| Title | Liquid-Vapor Partitioning of NaCl(aq) from Concentrated Brines at Temperatures to 350?C |
|---|---|
| Authors | J.M. Simonson, D.A. Palmer, R. W. Carter |
| Year | 1994 |
| Conference | Stanford Geothermal Workshop |
| Keywords | |
| Abstract | Compositions of coexisting liquid and vapor phases have been determined at temperatures from 250 to 350?C for brines containing NaCl and either HCI or NaOH by direct sampling of both phases from a static phase-equilibration apparatus. In these experiments, NaCl concentrations in the liquid phase ranged to 6.5 mol-kg", with corresponding vapor-phase NaCl concentrations varying strongly with temperature and brine composition. Acid or base was added to the brines to suppress unknown contributions of NaCl(aq) hydrolysis products to the observed volatilities. Thermodynamic partitioning constants for NaCl have been determined from the observed compositions of the coexisting phases combined with the known activity coefficients of NaCl(aq) in the liquid phase. An apparent dependence of the values of these partitioning constants on brine concentration is explained by considering the effect of decreasing pressure on the density of the vapor phase. Concentrations of HCI and NaCl in steam produced from various natural brines may be calculated as hnctions of temperature and brine composition based on these new results coupled with our previous determinations of the partitioning constants for HCl(aq). Application of these results to The Geysers will be discussed in terms of the composition of postulated brines which could be in equilibrium with observed steam compositions at various temperatures. |