Case Study: Thermochem Portable Low-Emissions Container Muffler

The Challenge

Longtime Timberline client Thermochem needed a new product that could perform geothermal well flow testing to assess the energy potential of a well for use in reservoir modeling and the design of new power stations.

This heavy industrial work is often conducted in highly remote areas worldwide, making access to the infrastructure required for large-scale metal fabrication (a must for previous models of cyclone separators utilized for the task) a challenge. The sheer size of the often 15 foot diameter separators pose another challenge as they are often too large to be transported on local roads.

Thermochem came to Timberline for assistance with the design of a new solution that could provide a high level of accuracy while significantly improving the portability of the product. In addition, they wanted a tool that would alleviate some of the environmental issues the cyclone separators can create.

The Thermochem Portable Low-Emissions Well Test Muffler is fabricated using standard ISO intermodal shipping containers, allowing them to be transported using standard trucking and ocean freight shipping lines worldwide.

What Timberline Did

The Timberline team provided full mechanical design of the muffler system including modification to the standard ISO containers, piping systems, support systems and structural analysis.  Design provisions needed to be developed to enable the system components to be shipped inside the containers and converted into the muffler system in the field.  Timberline also provided fabrication management and inspection before units were shipped overseas.

The Result

The Thermochem Container Mufflers are a cost-effective solution for geothermal well testing, offering rapid deployment anywhere in the world. High-efficiency separation of brine provides lower drift rates for brine and other chemicals, plus lower noise emissions, making them a high performance alternative to production cyclone separators.