Proceedings of the 2nd International Seminar on Chemistry 2011 (pp.

10-15)
Jatinangor, 24-25 November 2011
ISBN 978-602-19413-1-7

Orifice and chemical tracer flow test measurements on production

geothermal wells
Saltsa Prehtina Muryani1, Yoyo Sunarya1, Anni Anggraeni2
2

1
StarEnergy Geothermal (Wayang Windu) Ltd.
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Padjadjaran

Abstract
The common methods for measuring the mass flow rate on production-geothermal
wells are orifice and chemical-tracer flow test. Comparing the both of methods is the
objective in this paper. Tracer flow test has a good agreement with orifice in
measuring the mass flow rate for steam or single-phase and not for the two-phase
wells. The next experiment should be performed with carefully analysis and sampling
technique.
Keywords: mass flow rate, production-geothermal well, orifice, chemical-tracer flow
test

Introduction
In geothermal fields that produce two-phase
fluids, monitoring trends in the enthalpy (heat
content) of produced fluids is important for
understanding the reservoirs performance. Changes
in enthalpy are often the first sign of changes in
reservoir conditions.
Two methods of mass flow rate and enthalpy
measurements are most common for geothermal
application: direct physical measurement of the
respective phases, and tracer-based measurement
using phase-specific tracer chemicals.
Direct physical measurements, in this case
orifice plate, are usually accomplished with James
tube method. Tracer-based measurement method
was developed in part to address the direct physical
measurement limitations. In a typical application,
tracers are injected under steady-state conditions at
precisely known rates into two-phase flow. The
samples of the steam and separated water or brine
are collected downstream during tracer injection.
The concentration of each tracer in its respective
phase is inversely proportional to the flow rate of
that phase.
The objective of this paper is as follows:
a. Understanding the basic-working principle of
Tracer Flow Test (TFT)
b. Comparing orifice and TFT methods at
production wells based on mass flow rate and
enthalpy measurements.

Tracer Flow Test (TFT) theory

The Tracer Flow Testing (TFT) method for dual
phase flow rate and enthalpy measurements has
become a standard diagnostic tool for geothermal
reservoir engineering and power plant optimization.
TFT method has been developed for the on-line
Saltsa Prehtina Muryani et al.

measurement of brine and steam flows and total

enthalpy within a pipeline carrying single and or
two-phase geothermal fluid.

Definition of TFT
TFT is a method/technique has been developed for
on-line measurement of steam, water mass flow-rate,
and also total enthalpy of two phase fluids produced
at the same time from geothermal wells using
chemical tracers.

Basic principle of TFT

The TFT principle in mass flow measurement by
tracer is dilution. Dilution means that it being
reduced
the
concentration
of
injected
chemicals/liquid materials by mixing with the
measured mass fluid. Two chemical tracers (one for
the steam and one for the brine) become diluted by
the fluids in the pipeline, by a degree dependent on
the flow rate the higher the flow the lower
concentration (the greater the dilution).

TFT materials
Having determined that a tracer test is a suitable
method for obtaining the answers to the questions at
hand, candidate tracer compounds must then be
screened for used. A tracer is therefore injected in
one of the phases (vapor phase or liquid phase), and
sampled for in the second; if the tracer is observed in
the second, the test objectives are met. If no tracer is
observed, the test objective remains unresolved: the
tracer may have completely adsorbed. The absence
of evidence is not evidence of absence.
The selection of liquid and vapor-phase tracers
for TFT was based on an evaluation as shown in
Table 1.
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