Assessment on the uses of geothermal brine at the Berl??n Geothermal field, El Salvador

Abstract

The Berl??n Geothermal Field is located 100 km east of El Salvador. It began its commercial operation in 1992 with two 5 MWe back pressure units. In 1999, two 28 MWe condensing units were commissioned. At the present, 100% of the brine is injected into two aquifers: the deeper and the shallow. Geot??rmica Salvadore??a (GESAL) plans to carry out projects along with the surrounding communities in the utilization of the brine, which is feasible for chemical recovery and direct uses. This project could bring possible benefits and improve the economical and social developmentof the communities. Three main municipalities are located within the geothermal field. The main economical activity is agriculture of seasonal products like corn and bean usually grown during the wet season. The utilization or direct use of the brine is quite limited in the country. Several well-known applications have been evaluated and the results indicate more feasible uses related to resort place, fish farming, fruit drying andchemical recovery (NaCl, KCl, Cl, etc.).