Preliminary moisture release experiment in a potash mine in southeastern New Mexico

Technical Report · Sun Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1981

OSTI ID:5947892

Ewing, R I

An in situ moisture release experiment was performed in the Mississippi Chemical Corporation Potash Mine near Carlsbad, New Mexico. A radiant heater, used previously in another mine experiment, was used to heat internally a selected formation to about 200/sup 0/C for a total operating time of 113 days. The moisture released by heating the walls of the 5-inch diameter borehole into which the heater was inserted was measured using a moisture collection system employing commercial desiccant canisters. This system had also been used in the previous mine experiment. The moisture yields for 113 days of operation was 188 +- 8 grams. Of this amount 75 +- 4 grams was released in an overtemperature spike lasting about 10 days, in which wall temperatures exceeded 250/sup 0/C. The moisture release rate was 0.4 gram/day during the last week of operation at a wall temperature of 180/sup 0/ +- 10/sup 0/C. Elevated release rates up to 11 grams/day were noted for short periods after the heater was turned on or off.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 5947892
• Report Number(s): SAND-81-1318; ON: DE82003688
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
POTASSIUM CARBONATES
ELECTRIC HEATING
MOISTURE
BOREHOLES
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
HEATERS
MEASURING METHODS
MINES
NEW MEXICO
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS
YIELDS
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBONATES
CAVITIES
DATA
HEATING
INFORMATION
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POTASSIUM COMPOUNDS
SOUTHWEST REGION
USA
580100* - Geology & Hydrology- (-1989)
052002 - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage