Scale Inhibitor Application in KD-14 Well of Kizildere Geothermal Field

Abstract

Kızıldere Field is the first geothermal field of Turkey that was used to generate electricity. The field is located in the Denizli and Aydın Provinces of Western Turkey in the northeastern end of the Büyük Menderes Graben. Power production from the field was started in 1984 with an installed capacity of 17.4 MWe. One feature of the field is the calcite scaling tendency of the geothermal fluid which hinders the power output due to frequent need of mechanical cleaning in the wells. After acquiring the operational rights of the field on September 1, 2008, Zorlu Energy launched a complete remediation operation to produce maximum achievable power from the field. One of the measures taken by Zorlu was to find an alternative solution for mechanical reaming of calcite scaling. A scale inhibitor test with 10 different chemicals was carried out in KD-14 and continuous inhibitor injection was started after having optimized inhibitor concentration as well as type of inhibitor. This paper will address the inhibitor selection test and the results of continuous inhibitor injection in KD-14.