Department of the Development of Mining and Underground Storage Facilities

The Department of the Development of Mining and Underground Storage Facilities is the lead Department of The Research and Development Centre for Mining of Chemical Raw Materials “CHEMKOP” Ltd. It concentrates mainly on research, design, and consulting services offered to salt, as well as salt-based refinery and chemical industries, and natural-gas industry and businesses, providing development, improvement, and implementation of new technologies and new system applications, as regards water-soluble minerals.

The thematic scope of our services concerns primarily underground storage projects for natural gas and other gases and liquid hydrocarbons in salt caverns, leaching and mining of salt and other soluble evaporites, drilling, specialist software packages, geology, hydrogeology, geomechanics, and physical and chemical testing of rocks.

We have also implemented research and development works on underground hydrogen storage, as a method of storing energy generated from renewable resources.

We carry out chemical testing of rocks for the needs of various leaching projects involving mineral deposits, including salts. In particular, we determine leachability of salt rocks, test new leaching technologies in our laboratory, using physical models, with classical geomechanical and geological testing of salt samples collected from documented or currently mined deposits, using leaching or traditional methods. Research on models concern backfill materials for hydraulic backfilling of excavation voids, as well as leaching acid applied in salt deposits, together with the construction of physical models produced with evaporite materials.

Based on our broad and long-term experience, demonstrated by our highly qualified personnel, representing unique competences, we are able to offer ever expanding process knowledge to our customers and partners, as regards all aspects of underground storage and deposition of substances and materials within salt deposits and general salt mining.

Our Department can ensure preparation and implementation of relevant capital investment projects, starting from research and continuing through a feasibility study, design, drafting of concession application documentation, as well as geological, hydrogeological documentation, with the provision of supervision services for the project development and start-up (in respect of the underground project sections).

Determination of rock salt leachability

Underground leaching of salt deposits, for the purpose of obtaining caverns designed for storage or deposition purposes, as well as regular salt and other soluble mineral extraction, requires specific parameters that can be tested in laboratory conditions. We provide the following testing services, based on in-house methodology:

• Leaching rate determined for salt rock samples. We have completed such services for all salt deposits explored in Poland.
• Various leaching properties determined for water-soluble salts. Such tests were performed on mineral samples delivered from Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Slovakia, Turkey, and other countries.
• Quantity of insoluble parts in salts.
• Influence of temperature and types of leaching media on mineral leachability.

Physical models produced with evaporite materials

• Study models of the caverns to be leached, cut from large blocks of rock salt.
• Modelling of typical cavern leaching stages.
• Measurements of the technical parameters that control the leaching process.
• Recording of the course of leaching and the development of the cavern, using several methods.

Laboratory testing of new leaching technologies, using physical models

• Examinations of cavern leaching models, cut from soluble mineral blocks.
• Modelling of new leaching methods, including tunnel leaching.
• Modelling of leaching methods for new soluble minerals.
• Testing of the parameters of typical solvents obtained from solutions and of the cavern development, required for the preparation of a new leaching process technology.

Classical geomechanical tests of salt samples collected from documented or currently mined deposits, using leaching or traditional processes

• Preparation of salt samples from cores and rock blocks.
• Immediate strength testing to determine rock formation properties.
• Immediate strength testing of salt rock samples, in uniaxial and triaxial stress state and within the temperature range from 20°C to 90°C.

Rheological testing of salt rock samples collected from documented or currently mined deposits, using leaching or traditional processes

• Preparation of salt samples from cores and rock blocks.
• Long-term creep and relaxation tests of salt, in uniaxial and triaxial stress state and the temperature of up to 90°C, using unique sets of uniaxial and triaxial creep testing machine set.
• Testing duration: from several days to three years.

Model examinations of the backfill materials for hydraulic backfilling of mine workings or caverns leached in salt deposits

• Selection of backfill material for large-size chambers and caverns in salt deposits.
• Testing of physical and mechanical properties of backfill mixtures.
• Testing of the models of hydraulic backfilling of a cavern and of the degree of brine contamination in contact with the backfill mixture components.