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quote:
Originally posted by ironyak
I do have to question one thing Dr Thomas said though - "when we look at the chemistry of the fluids we don't find high levels of toxic elements like arsenic or boron or ammonia in Hawaii's geothermal fluids because the rocks are not rich in those elements. ... Geyer's geothermal fields ... there is mercury, lead that has contaminated the streams..."
However, in the analysis of PGV brine arsenic (Ar) has been over 2000 ppm, and mercury (Hg) has been around 2 ppm, which is way higher than the Geyer's Geothermal field values of 0.2 ppm for arsenic and 0.005 ppm for mercury. PGV's brine does have Lead (Pb) as well, up over 4%, but I don't have numbers for boron or ammonia to compare which may be what he was trying to highlight? I'm sure someone can clarify this point hopefully.
PGV Brine Analysis (Table 1): http://pubs.geothermal-library.org/lib/grc/1028353.pdf
Geothermal Energy (Table 8.1 Contaminant concentrations) http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/00...33254e.pdf
ironyak, You might want to read the title of that article a little more carefully: those analyses in Table 1 were of scale material collected from various places in the PGV power plant - not from brine samples. The concentrations in the scale are very different from the concentrations in the brine. The table lists the gold concentration as 17 oz. per ton of material and silver at 399.6 oz. per ton - if that was the concentration in the brine, there would be a lot more geothermal wells in Puna than there are today...
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geochem - those analyses in Table 1 were of scale material collected from various places in the PGV power plant - not from brine samples.
Thanks geochem, clearly my mistake. I felt like something was amiss in my early morning post - caffeine first from now on. 
However, I would still question if PGV brines really contain that much less of the elements you mentioned as compared to Geyser's geothermal field. Pulling from a better (if old) source on PGV brine analysis, arsenic is given as 0.09 - 0.4 ppm, compared to 0.2 ppm at Geysers, mercury is given as <0.001 - <0.05 ppm, compared to 0.005 ppm. Ammonia is however much, much lower at PGV at <0.01 - 0.1 ppm compared to 194 ppm.
For these samples from these early wells at PGV, arsenic could be twice as high and mercury ten times as high as compared to the values given for Geyser's, yes? Seems hard to say we don't find high levels of toxic elements like arsenic at PGV given these values.
https://evols.library.manoa.hawaii.edu/b...tement.pdf
geochem - if that was the [gold and silver] concentration in the brine, there would be a lot more geothermal wells in Puna than there are today...
We all know a lot more geothermal wells in Puna is the goal regardless of if there is enough literal gold in dem der wells, right? That 500MW and inter-island cable plan just doesn't die easily I guess.
It's always nice to chat geothermal with you. I'm sure we'll being hearing more about this in the near future.
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quote:
Originally posted by PaulW
I wish them all the best and I hope they can expand their operations.
Hear, hear!
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all you worried pickleheads please read...
in Northern California, where the 'save the world' alt hippie wannabees have far more common sense than any dirty Punatic....
"The Geysers is the world's largest geothermal field, containing a complex of 22 geothermal power plants, drawing steam from more than 350 wells"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Geysers
in Puna we HAD 1 plant with 11 wells......
OMG!
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save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha
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save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha
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The plant and wells are still there....
Puna: Our roosters crow first
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Moving this here as it fits better. https://evols.library.manoa.hawaii.edu/b...0Draft.pdf
This is the Draft EIS from 1988 detailing the plans for large scale geothermal production for inter-island electricity.
The State of Hawaii anticipates that by the year 2007 up to 500 deliverable megawatts (MW or MWe) of geothermally-generated electricity would be needed for transmission from the island of Hawaii to the islands of Maui (up to 50 megawatts) and Oahu via an interisland cable system.
Things however haven't gone as planned as the pesky Volcano Village folks got Kahauale'a Geothermal Project stopped, and PDF & friends got Mid-Pacific Geothermal Venture stopped (couldn't find steam either) and so only PGV was built ultimately.
However, the slate has now been wiped clean (literally) so why not dust off the old maps and plans?
KILAUEA MIDDLE EAST RIFT: Total GRS Area 177-208 Ac
Power Plant Sites (4)
Drilling Sites (15)
...
KAMAILI SECTION: Total GRS Area = 121-148 Ac
Power Plant Sites (4)
Drilling Sites (15)
...
KAPOHO SECTION: Total GRS Area = 127-151 Ac
Power Plant Sites (4)
Drilling sites (12)
...
The Kamaili section is centrally located and is separated from the Kapoho section by the sparsely developed Leilani Estates subdivision.
Leilani Estates is smack dab central for geothermal in the LERZ and once again sparsely developed. How convenient?
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ironyak,
Not sure what yr point is?
The geothermal folks caused the eruption so they could take over the rift zone? According to a plan from 30 years ago? Likely not, since you moved the discussion here, off the conspiracy thread. Is there a word for counter-conspiracy conspiracy? 
Sheesh, it must be late in the day. Just not following...
Cheers,
Kirt
Edit typo and second paragraph addition.
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"Is there a word for counter-conspiracy conspiracy?"
Yes, and it's simply counterconspiracy. It seems to be a real word. I don't know yet if there's such a thing as a counter-counterconspiracy though, but there is a conspiracy out there that suggests ex-conspiracy theorists conspire to become counter-counterconspiracy theorists in retirement and leave conspiracy theories to current conspiracists so they don't have to worry about counterconspiracies or counter-counterconspiracies.
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Wrong thread y'all - I was just pointing out that the State has some long held plans for geothermal production that all of a sudden fit the new terrain in lower Puna. As the rounds are being made again to promote geothermal, it never hurts to review the tale of the tape.
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Wrong thread? Now we have another conspiracy to conspire against.
Apologies, was just replying to Kirt. As for PGV, well, I have to admit I'm not optimistic they'll be operational again in the near future. We've already seen how a small minority can delay and possibly kill the TMT and will not be surprised if something similar now happens with PGV. I understand the situations are different, but that small minority have learned how to delay things.
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