Borehole mining of solid mineral resources
AssigneeEdwin G. Higgins, Jr.
InventorBohdan M. Zakiewicz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention comprises a method of mining a solid substance, such as coal, minerals, or the like, from an underground deposit in one of a plurality of earth strata. Void areas are created in the deposit so as to generally define an area within the deposit which is to be enclosed. Plugging material is injected into the void areas to form a relatively impervious barrier enclosing the aforementioned area of the deposit and isolating it from the remainder of the earth strata in which it is located. Conversion media, such as solvents or oxidation supporting media, are then injected into the enclosed area to convert the substance therein into flowable form. Finally, the substance as so converted is withdrawn from the enclosed area.
Claims19
A method of mining a solid substance in an underground deposit in one of a plurality of earth strata comprising the steps of:
- creating void area in said one earth stratum by emplacing a plurality of explosive charges adjacent one another in said one earth stratum in a plurality of laterally spaced apart loci so as to generally define an area within said deposit to be enclosed, and detonating said charges to create said void areas, said void areas so formed being substantially continuous with one another;
- introducing plugging media into said void areas to form a relatively impervious barrier enclosing said area of said deposit and isolating it from the remainder of said one earth stratum;
- converting said solid substance within said enclosed area into flowable form by injecting conversion media into said enclosed area;
- and withdrawing said converted substance from said area.
A method of mining a solid substance in an underground deposit in one of a plurality of earth strata comprising the steps of:
- creating void areas in said one earth stratum by emplacing a plurality of explosive charges adjacent one another in said one earth stratum so as to generally define an area within said deposit to be enclosed, and detonating said charges to create said void areas;
- introducing plugging media into said void areas to form a relatively impervious barrier enclosing said area of said deposit and isolating it from the remainder of said one earth stratum, said plugging media comprising a solid or solidifiable material whereby said barrier forms a support structure for the overburden of said one earth stratum;
- emplacing secondary explosive charges within said enclosed area adjacent one another so as to generally define lines subdividing said area;
- detonating said secondary charges;
- injecting plugging media into void areas created by the detonation of said secondary charges to form relatively impervious screens subdividing said area into a plurality of working units;
- converting said solid substance within said working units into flowable form by injecting conversion media into said working units;
- and withdrawing said converted substance from said working units.
A method of mining a solid substance in an underground deposit in one of a plurality of earth strata comprising the steps of:
- creating void areas in said one earth stratum by emplacing a plurality of explosive charges adjacent one another in said one earth stratum in a plurality of laterally spaced apart loci so as to generally define an area within said deposit to be enclosed, and detonating said charges to create said void areas about said loci, said void areas so formed being discontinuous and interspersed with columns of said one earth stratum fragmented and compacted between said loci by said detonations;
- introducing plugging media into said void areas to form, together with said columns of fragmented and compacted material of said one earth stratum, a relatively impervious barrier enclosing said area of said deposit and isolating it from the remainder of said one earth stratum;
- converting said solid substance within said enclosed area into flowable form by injecting conversion media into said enclosed area;
- and withdrawing said converted substance from said area.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.