Title: C5+ hydrocarbons in fumarolic gases from the Kakkonda (Takinoue) geothermal area, Japan.
Abstract:Three fumarolic gases, both gas and liquid phases, from the Kakkonda (Takinoue) geothermal area, northern Japan, were analyzed with a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer to confirm the presence of C5+...Three fumarolic gases, both gas and liquid phases, from the Kakkonda (Takinoue) geothermal area, northern Japan, were analyzed with a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer to confirm the presence of C5+ hydrocarbons in the geothermal fluid of this area. C5+ hydrocarbons found in the analyses were mainly alkanes (C5-C15), aromatics (C6-C12) and cycloalkanes (C6-C8). Alkanes in the gas phase of one of the three samples show C10-C11 predominance, which has not been observed in other geothermal fields before. This clearly shows that compositions of heavier hydrocarbons from fumaroles in this area are not uniform. The variety suggests that up-flows in this geothermal circulation system take hydrocarbons with various degrees of thermal degradation up to the surface.Read More