The Mosaic Company

Sheldon Rinas

Carey Heinbigner

Kathlene Laurie Jacobson

Cam Thiele

Sarah Hornung

Shayne LaMontagne

Jason Peters

Jason Spring

Tyler Howard

Methods for cavern rubblization for enhanced potash recovery are disclosed. In embodiments, such a method includes pressure cycling. The method can include pressurizing a cavity to maximum flow capacity followed by rapid relief of the cavity pressure. In this embodiment, this cycle of pressurization and rapid relief is repeated several times. Other embodiments of cavern rubblization and methods for enhanced potash recovery, a technique of fluid pulsing is used. According to embodiments, a tool can be used to pulse pressure through clay seams to be wetted. According to both embodiments, these methods increase potash recovery during mining.

Methods of improved cavern rubblization for enhanced potash recovery

Injection fluids formed of reverse emulsions and related methods of forming and using reverse emulsions for cavity control in solution mining. The reverse emulsion can reduce the volume of oil required to create an oil pad at the roof of a solution mining cavern in order to prevent vertical leaching and cavern collapse. The reverse emulsion can be formed from an emulsifier, a brine solution and oil. The emulsifier concentration can range from about 1% to about 5% by weight of the reverse emulsion. The emulsifier and the oil can be combined to form an oil/emulsifier mixture, wherein the oil/emulsifier mixture is combined with the brine solution to form the reverse emulsion. The oil/emulsifier mixture can be from about 1% to about 5% by weight of the reverse emulsion.

Reverse emulsions for cavity control

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Regina, Canada

Sheldon Rinas