Abstract
Vapour-dominated geothermal systems present an apparently extraordinary physical phenomenon—a layer of water lying stably on a body of steam. The first geothermal exploitation at Lardarello, Italy, was in such an area. We present here an analysis of the gravitational stability of water over steam in a porous medium. This shows that the near surface condensate layer of a vapour-dominated geothermal system can be stably maintained above the main steam reservoir by restoring forces associated with the displacement of the phase-change interface. For typical conditions in vapour-dominated geothermal systems, stability can be maintained provided that the permeability of the rocks at the depth of the steam–water boundary does not exceed about 40 nm2 (0.04 millidarcy). The stability requirement determines the thickness of the condensate layer or the proximity of the top of the steam reservoir to the surface.
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Schubert, G., Straus, J. & Grant, M. A problem posed by vapour-dominated geothermal systems. Nature 287, 423–425 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1038/287423a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/287423a0
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