| Title | Testing of cyclone separators and steam pipelines for separation and scrubbing performance |
|---|---|
| Authors | T. Misa, E. Mroczek |
| Year | 2017 |
| Conference | New Zealand Geothermal Workshop |
| Keywords | steam separation, two phase flow, pipeline scrubbing, steam sampling, tracer testing, steam cleanliness, steam purity, steam quality |
| Abstract | Testing for separation and scrubbing performance was undertaken on Intermediate Pressure (IP) and Low Pressure (LP) steam systems of a geothermal steamfield and power station. Testing was completed at a number of process conditions to determine what operating conditions caused changes in separation and scrubbing performance. A suite of steam and separated water flow measurements were used in conjunction with changes in natural sodium and injected fluorescein carryover to observe the effect on plant performance. Results showed an unexpected significant holdup time of the added tracer, separator performance below design and the effects of flow regimes and geometries on system performance. Difficulties and benefits of completing this type of testing on operational industrial plant are discussed. |