Unraveling the Formation of Large Amounts of Calcite Scaling in Geothermal Wells in the Bavarian Molasse Basin: A Reactive Transport Modeling Approach

Results from reactive transport simulations performed for the geothermal plant in Kirchstockach, located in the Bavarian Molasse Basin in southern Germany, are presented to unravel the formation of calcite scaling. Simulation results successfully predict the calcite scaling profile observed along the production well if supersaturation with respect to calcite is specified for the model water leaving the pump at 800 m depth. This observation is in good agreement with a previous study suggesting that gas exsolution (i.e., boiling) occurring at the pump due to an unwanted pressure drop is the most likely driver for the formation of those calcite scalings.