Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Silica Scaling
- Key words
- Thermodynamics, kinetics, silica, colloids, scaling
- Conference
- Western Pacific Regional Branch
- Year
- 2011
- Language
- English
Full text
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Abstract
Silica scaling is probably the principal factor limiting the extraction of energy from high temperature geothermal systems. Silica exists in a number of polymorphs from quartz through to opal A (or amorphous silica). The thermodynamics of the solubility of quartz and amorphous silica with variations in temperature, salt content, pH and pressure are discussed. However, in silica saturated geothermal brines, silica normally precipitates from oversaturated brines as a colloid. The colloid formation and properties are discussed together with mechanisms for colloid deposition.
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