Radial Flow of Pressured Hot Water through Narrow Cracks

Abstract

Geothermal wells discharging hundreds of tonnes/hour of steam-water mixtures may be supplied at depth from one very narrow crack of width 1 to 2 mm, or alternatively, from some hundreds of hairline cracks. In the former case, turbulent flow takes place out to tens of metres from the well while the sum of frictional and kinetic pressure-drop indicates the flashing distance to be of the order of 10 cm from the well wall for pressure-tempera t u r e equilibrium. However it is unlikely that equilibrium obtains because of the high water velocity (order of 100 m/s) near the well giving no time for bubble nucleation. Flashing and hence mineral deposition are therefore not at a l l likely in the crack but can occur within the well from the crack horizon upwards. In the case of a multitude of fine cracks giving the same total flow, streamline conditions prevail over the flow path with the flash front a metre or so from the well, hence deposition is a possibility .