Comparative study of silica inhibitor versus pH modification in the geothermal system
- Key words
- Silica Inhibitors, Silica Deposition, Field Evaluation
- Conference
- New Zealand Geothermal Workshop
- Year
- 2024
- Session
- Session 6.3 - GEOCHEMISTRY 2 & GEOTHERMAL GEOLOGY 2
- Language
- English
- Paper number
- 23.0
Full text
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Abstract
In the cold injection system of Geo Dipa Energi (GDE) Dieng Unit, amorphous silica deposition remains a significant challenge. Amorphous silica deposition can be detrimental and require costly cleaning of the piping in the surface equipment and injection well.
Historically, pH depression with sulfuric acid (H2SO4) has been used to delay silica polymerization. However, the addition of sulfuric acid can lead to severe corrosion problems within the plant, and this has led to the development of alternative approaches to reduce
silica deposition.
This paper documents the results from a series of field tests that were conducted to optimize the performance of a new silica inhibitor DPI-920. Key performance indicators were: Brine transfer pump discharge pressure, Silica inhibition percentage, and deposition rate.
The new silica inhibitor yielded significant improvements and an economic benefit of close to 20% versus sulfuric acid (annual projection).
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