Developments in geothermal energy in Mexico-part eleven: Two phase flow and the sizing of pipelines using the FLUDOF computer programme

Cost savings and thermodynamic advantages can result from the two phase conduction of geothermal fluid from well heads to central plant. A design methodology for two phase geothermal pipeline sizing is developed. A computer programme using the methodology is compared with field experiments in two Mexican geothermal fields, one situated in a plain and the other in a mountainous area. The calculations for the mountainous terrain pipeline agree within 10% with the experimental data. For the tests in flat terrain there are large errors attributed to severe scaling of pipelines. It is concluded that the programme FLUDOF requires improvement to allow for the effect of scaling in geothermal pipelines.