Assessing Cost Of Pressure Drop From A Geothermal Project Lifecycle Perspective

Abstract

Geothermal steam fields are a key component of most geothermal projects. They provide the mechanism to transport geothermal fluid from production wells to the intended application and then on to injection wells. Along with the piping, steam fields include mechanical equipment to separate the fluid into steam and brine phases, and to clean the steam prior to admission into a power generating facility or direct use application. Line sizing in the engineering design process considers pressure drop in the steam gathering system. Fluid velocity design criteria are applied to provide a balance between pressure drop in the lines, mitigation against internal erosion, and the capital cost of piping. Smaller pipes incur lower initial installed capital cost compared to larger pipes. Conversely smaller pipes will result in higher pressure drop and velocity rates for a given flow. The economic impact over the project lifecycle perspective is termed the