Alfred H. Truesdell | Geology Reports

USGS1984

EFFECTS OF LOCALIZED AQUIFER BOILING ON FLUID PRODUCTION AT CERRO PRIETO.

Localized aquifer boiling in the shallow two-phase reservoir of Cerro Prieto has produced excess steam and increased electrical output. Unfortunately it has also caused near-well mineral deposition that has decreased permeability and fluid flow. Inflow of cold water has limited the extent of aquifer boiling and permeability loss. The deeper reservoir at Cerro Prieto may need injection of cold water to decrease boiling and prevent loss of production. Refs.

Conference Paper↗

USGS1983

ORIGIN OF THERMAL FLUIDS AT LASSEN VOLCANIC NATIONAL PARK: EVIDENCE FROM NOBLE AND REACTIVE GAS ABUNDANCES.

Thermal fluid discharges at Lassen are dominated by high-altitude fumaroles and acid-sulfate hot springs in the Park, and lower altitude, neutral, high-chloride hot springs in Mill Valley 7-10 km to the south. The interrelations of these fluids have been studied by noble and reactive gas analyses. Atmospheric noble gas (ANG) contents of superheated fumaroles are similar to those of air-saturated recharge water (ASW) at 5 degree C and 2500-m elevation. Low-elevation, high-chloride, hot-spring waters are highly depleted in ANG, relative to the ASW. The surface temperatures and gas chemistry of the fumaroles and hot springs suggest that steam originating from partial to near-complete vaporization of liquid from a boiling, high-chloride, hot water aquifer is decompressed adiabatically, and more or less mixed with shallow groundwater to form superheated and drowned fumaroles within the Park. Refs.

Conference Paper↗

USGS1983

STABLE ISOTOPE GEOCHEMISTRY OF THERMAL FLUIDS FROM LASSEN VOLCANIC NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA.

In the Lassen vapor-dominated geothermal system, surface manifestations of thermal fluids at high elevations (1800-2500 m) include superheated and drowned fumaroles, steam-heated acid-sulfate hot springs, and low-chloride bicarbonate springs. Neutral high-chloride hot water discharges at lower elevations. Deuterium and oxygen-18 data establish genetic connections between these fluids and with local meteoric waters. Steam from the highest temperature fumarole at Bumpass Hell and water from the highest chloride hot spring have isotopic compositions corresponding to vapor-liquid equilibrium at 235 degree C. Carbon and sulfur isotope data suggest that the CO//2 and H//2S in the system did not entirely originate from magmatic sources, but probably include contributions from thermal metamorphism of marine sedimentary rocks. Observations suggest that carbon and sulfur isotope variations are useful indicators of gas reactions and flow paths in geothermal systems. Refs.

Conference Paper↗

USGS1974

The calculation of aquifer chemistry in hot-water geothermal systems

The temperature and chemical conditions (pH, gas pressure, and ion activities) in a geothermal aquifer supplying a producing bore can be calculated from the enthalpy of the total fluid (liquid + vapor) produced and chemical analyses of water and steam separated and collected at known pressures. Alternatively, if a single water phase exists in the aquifer, the complete analysis (including gases) of a sample collected from the aquifer by a downhole sampler is sufficient to determine the aquifer chemistry without a measured value of the enthalpy. The assumptions made are that the fluid is produced from a single aquifer and is homogeneous in enthalpy and chemical composition. These calculations of aquifer chemistry involving large amounts of ancillary information and many iterations require computer methods. A computer program in PL-1 to perform these calculations is available from the National Technical Information Service as document PB-219 376.

Journal of Research of the U.S. Geological Survey↗

USGS1974

Some morphometric properties of experimentally cratered surfaces

The temperature and chemical conditions (pH, gas pressure, and ion activities) in a geothermal aquifer supplying a producing bore can be calculated from the enthalpy of the total fluid (liquid + vapor) produced and chemical analyses of water and steam separated and collected at known pressures. Alternatively, if a single water phase exists in the aquifer, the complete analysis (including gases) of a sample collected from the aquifer by a downhole sampler is sufficient to determine the aquifer chemistry without a measured value of the enthalpy. The assumptions made are that the fluid is produced from a single aquifer and is homogeneous in enthalpy and chemical composition. These calculations of aquifer chemistry involving large amounts of ancillary information and many iterations require computer methods. A computer program in PL-1 to perform these calculations is available from the National Technical Information Service as document PB-219 376.

Journal of Research of the U.S. Geological Survey↗