Patent ID: 11933179
Assignee: GENESIS ALKALI WYOMING, LP
Field: Civil engineering (Other fields)
Classification: CPC E | IPC E

Claim 0:
1. A method of safely removing brine from a mine cavity having a roof and a floor utilizing an extraction well comprising:
drilling a well bore to a desired depth through the mine, said wellbore having an upper portion above the mine roof and a termination portion below the mine floor;
installing a main casing inside the well bore, said main casing having a lower end, an inside diameter, and an outside diameter, the lower end being below a desired minimum liquid level;
securing an outer casing externally to the lower end of the main casing, said outer casing being secured at an outer casing top end to said main casing and having a bottom end projecting downward through the mine cavity into the termination portion of the well bore, said outer casing having an internal diameter greater than the outer diameter of the outside diameter of said main casing, said outer casing having perforations in a portion exposed to the mine cavity for allowing mine fluids to flow into the termination portion of the well bore;
inserting a pump for pumping brine out of the cavity, said pump having a discharge line, a pump discharge, a pump motor, and an electric power cable, said pump motor being positioned in the well bore below the main casing, said discharge line being connected to said pump discharge on one end and having a surface discharge on an opposite end above the upper portion of the well bore, the discharge line being positioned interior to the inside diameter of said main casing and extending downwardly to the pump discharge, said electric power cable being operably connected to the pump motor and an electrical power source on the surface, the power cable being positioned inside the main casing and extending downwardly to the pump motor;
establishing a minimum level for brine inside the termination portion of the well bore above the lower end of the main casing utilizing a liquid level indicator;
and pumping excess brine from the terminal portion of the well bore with the pump through the pump discharge line to the surface discharge;
whereby the liquid in the termination portion of the well bore isolates mine gases from the interior of the main casing and the electric power cable powering the pump.