Different Inhibitor Applications in Salihli and The Effects on Performance of Geothermal Power Plant Using Technology of HYDRODIS® GE polymers

Abstract

The Salihli geothermal field is located in western Türkiye, near the city of Manisa. Eleven production wells and twenty-one
reinjection wells have been drilled into a high-enthalpy, liquid-dominated geothermal reservoir. High-temperature fluid
(>200 C at the bottom hole) is extracted and directed to three geothermal power plants with a total installed capacity of 70 MW.
The mineral scaling behavior of the geothermal fluids treated with scale inhibitor chemicals is continuously monitored. Various
minerals, particularly smectite and saponite-type clays, precipitate within the production wells. These minerals are occasionally
remobilized, clogging filters or depositing directly on pipeline walls. After the fluid passes through the heat exchangers and
loses heat, amorphous silica begins to precipitate on the surfaces of heat exchanger pipes and injection pipelines once the fluid
reaches a critical temperature. Mineralogical and geochemical investigations have been conducted on the scale deposits.
Geothermal fluid chemistry is analyzed periodically, and the performance of various scale inhibitors is tested to determine the
optimal antiscalant treatment. To evaluate inhibitor performance, the interaction of geothermal fluid with surfaces in the
production lines, heat exchanger units, and injection pipelines is modeled. This case study also presents the effectiveness of the
HYDRODIS®-GE3 polymeric chemical inhibitor in maintaining amorphous silica precipitation at acceptable levels in critical
parts of the power plant.