| Abstract |
At the Salton Sea geothermal field, Unocal currently operates three power generation facilities. Condensed steam from these facilities is primarily employed for makeup water to cooling towers. Especially during winter months, an excess of condensate is produced that is disposed via cold water injecting. Agricultural uses of this excess condensate have been investigated to minimize disposal obstacles. Condensate has been tested in leaching saline soils and in irrigating crops. Due to its low salinity, heat, and nitrogen fertilizer contents, condensate appear to be attractive as an irrigation water supplement. The drawbacks to the use of condensate are its boron content and the potential for poor penetration of soils. |