of small diameter tubing make the system especially serviceable in the field.