Composition, method and system for stabilising a rock mass
AssigneeStratalock Pty Ltd
InventorEthan Cornford
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A composition for use in a method or a system to stabilise a material such as geological strata or a rock mass in which initially retarded gypsum is accelerated at the time of introduction or injection into the rock mass. The retarding of the gypsum may be accomplished by a retarder such as a hydration inhibitor mixed with the gypsum and the acceleration may be accomplished by an accelerant added to mixture of the gypsum and retarder. Upon introduction of the accelerant, water is also added to initially reduce the viscosity of the composition so as to be less than the initially retarded gypsum so as to make it more easily pumpable before becoming set within the geological strata or a rock mass.
Claims20
A method of stabilising a rock mass including injecting into a hole at pressure an injectable media, the method including:
- a. Forming a Part AB by mixing at a Part A including water and a hydration inhibitor and a Part B including gypsum such that Part AB remains at a first viscosity below a pumpable viscosity threshold for a first time period;
- b. Mixing, immediately prior to introduction into the rock mass, the Part AB with a Part C including an activator and water to provide the injectable media having a second viscosity which is initially at least about 2,500 cps less than the first viscosity;
- and
- c. Pumping the injectable media into the hole at pressure such that the injectable media moves into and sets within at least one of voids, spaces and cracks of the rock mass, the second viscosity increasing over an injection time period toward a pumpability threshold at which the injectable media is no longer able to be pumped, the injection time period being less than about 5 minutes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.