As part of the ‘Geothermal: the Next Generation’ research programme, members of our team have been investigating quartz solubility data at high temperatures and pressures. This data is vital for dealing with the geochemistry of super-hot and supercritical fluids.

Citation: Rendel, P.M. and Mountain, B.W. (2023) Solubility of quartz in supercritical water from 375°C to 600°C and 200-270 bar. The Journal of Supercritical Fluids, 196, 105883.

In this recently published peer-reviewed paper, the authors experimentally determined the solubility of quartz in deionised water from 375°C to 600°C and 200–270 bar. Solubility isotherms were produced at 25°C increments in the approximate range of temperature and pressure expected to be found in deep geothermal systems where supercritical conditions could be expected. The experiments were performed using a unique flow-through reactor capable of reaching supercritical conditions for pure water. Quartz solubility has not been previously well-defined in this region.

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