The Moana geothermal system in Reno, Nevada [electronic resource] : A hydrologic, geochemical, and thermal analysis
- Published:
- Washington, D.C. : United States. Dept. of Energy, 1991. and Oak Ridge, Tenn. : Distributed by the Office of Scientific and Technical Information, U.S. Dept. of Energy.
- Physical Description:
- Pages: (181 pages) : digital, PDF file
- Additional Creators:
- University and Community College System of Nevada. Water Resources Center, United States. Department of Energy, and United States. Department of Energy. Office of Scientific and Technical Information
- Access Online:
- www.osti.gov
- Summary:
- The Moana geothermal systems, located in Reno, Nevada, is a moderate-temperature geothermal resource used for space heating applications. Both historic and new hydrologic, thermal, and groundwater chemistry data were collected to evaluate the Moana system and to develop a calibrated numerical model of the geothermal aquifer for investigation of resource development scenarios. The new data collection consisted of static water level measurements and temperature with depth measurements for a 13-month period at 26 geothermal wells to investigate hydrologic and thermal changes with time. In addition, groundwater chemistry sampling at 10 wells was used to evaluate mixing of thermal and nonthermal waters. Collected information indicates that in the most heavily used portion of the geothermal aquifer, the hydraulic heads have declined. This decline may induce additional leakage of cooler water from the overlying unconfined aquifer and lead to decreased temperatures at well locations in the geothermal aquifer. The groundwater chemistry data show concentration changes with temperature for boron, chloride, fluoride, lithium, and bicarbonate that are a function of the degree of mixing of thermal and nonthermal waters. Temporal changes in these constituents may be used as an indication of relative temperature changes in the geothermal system caused by mixing at a given location. An attempt was made to use the hydraulic head and maximum temperature data to develop a calibrated numerical model for the Moana geothermal system. However, lack of information about the horizontal and vertical thermal and fluid fluxes made the development of a calibrated model not possible at this time. 25 refs., 54 figs., 6 tabs.
- Subject(s):
- Note:
- Published through SciTech Connect., 03/01/1991., "doe/id/12757-1", "DE91013155", and Johnston, J.W.; Jacobson, E.A.
- Funding Information:
- FG07-88ID12757
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