A good oil well in the Persian Gulf produces about 100,000 bbl of oil per day. What mass flow rate of steam from a geothermal well located at the Larderello field in north- ern Italy would be required to provide the same rate of energy production? Are there any practical limitations to achieving this production rate? The Larderello field produces saturated steam at about 20 bar, 212.4°C. Assume a typical Larderello well is about 28 cm in diameter and is about 2,500 m deep. The enthalpy of vaporization is 1,890.7 kJ/kg at 20 bar. Assume an average liquid phase heat capacity for water of 4,100 J/kg K. Note that the energy content of a bbl of oil, which is about 5 million Btu, is referenced to its heat of combustion at 25°C.

A good oil well in the Persian Gulf produces about 100,000 bbl of oil per day. What mass flow rate of steam from a geothermal well located at the Larderello field in north- ern Italy would be required to provide the same rate of energy production? Are there any practical limitations to achieving this production rate? The Larderello field produces saturated steam at about 20 bar, 212.4°C. Assume a typical Larderello well is about 28 cm in diameter and is about 2,500 m deep. The enthalpy of vaporization is 1,890.7 kJ/kg at 20 bar. Assume an average liquid phase heat capacity for water of 4,100 J/kg K. Note that the energy content of a bbl of oil, which is about 5 million Btu, is referenced to its heat of combustion at 25°C.