«Belgorkhimprom» JSC (Minsk, Republic of Belarus):

Shemet S. F., Chief Executive Officer, Assistant Professor, Doctor of Engineering Sciences, e-mail: bmai@bmai.by

Shutin S. G., Head of Department, Candidate of Chemical Sciences, e-mail: bmсi@bmсi.by

Sudden irruptions of waters and brines into underground excavations take place during the development of coals, metallic ores and other minerals. Methods of liquidation of water inflows, developed for such irruptions, are considerably applicable to potassium deposits. However, these methods are insufficient: their liquidation at potassium mines is rather more complex task, connected with specifics of geological structure of deposits and physical-chemical influence of water (brine) with deads of potassium excavations. Guaranteeing of safe hydroisolation of contact of dam with excavation is one of complex problems. Together with well-known methods (application of special cements and fillers, hydration of cement mix by brines, tamping and molding by cement and polymeric structures), the specialists by «Belgorkhimprom» JSC offered a physical-chemical method of protection of excavation walls from dissolution and capsulation of «concrete-excavation» contact. This method foresees the healing of brine-supply cracks and fissures by crystallization of salts from saturated brines with addition of salting agents.

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