Method for concomitant mining and beneficiation of soluble mineral

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF CONCOMITANTLY MINING AND BENEFICIATING A DEPOSIT OF SOLUBLE MINERAL DISPOSED AT SUCH DEPTH BENEATH THE EARTH''S SURFACE AS TO BE SURROUNDED BY A GEOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT CHARACTERIZED BY BEING AT A SUBSTANTIALLY ELEVATED TEMPERATURE RELATIVE TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD EARTH SURFACE ROCK TEMPERATURE, SAID METHOD COMPRISING, DRILLING FIRST AND SECOND BORE HOLES DOWNWARDLY FROM THE EARTH''S SURFACE INTO SAID DEPOSIT, COMPLETING SAID BOREHOLES BY INSTALLATION OF MEANS PREVENTING WALL FAILURE CLOSURES OF SAID BOREHOLES AND BY INSTALLATION OF WALL HEAT INSULATION MEANS SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH OF SAID SECOND BOREHOLE FROM THE UPPER END THEREOF TO AT LEAST ADJACENT THE NETHER END THEREOF, ESTABLISHING FLUID-FLOW COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE NETHER ENDS OF SAID BORE HOLES THROGH SAID DEPOSIT, PUMPING A SOLVENT FOR SAID MINERAL DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID FIRST BORE HOLE IN DIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE RELATION WITH THE BOREHOLE WALL AND IN INDIRECT HEATEXCHANGE RELATION WITH THE AMBIENT GEOLOGY THEREBY HEATING SAID SOLVENT TO A SUBSTANTIALLY ELEVATED TEMPERATURE AND THEN CIRCULATING SAID HEATED SOLVENT THROUGH SAID DEPOSIT AND UP THROUGH SAID HEATINSULATED SECOND BOREHOLE WHILE MAINTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE CONDITIONS ON THE UPFLOWING DISSOLUTION PRODUCT, AND THEN DISCHARGING SAID PRODUCT INTO RECOVERY APPARATUS PROVIDING A REDUCED TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE ATMOSPHERE FOR SEPARATION OF PURIFIED MINERAL FROM THE REMAINDER OF SAID PRODUCT.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF CONCOMITANTLY MINING AND BENEFICIATING A DEPOSIT OF SOLUBLE MINERAL DISPOSED AT SUCH DEPTH BENEATH THE EARTH''S SURFACE AS TO BE SURROUNDED BY A GEOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT CHARACTERIZED BY BEING AT A SUBSTANTIALLY ELEVATED TEMPERATURE RELATIVE TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD EARTH SURFACE ROCK TEMPERATURE, SAID METHOD COMPRISING, DRILLING FIRST AND SECOND BORE HOLES DOWNWARDLY FROM THE EARTH''S SURFACE INTO SAID DEPOSIT, COMPLETING SAID BOREHOLES BY INSTALLATION OF MEANS PREVENTING WALL FAILURE CLOSURES OF SAID BOREHOLES AND BY INSTALLATION OF WALL HEAT INSULATION MEANS SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH OF SAID SECOND BOREHOLE FROM THE UPPER END THEREOF TO AT LEAST ADJACENT THE NETHER END THEREOF, ESTABLISHING FLUID-FLOW COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE NETHER ENDS OF SAID BORE HOLES THROGH SAID DEPOSIT, PUMPING A SOLVENT FOR SAID MINERAL DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID FIRST BORE HOLE IN DIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE RELATION WITH THE BOREHOLE WALL AND IN INDIRECT HEATEXCHANGE RELATION WITH THE AMBIENT GEOLOGY THEREBY HEATING SAID SOLVENT TO A SUBSTANTIALLY ELEVATED TEMPERATURE AND THEN CIRCULATING SAID HEATED SOLVENT THROUGH SAID DEPOSIT AND UP THROUGH SAID HEATINSULATED SECOND BOREHOLE WHILE MAINTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE CONDITIONS ON THE UPFLOWING DISSOLUTION PRODUCT, AND THEN DISCHARGING SAID PRODUCT INTO RECOVERY APPARATUS PROVIDING A REDUCED TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE ATMOSPHERE FOR SEPARATION OF PURIFIED MINERAL FROM THE REMAINDER OF SAID PRODUCT.