Geothermal power is becoming increasingly important in different regions of the World as a clean, renewable energy source. According to a recent research (source: ThinkGeoEnergy.com), Geothermal energy has grown to a total power generation capacity of 15,854 MW at the end of 2021. Thanks to the expected construction of a large number of plants worldwide and new exploration and drilling activities, these numbers are predicted to grow even more in 2022.

This clean power can be used both for heating/cooling and for green electricity production. During geothermal operations, however, the mineral rich brine can cause scaling issues inside the plants if not treated properly. This can affect efficiency and maintanance costs of the geothermal plants. Today, we talk about these topics and how Italmatch Chemicals Advanced Water Solutions is helping the geothermal market thanks to its Geogard® portfolio with Davide Parravicini, Technical Development Manager Geothermal and Oil and Gas at AWS.

Davide, geothermal is an important resource of green and renewable energy. What benefits in terms of efficiency and cost can Geogard® solutions offer to the customers?

Geothermal is growing and will play an important role in the next years helping energy transition. Italmatch Chemicals has a dedicated portfolio of solutions specifically developed for this application. The use of these technologies is associated to important benefits for geothermal operators. For example, they can improve the efficiency of the plant and power recovery by inhibiting scaling deposition. In addition, costly shutdowns for mechanical cleaning can be avoided, leading to significant money saving.

Scale formation can cause several issues during geothermal operations. What scaling tendencies are targeted by Geogard® range?

Most common scales in geothermal applications are silica/silicates, calcite, stibnite and NORMs. In our portfolio we have a specific solution for each of them. For example, Geogard®SX, Geogard®SX2 and Geogard®SX3 can be successfully used for controlling silica under a variety of conditions, while Geogard®CA and Geogard®HCA protect from calcite scaling. Furthermore, thanks to our R&D and flexibility, we are able to develop tailor-made solutions for specific customers and applications.

What are Italmatch recently developed products for Geothermal applications?

30% of our geothermal portfolio is generated by innovative technologies launched during last 2 years. Recently, we have introduced in our portfolio Geogard®N, a solution for controlling NORMs scale. We are also currently working on the development of a corrosion inhibitor able to provide good results under the high temperature conditions of a geothermal plant

Davide Parravicini graduated in Organic Chemistry at the University of Milan in 2014. After a brief experience in a local detergents company, he joined Italmatch Chemicals in 2016, working as laboratory technician in the R&D and Applicative Expertise Center of Arese, Milan, Italy. In 2019, Davide was promoted to Technical Development Manager. Today, his work is focused on Geothermal and O&G applications, providing technical support to marketing and sales teams and leading innovation projects.