Author Topic: Crews struggle to ‘quench’ geothermal power plant wells as lava advances  (Read 569 times)

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Offline thackney

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Crews struggle to ‘quench’ geothermal power plant wells as lava advances
http://www.staradvertiser.com/2018/05/22/hawaii-news/crews-struggle-to-quench-geothermal-power-plant-wells-as-lava-advances/

Workers at the Puna Geothermal Venture power plant found themselves in a race against nature Monday as they attempted to seal off a particularly troublesome, deep geothermal well while lava from Kilauea Volcano advanced from the south to a point uncomfortably close to the well pad area.

The plant has been closed since shortly after the May 3 eruption began, and the company sealed the production wells with metal valves. Still, area residents and state and county officials have worried that a lava flow or earthquake could damage the wells, causing an uncontrolled release of hydrogen sulfide or other potentially dangerous volcanic gases.

Most of the lava on the surface of the Lower East Rift Zone is pouring toward the Puna coastline, but on Tuesday morning county officials said a relatively small lava flow had begun to move in the opposite direction and was advancing into the PGV property.

A Hawaii County Civil Defense spokeswoman said fissure 22 just south of PGV site displayed “very active fountaining” that scientists said reached as high as 140 feet at times, and it was a finger of lava from that fissure that advanced to the northeast toward the well pad at PGV.

Tom Travis, administrator of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, said that by Monday afternoon the lava advanced to within about 200 or 300 yards of the PGV facilities but stalled at a berm on the property....

...a third production well, known as KS14, presented special problems because the advancing magma in the Lower East Rift Zone apparently caused the contents of the well to heat up, said Travis.

Even after pumping cold salt water into KS14, the fluid and steam below continued to generate pressure at the well head, Travis said. The latest plan is to use denser “mud materials” that are used in drilling operations to seal off the well, he said.

“We should have an idea of whether that’s successful or not tonight,” Travis said Monday. “Once that step is taken, we will be in a much more solid state for having lava overflow the site.”...
« Last Edit: May 22, 2018, 03:43:26 pm by thackney »
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Offline thackney

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http://miami.cbslocal.com/2018/05/22/kilauea-lava-flows-into-power-plant/

...Hawaii County Civil Defense authorities said Monday they are making sure they're ready should lava inundate the plant.

If lava hits a well at the site, it could trigger a release of hydrogen sulfide, a dangerous gas.

Talmadge Magno, Civil Defense administrator, said evacuations could be necessary in the event of a gas release.

Authorities have already removed tens of thousands of gallons of flammable pentane from the site.

Meanwhile, work to kill three active wells at the site continue, and crews are encountering problems with at least one of them....
« Last Edit: May 22, 2018, 03:48:59 pm by thackney »
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Offline thackney

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Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV)
https://www.hawaiianelectric.com/clean-energy-hawaii/clean-energy-facts/renewable-energy-sources/geothermal/puna-geothermal-venture-(pgv)

LOCATION: Puna, Hawaii Island (Kilauea East Rift Zone)

ENERGY SOURCE: Geothermal steam and hot liquid

TECHNOLOGY: Steam turbine generators

CONTRACT CAPACITY: 38 megawatts

POWER PURCHASE TYPE: Firm and as available

DESCRIPTION: PGV is a geothermal energy conversion plant bringing steam and hot liquid up through underground wells.  The hot liquid (brine) is not used for electricity at this time.  The steam is directed to a turbine generator that produces electricity.

The exhaust steam from this turbine is used to vaporize (heat) an organic working fluid, which drives a second turbine, generating additional electricity. The condensed steam from the organic fluid heat exchanger is re-injected into the ground through reinjection wells along with the brine.

The electricity generated by PGV is sold to Hawaii Electric Light Company and distributed to customers.
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Offline thackney

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Officials Say No Risk of Blackout From Lava Breach at Hawaii Geothermal Plant
http://www.powermag.com/officials-say-no-risk-of-blackout-from-lava-breach-at-hawaii-geothermal-plant/
05/23/2018

Officials with Hawaii Electric Light (HEL) on May 23 said the Puna Geothermal Venture power plant is secure, and that even if lava from the Kilauea eruption damages or destroys the facility, there is no danger of a blackout on the island because older, diesel-fueled plants have been brought online to provide electricity.

HEL officials said that if lava does breach the power plant, the danger of a release of toxic gas is “very low.” The 11 wells at the geothermal plant, which supplies about a quarter of the island of Hawaii’s power, have been plugged, although officials said they are unsure of what would happen if lava makes contact with the wells. The utility provides updates on the situation here....

https://www.hawaiielectriclight.com/safety-and-outages/lava-eruption-updates
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Offline thackney

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...Lava has oozed over two wells at the Puna geothermal power plant, but county officials said the flow stopped. Officials said there was no release of any dangerous hydrogen sulfide gas after lava crept over the plugged wells.

More wells are threatened by the 2,000 degree molten rock, Evans reports....

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hawaii-volcano-eruption-forces-people-flee-fast-lava-kilauea-today-2018-05-29/
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