Apparatus, method and system for single well solution-mining

Abstract

A method, system and apparatus is presented for solution-mining of subterranean materials such as trona, nahcolite, thermonatrite, pirssonite, natron, dawsonite, wegscheiderite, gaylussite, shortite, halite, and other salts, minerals, and so forth. The method comprises injecting a fluid into an elbow well, the fluid forming a subterranean mixture with the subterranean material in a single cavity, and collecting the subterranean mixture from the elbow well. The system comprises an injector for injecting a fluid into an elbow well, the fluid forming a subterranean mixture with the subterranean material in a single cavity, and a collector for collecting the subterranean mixture from the elbow well. The apparatus comprises a production casing, wherein the production casing has a production casing inner diameter of sufficient size to allow for production of a subterranean mixture of the fluid and the subterranean material between an outer surface of the injection tube and an inner surface of the production casing.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.