Potential Sources of Cl Affecting the Composition of Steam Produced in the Larderello Geothermal Field (Italy)
- Key words
- Production; Italy; Larderello; Steam Quality; Super Heat Steam; Chloride; Dry Stream; Gravity Survey; Geochemistry; Production Wells; Caprock
- Location
- Larderello, Italy
- Conference
- Geothermal Resources Council Transactions
- Year
- 1991
- Session
- Chloride; Geochemical surveys; Hydrogeology
- Language
- English
Abstract
A certain number of wells in the Larderello geothermal field produce superheated C1 bearing steam. These wells are not evenly distributed in the field but predominantly occur in areas where the outcrop cap rocks are made up of unconsolidated Mio Pliocene clayey sediments. These sedimentary formations often house evaporatic beds as well as syngenetic fossil waters. The present study hypothesizes that the production of C1 bearing steam is caused by the vaporization of these fossil waters which mostly leach into the main underlying reservoir, with respect to the natural state of the field. This leaking has increased in time owing to the depressurization occurred in the reservoir by production.
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