The results of a theoretical study and numerical analysis of the role of capillary pressure of cold water injection into depleted geothermal reservoirs are presented. A simplified 1-D mathematical model is developed, that describes the motion of a sharp vaporization front. Some asymptotic estimates for a wide range of parameters are given and a similarity solution is derived. Analytical results are then compared with those obtained from the numerical reservoir simulator TOUGH2, showing a good agreement between the two. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.