Bechtel International Corporation

Other

Charles A Lambly

Charles T Draney

Irving Leibson

Pierre J Chassagne

A method of separating and removing magnesium chloride hexahydrate from deep subterranean salt formations containing magnesium chloride hexahydrate, such as a carnallite bed or a bischofite bed, wherein one or more holes are drilled or provided through an overburden and into the bed. A solvent formed from any one of the lower saturated monohydric aliphatic alcohols having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, such as methanol, is directed downwardly in the hole and into contact with the bed, then upwardly through and out of the cased hole. Magnesium chloride hexahydrate is dissolved selectively by the solvent, but other salts, such as potassium chloride and sodium chloride, remain substantially insoluble in the solvent. The insolubles may be elevated out of the hole simultaneously with the lifting of the solvent-magnesium chloride hexahydrate solution or subsequent to such lifting. The flow is continued until the solvent is sufficiently lean to warrant the discontinuance of recovery of magnesium chloride hexahydrate, at which time the operation can be terminated or a second phase operation can be undertaken in which the slurry comprised of the solvent and the insolubles in the cavity of the bed is removed from the hole by conventional techniques, such as pumping or gas lifting.

Method for selectively extracting magnesium chloride hexahydrate from

Hydraulic mining of tar sands in a formation wherein water is introduced into a plurality of spaced cavities in the bottom of a tar sands formation and above a number of tunnels communicating with respective cavities by openings. In one embodiment of the method, water is sprayed onto exposed tar sands surfaces in the cavity and further creates a moist atmosphere in those regions of the cavity where the water is not directly sprayed on the surfaces. The moist atmosphere can be in the form of suspended water droplets or can be saturated water vapor at a temperature above the ambient temperature of the tar sands or a combination of both. The water on the exposed surfaces penetrates the formation along paths of preferential wetability, causing adjacent portions of the formation to separate and break loose from the formation itself in a direction in which the portions are free to expand. This separation enlarges each cavity and the separated tar sands portions eventually disintegrate and become loosened tar sands by the continued presence of the water spray and the moist atmosphere. Heat can be introduced in the form of steam or by heating the incoming water, and the heat accelerates the separation of the formation and the disintegration of the tar sands portions. The disintegrated tar sands are slurried in water with the aid of one or more water jets or by other suitable mechanical action, and are removed as a slurry by gravity flow from each cavity.

Method of removing tar sands from subterranean formations

Method for recovering bitumen from oil or tar sand using jets of hot water and/or steam introduced into the sand via raises connected to underlying spaced aprt tunnels. The jets are arcuately moved horizontally in overlapping patterns to slurry the sand. Caverns are formed by caving the tar sand and removal of the slurry into which the over burden is permitted to cave forming there above a surface depression usable as a tailing pond. Cavities are formed by other jets which connect with the priorly formed cavities so there is a continuous backward movement of interconnecting cavities.

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Alamo, CA, United States of America

Charles A Lambly