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Spatial and temporal evolution of leaching zones within potash seams reproduced by reactive transport simulations
- Leaching zones within potash seams generally represent a significant risk to subsurface mining operations and the construction of technical caverns in salt rocks, but their temporal and spatial formation has been investigated only rudimentarily to date. To the knowledge of the authors, current reactive transport simulation implementations are not capable to address hydraulic-chemical interactions within potash salt. For this reason, a reactive transport model has been developed and complemented by an innovative approach to calculate the interchange of minerals and solution at the water-rock interface. Using this model, a scenario analysis was carried out based on a carnallite-bearing potash seam. The results show that the evolution of leaching zones depends on the mineral composition and dissolution rate of the original salt rock, and that the formation can be classified by the dimensionless parameters of Peclet (Pe) and Damkohler (Da). For Pe > 2 and Da > 1, a funnel-shaped leaching zone is formed, otherwise the dissolution front isLeaching zones within potash seams generally represent a significant risk to subsurface mining operations and the construction of technical caverns in salt rocks, but their temporal and spatial formation has been investigated only rudimentarily to date. To the knowledge of the authors, current reactive transport simulation implementations are not capable to address hydraulic-chemical interactions within potash salt. For this reason, a reactive transport model has been developed and complemented by an innovative approach to calculate the interchange of minerals and solution at the water-rock interface. Using this model, a scenario analysis was carried out based on a carnallite-bearing potash seam. The results show that the evolution of leaching zones depends on the mineral composition and dissolution rate of the original salt rock, and that the formation can be classified by the dimensionless parameters of Peclet (Pe) and Damkohler (Da). For Pe > 2 and Da > 1, a funnel-shaped leaching zone is formed, otherwise the dissolution front is planar. Additionally, Da > 1 results in the formation of a sylvinitic zone and a flow barrier. Most scenarios represent hybrid forms of these cases. The simulated shapes and mineralogies are confirmed by literature data and can be used to assess the hazard potential.…
Author details: | Svenja StedingORCiDGND, Thomas KempkaORCiDGND, Axel ZirklerGND, Michael KühnORCiDGND |
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DOI: | https://doi.org/10.3390/w13020168 |
ISSN: | 2073-4441 |
Title of parent work (English): | Water / Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI) |
Publisher: | Molecular Diversity Preservation International |
Place of publishing: | Basel |
Publication type: | Article |
Language: | English |
Date of first publication: | 2021/01/13 |
Publication year: | 2021 |
Release date: | 2024/02/15 |
Tag: | PHREEQC; Pitzer; carnallite; density-driven flow; equations; water rock interaction |
Volume: | 13 |
Issue: | 2 |
Article number: | 168 |
Number of pages: | 21 |
Funding institution: | Federal Ministry of Education and Research, GermanyFederal Ministry of Education & Research (BMBF) [03A0014A] |
Organizational units: | Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Geowissenschaften |
DDC classification: | 5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 55 Geowissenschaften, Geologie / 550 Geowissenschaften |
6 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften / 69 Hausbau, Bauhandwerk / 690 Hausbau, Bauhandwerk | |
Peer review: | Referiert |
Publishing method: | Open Access / Gold Open-Access |
DOAJ gelistet | |
License (German): | CC-BY - Namensnennung 4.0 International |