公开(公告)号：US20130171048A1

公开(公告)日：2013-07-04

申请号：US13726005

申请日：2012-12-21

Applicant: SOLVAY SA

Inventor： James D. PHILLIP ,  Alain VANDENDOREN

IPC: E21B43/28 ,  E21B43/34

CPC classification number: E21B43/28 ,  C01D7/12 ,  C01D7/126 ,  E21B43/281 ,  E21B43/283 ,  E21B43/34

Abstract: A solution mining method for recovering alkali values from a cavity of an underground ore formation comprising trona and/or wegscheiderite; a manufacturing process using such method to make sodium-based product(s); and a sodium-based product obtained therefrom. The method comprises: an ore dissolution phase (a) in which the incongruent double-salt in trona and/or wegscheiderite is dissolved from an ore face in a first solvent, and a cavity cleaning phase (b) in which sodium bicarbonate deposited on the ore face during the dissolution phase (a) is dissolved into a second aqueous solvent having a higher pH, hydroxide content, and/or temperature and is partly or completely converted in situ to sodium carbonate. The method further comprises withdrawing a liquor resulting from either phase to the ground surface, optionally recycling some liquor to the cavity; and passing some liquor through a crystallizer, a reactor, and/or an electrodialyser, to form at least one sodium-based product which is recovered.