Patent ID: 7857396

Claim:
A process for solution mining, comprising the steps of: providing an injection conduit into a mineral deposit having a desired mineral, wherein the injection conduit is adapted to convey an injection fluid into the mineral deposit for dissolving the desired mineral and forming a production brine; providing a production conduit into the mineral deposit adapted to convey the production brine to the surface of the earth; injecting the injection fluid into the injection conduit; cooling the production brine while conveying the production brine through a conveyance conduit and one or more heat exchangers to a separation plant, wherein cooling the production brine causes the desired mineral to precipitate thereby forming a slurry containing desired solid mineral crystals in a brine solution; separating the desired solid mineral crystals from the brine solution in the separation plant, thereby forming a stream of liquid depleted brine and recovering solid mineral crystal product; conveying the depleted brine through the one or more heat exchangers to the injection conduit, wherein the injection fluid comprises the depleted brine; and exchanging heat between the production brine and the depleted brine in the one or more heat exchangers for cooling the production brine and for heating the depleted brine, wherein the crystallization of the solid mineral crystal product is due to a reduction in temperature of the production brine that occurs between the mineral deposit and the separation plant due to a loss of heat from the production brine, wherein the loss of heat from the production brine is due essentially to a transfer of heat from the production brine to the depleted brine in the one or more heat exchangers and to loss of heat from the production brine to the ambient environment while being conveyed from the mineral deposit inside the production conduit, inside the one or more heat exchangers, and inside the conveyance conduit to the separation plant.