| Title | Methods of Removing Solids from the Discharge of Steam Dominated Wells in Leyte Geothermal Production Field, Philippines |
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| Authors | Ruperto R. Villa, Jr., Edwin H. Alcober, Hilario L. Isip, Jose Rufino S. Pe±aranda, Noel D. Salonga, Danilo B. Rubin, Ulysses Rex P. Bontia and Virgilio S. Saw |
| Year | 2005 |
| Conference | PNOC-EDC Geothermal Conference |
| Keywords | |
| Abstract | The transition of the Upper Mahiao and Tongonan-1 sectors of the Leyte Geothermal Production Field from being water dominated to a steam dominated system has brought along changes in the discharge characteristics of wells in these sectors. These sectors became steam dominated due to the expansion of the reservoir steam zone with a corresponding lowering of the well water levels. The discharge fluids from the wells in these sectors contained solids carried-over from the well bore. The discharge ejecta, determined by petroanalysis, were composed of cement, amorphous silica and corrosion products. The presence of solids in the high velocity steam discharge has thinned out the branchlines, main two-phase lines, compensator bellows and liners, and separator vessels due to the erosive nature of the solids as they are carried by the steam discharge to the separator vessels. The measurement of the thinning rate of surface pipelines using ultrasonic thickness (UT) gauging and analysis of total suspended solids in steam (TSS) are used to monitor the effects of the solids in the steam discharge. Figure were water the separated was solids been the This 1983 both inspection showed and minerals phase. Three methods were applied to remove these solids from the steam discharge. Two methods involved ôsteam washingö, conducted by injecting either hot brine or cold water into the pipeline to wash the steam and flush the solids to the reinjection lines. The last method was by installing a wellhead solids removal system (WSRS) consisting of a piping configuration designed to remove the solids by taking advantage of the steam discharge velocity and centrifugal force. These methods were able to remove significant amounts of the solids from the steam discharge (indicated by TSS monitoring) by around 80 to 100%. |