Tracer Developments: Results of Experimental Studies

Abstract

Tracers can be used to monitor the movement of groundwaters and geothermal fluids and they can be used as a reference to quantify changes in fluid chemistry as a result of injection. Despite their potential importance to the geothermal operator, very few tracers are presently available and of those that are, little is known about their stabil-ity or behavior at the elevated temperatures that t y p i f y resources capable of electric power generation. During the past two years the University of Utah Research Institute has been involved in tracer research and testing, largely through the DOE Injection Research Program. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the results of these laboratory and field investigations.