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The Discharging Well

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Abstract

Once discharge is achieved, the discharge flow rate and its temperature, pressure and specific enthalpy can be measured; several methods are available. The main parameters are presented as “discharge characteristics”, which are required for power station control but also contain information about the producing formations. The chemical constituents of the discharge are measured at the same time as the discharge characteristics and provide further clues as to conditions in the producing formations. Some wells discharge at a steady flow rate, with perhaps a long-term decline as the formation pressure declines, but some have a periodic flow or even a regular intermittent discharge like a geyser. It is sometimes useful to have a means of predicting the details of the flow during discharge, and numerical discharge prediction methods have been developed. All of these matters are discussed in this Chapter.

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Watson, A. (2013). The Discharging Well. In: Geothermal Engineering. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8569-8_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8569-8_8

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-8568-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-8569-8

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