Application of Aqueous Salt Solutions with High Boiling Point Elevation for Scrubbing Particulate and Acid Gas Impurities from Superheated Geothermal Steam

Abstract

The boiling point elevation properties of certain aqueous salt solutions enable water droplets to stay in the liquid phase in superheated steam flow. This work describes how aqueous salt solutions with high boiling point elevation can be applied for scrubbing particulates and acid gas impurities from superheated geothermal steam. To demonstrate the validity of the proposed technique, an experimental investigation was carried out to study the performance of the scrubbing process for superheated steam. Aqueous potassium carbonate, which has high boiling elevation, was injected into superheated steam containing silica particulates, to study how effectively the particles were removed. Results from the experiments show an increase in the degree of superheat retained and an increase in scrubbing efficiency with increase in aqueous salt concentration.