US 7,410,627 B2 · Sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate production

Abstract

A method for solution mining nahcolite, capable of extracting nahcolite from geological formations lean in nahcolite comprising injecting high pressure water (which may include recycled aqueous solution of bicarb and sodium carbonate) at a temperature of at least 250° F. into the formation, dissolving nahcolite in the hot water to form a production solution and recovering the production solution. The invention also includes the processing of the production solution to provide sodium carbonate and, optionally, sodium bicarbonate, comprising: decomposing the sodium bicarbonate portion of the hot aqueous production solution to form a hot aqueous solution of sodium carbonate; evaporating water from the hot aqueous solution comprising sodium carbonate to form a concentrated solution of sodium carbonate; producing sodium carbonate monohydrate from the concentrated solution of sodium carbonate by crystallization; and dewatering and calcining the sodium carbonate monohydrate to produce anhydrous sodium carbonate.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A process for the recovery of anhydrous sodium carbonate from a hot aqueous solution containing sodium bicarbonate comprising:

establishing a well into a mining zone;
injecting hot aqueous liquid via the well into a mining zone so that the hot aqueous liquid has a temperature of at least 250° F. in the mining zone and is maintained at a sufficiently high pressure to prevent the formation of carbon dioxide and water vapor;
forming in the mining zone a production solution comprising water and sodium bicarbonate;
recovering the production solution from the mining zone through the well in which the hot aqueous liquid is injected;
decomposing the sodium bicarbonate portion of the production solution to form a hot aqueous solution comprising sodium carbonate, wherein the hot aqueous solution is at a pressure sufficient to prevent the flashing of carbon dioxide;
and
recovering anhydrous sodium carbonate from the hot aqueous solution comprising sodium carbonate.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

11/340,444Filed 25 Jan 2006 · continuation

Priority

8 Jan 1999

Published

US 2006/0120942 A18 Jun 2006

Granted

12 Aug 2008

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

C01D 7/12
Carbonates of sodium, potassium or alkali metals in general: preparation of carbonates from bicarbonates or bicarbonate-containing product
C01D 7/126
Preparation of carbonates from bicarbonates or bicarbonate-containing product: multi-step processes, e.g. from trona to soda ash
C01D 7/35
Carbonates of sodium, potassium or alkali metals in general: varying the content of water of crystallisation or the specific gravity
E21B 43/281
Dissolving minerals other than hydrocarbons, e.g. by an alkaline or acid leaching agent: using heat

Family

Application60/115,184Us provisional application · filed 8 Jan 1999

Application09/480,092Parent of this continuation · filed 10 Jan 2000

Application10/622,162Parent of this continuation · filed 15 Jul 2003

US 2006/0120942 A1Pre-grant publication · published 8 Jun 2006

US 7,128,866 B1Parent of this continuation

US 6,609,761 B1Parent of this continuation

US 2004/0026982 A1Published application

US 7,128,886 B2Related patent

US 7,410,627 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate production

Life of this patent

Sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate production

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15