Titanium in the geothermal industry

Titanium resists seawater and brine at temperatures as high as 260 C, and is also resistant to corrosion by sulphur dioxide; hydrogen sulphide; and aqueous solutions of those gases. Titanium is fully resistant to corrosion and stress corrosion cracking in the standard NACE test solution containing 3000 ppm dissolved H2S, 5% NaCl, and 0.5% acetic acid (pH 3.5). To avoid pitting at temperatures above 80 C, titanium alloys containing nickel, molybdenum, palladium or ruthenium are used. Examples of equipment fabricated in titanium in order to withstand the corrosive fluids present in some geothermal installations are plate heat exchangers and well casing. By careful selection of the grade of titanium, material thickness (with no corrosion allowance) and fabrication method, an economic fabrication with low maintenance costs and high availability can be achieved. A prime example of the application of titanium in the geothermal industry is the use of Grade 29 well casing in the Salton Sea, USA, which enables the exploitation of a geothermal resource containing highly corrosive brine. Advances in production technology are being applied to reduce the cost of the casing pipe. This technology may enable the use of sea water injection to augment weak or depleted aquifers, or to generate steam from Hot Dry Rocks. # 2003 CNR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved