The influence of gas and humidity on the mineralogy of various salt compositions – implications for natural and technical caverns

The influence of gas and humidity on the mineralogy of various salt compositions – implications for natural and technical caverns

Storage caverns are increasingly located in heterogeneous salt deposits and filled with various fluids. The knowledge of phase behaviour in heterogeneous systems of salt, liquid and gas and the requirements for reliable analytical techniques is, therefore, of growing interest. A method that allows f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Advances in geosciences Vol. 45; pp. 227 - 233
Main Authors: Strauch, Bettina, Zimmer, Martin, Zirkler, Axel, Höntzsch, Stefan, Schleicher, Anja M
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Katlenburg-Lindau Copernicus GmbH 29-08-2018
Copernicus Publications
Subjects:
Acidification
Analysis
Analytical methods
Atmospheric gases
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide atmospheric concentrations
Carnallite
Caverns
Chemical properties
Composition
Conversion
Crystals
Dissolution
Dissolving
Environmental aspects
Fluids
Halite
Halites
Humidity
Influence
Kainite
Kinetics
Mineral assemblages
Mineral composition
Mineralogy
Reaction kinetics
Recrystallization
Salt deposits
Salts
Storage
Sylvite
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Summary:Storage caverns are increasingly located in heterogeneous salt deposits and filled with various fluids. The knowledge of phase behaviour in heterogeneous systems of salt, liquid and gas and the requirements for reliable analytical techniques is, therefore, of growing interest. A method that allows for the continuous monitoring of mineral compositions at distinct humidity and gas content using XRD measurements is presented here. Various saliniferous mineral compositions have been investigated in pure CO2, N2 or CH4 atmospheres with varying humidity in a closed chamber. All mineral compositions experience dissolution and/or mineral conversion reaction accompanied by volume loss. Dissolution-recrystallization reactions of complex mineral assemblages involving halite, sylvite, kieserite, carnallite and kainite were observed using this method. For carnallite-rich mineral assemblages, the mineral conversion from carnallite to sylvite was observed when humidity exceeded 50 % RH. In the presence of CO2, acidification of the aqueous phase occurs which enhances the dissolution rate and reaction kinetics.
ISSN:1680-7359
1680-7340
1680-7359
DOI:10.5194/adgeo-45-227-2018