Influence of solution concentration and temperature on the dissolution process and the internal structure of glauberite

Although transport in porous media under the influence of chemistry and temperature is a common phenomenon, the dissolution and internal structure evolution of glauberite during in-situ mining have been unique and challenging. This uniqueness indicates the complexity of mineral dissolutions, whereas the challenge represents the characterization of pore development and evolution during the dissolution processes. To investigate the microstructure development of glauberite under the influence of chemistry and temperature, experimental studies were performed with fine cuboid specimens of 4 mm × 4 mm × 9 mm soaked in solutions of different concentrations(fresh water, half-saturated, and saturated brine). The evolutions of internal structures were monitored through a micro computed tomography system. The statistical analysis indicated that the concentration and temperature of solutions significantly influenced the evolutions of pore size, porosity, and specific surface area of glauberite. The results showed that the increase in the rates of pore size, porosity, and specific surface area declined with time when glauberite was saturated in fresh water. The main reason for pore parameter variation is the differential concentration of solution. However, in the half-saturated and saturated solutions, the increase in rate increased with time. These observations suggest that the chloride ions contained in the saline solution could facilitate the dissolution of glauberite, whereas the existence of salt effect could contribute to the dissolution of calcium sulfate. Compared with the results at 20?C and 65?C, the studied parameters of glauberite have dramatically decreased when the mineral was soaked in the solutions at high temperature(95?C). This function was most striking in fresh water. The dissolution of glauberite soaked in fresh water or half-saturated brine solution was conditioned by the temperature and solution concentration. However, the dissolution of glauberite was less influenced by temperature at high concentrations. These findings may feature significant implication for the effective recovery of mineral resources by in-situ solution mining method.

Experiments on mechanical properties of salt rocks under cyclic loading

The primary purpose of underground gas storages is to provide gas for seasonal consumptions or strategic reserve.The periodical operations of gas injection and extraction lead to cyclic loading on the walls and surrounding rocks of gas storages.To investigate the mechanical behaviors of different host rocks in bedded salt deposit,laboratory experiments were conducted on the samples of rock salt,thenardite,glauberite and gypsum.The mechanical properties of rock samples under monotonic and cyclic loadings were studied.Testing results show that,under monotonic loading,the uniaxial compressive stress（UCS） of glauberite is the largest（17.3 MPa）,while that of rock salt is the smallest（14.0 MPa）.The UCSs of thenardite and gypsum are 16.3 and 14.6 MPa,respectively.The maximum strain at the peak strength of rock salt（halite） is much greater than those of the other three rocks.The elastic moduli of halite,thenardite,glauberite and gypsum are 3.0,4.2,5.1 and 6.8 GPa,respectively.Under cyclic loading,the peak strengths of the rock specimens are deteriorated except for rock salt.The peak strengths of thenardite,glauberite and gypsum decrease by 33.7%,19.1% and 35.5%,respectively;and the strains of the three rocks at the peak strengths are almost the same.However,the strain of rock salt at the peak strength increases by 1.98%,twice more than that under monotonic loading.Under monotonic loading,deformation of the tested rock salt,thenardite and glauberite shows in an elastoplastic style.However,it changes to a ductile style under cyclic loading.Brittle deformation and failure are only observed for gypsum.The results should be helpful for engineering design and operation of gas storage in bedded salt deposit.

Two-state energy model and experimental study of coal adsorb methane

There are two states of methane existing in coal, free methane and adsorptive methane. The two states of methane exchanged with each other which need the energy exchange with outside. It is released heat when methane adsorption on coal, instead of absorbed heat. According to the gas molecules Boltzmann energy distribution, is obtained the equilibrium equations of the two states of methane in coal, as well as the heat of adsorption equation when exchanged into each other. At the same time, high temperature experiments of methane adsorption on coal have been certificated to the theoretical model. At last the experimental results presented that： the two-state energy model could be accurately described the distribution of the two states of methane in the coal; the adsorption heat is related to the initial equilibrium state of methane adsorption; the adsorption heats are different with different coal ranks.

Approach to minish scattering of results for split Hopkinson pressure bar test

Split Hopkinson pressure bar（SHPB） apparatus, usually used for testing behavior of material in median and high strain-rate, is now widely used in the study of rock dynamic constitutive relation, damage evolvement mechanism and energy consumption. However, the possible reasons of sampling disturbance, machining error and so on often lead to the scattering of test results, and bring ultimate difficulty for forming general test conclusion. Based on the stochastic finite element method, the uncertain parameters of specimen density ps, specimen radius Rs, specimen elastic modulus Es and specimen length Ls in the data processing of SHPB test were considered, and the correlation between the parameters and the test results was analyzed. The results show that the specimen radius Rs has direct correlation with the test result, improving the accuracy in preparing and measuring of specimen is an effective way to improve the accuracy of test and minish the scattering of results for SHPB test.