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Solution Caving
Solution mining techniques are used
for extracting soluble ores such as
potash and salt in situations where
conventional mining methods would
not be economic. Total solution of all
the mineral is not always
accomplished. Sulfur is mined by the
Frasch process, using steam to melt
the sulfur and bring it to the surface
through bore holes. The future of
solution mining appears promising,
for there is constant improvement in
equipment, solvent, and in technology
of breaking rock in place and
controlling the movements of fluids
through it.
In mining salt, potash, and sulfur, the
overburden and surface over it
subside. Subsidence it desirable,
because it increases the solution of
mineral, and destroys voids, reducing
the amount of solution required and
the time needed for it to act.
Typical Salt Dome
There are over 500 known underground salt domes in the Gulf Coast region
stretching from Mexico to the Florida panhandle. These domes originate from a
thick bed of salt as deep as 4 to 5 miles below the surface. Because salt is less dense
or "buoyant" compared to the surrounding sediments and because salt can flow at
higher temperatures and pressures, these salt domes push their way up through the
sediment layers almost to the surface. These "piercement" salt domes are made of
mostly pure salt "halite" and serve as a valuable resource for several industries. A
typical salt dome is roughly circular in shape and averages about 1 to 2 miles in
diameter. The tops of most domes that are commercially mined, either by solution
mining or by "dry" room and pillar mining, are only a few hundred to a few
thousand feet below the surface and their base extends downwards 20,000 to 25,000
feet below the ground.
SOLUTION MINING CAVERNS
The chemical industry uses salt "sodium chloride" as a basic raw material in many
of their manufacturing processes. Salt saturated brine is produced by solution
mining the rock salt from inside these underground salt domes. A large diameter
borehole is drilled to about 4000 - 5000' deep using standard oil industry drilling
methods. A series of pipes or "casings" are cemented into the borehole to provide
environmental protection to the surrounding sediments. Next an injection pipe and
a production pipe are lowered to the bottom of the borehole. Fresh water is pumped
through the injection pipe, the salt is dissolved, and the resulting salt saturated
brine is pumped to the surface through the production pipe. A pad oil material,
typically " diesel" is pumped into the roof of the salt cavern that is formed in the
mining process. This pad oil floats on top of the fresh water and brine and acts to
control the mining and protect the cavern roof from mining upwards instead of
outwards. Significant geomechanical design work is engineered into these caverns to
ensure long term safety and stability. Once the caverns are mined out to their
desired size and shape, they are ready to be converted to underground storage wells
STORAGE CAVERNS
One of the most beneficial characteristics of these underground caverns is their
ability to store large quantities of hydrocarbon products. Salt caverns are essentially
impermeable, meaning no fluid or gas can escape through the surrounding rock
salt. This makes them ideal for storing high pressure hydrocarbon products ranging
from LPG's (Liquefied Petroleum Gasses: ethane, propane, butane, ect,) to Natural
Gas (methane).
Because these hydrocarbon products are lighter than brine, they will float on top of
the brine within the caverns. To inject products into the cavern, the products are
pumped down the outer annulus of the pipe casings and the brine is displaced up
and out of the inner brine pipe. The reverse operation brings product out o f the
cavern by pumping in the brine and retrieving out the product.
The size of the caverns average around 300 to 600 feet in diameter and can be up to
2000 - 3000' tall. To help visualize the size of a cavern, picture the Houston
Astrodome buried about 3 000' below the ground. The size of the Astrodome will
contain about 10 million barrels of volume, whereas these underground salt caverns
range in size from 1 or 2 million barrels to over 20 million barrels of storage
volume.
