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Our
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Resource/Reserve Evaluation Projects (select list)
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Natural Soda (AmerAlia, Inc.), Rock School Sodium
Lease, Piceance Creek Basin, Colorado, USA
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American Soda, L.L.P., Solution Mining of Nahcolite,
Piceance Creek Basin, Colorado, USA
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Andalex Resources, Tower Division, Price, Utah, USA
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GENWAL Resources, Inc., Huntington, Utah, USA
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White River Nahcolite Mineral Limited Liability, Inc.,
Solution Mining of Nahcolite, Piceance Creek Basin, Colorado, USA
Natural Soda (AmerAlia, Inc.), Rock School Sodium Lease,
Piceance Creek Basin, Colorado, USA
In the spring of 1996, AmerAlia, Inc. contracted AAI to manage a
drilling and characterization program to assess the feasibility of solution
mining nahcolite at the Rock School Sodium Lease. select subcontractors and
manage the drilling, data collection, and reporting for a drill hole located
on their Rock School Sodium Lease in the Piceance Creek Basin, northwestern
Colorado. Objectives of the drill project were to collect site-specific data
and core samples for evaluation of resource and solution minability. AAI
personnel managed the site preparation, drilling contractor, other
subcontractors, and reclamation work, and was responsible for all data
collection. Field duties included geological interpretation, rock structure
logging, geophysical correlations, stratigraphic picks, core photography,
and hydrological tests for flow and quality. AAI conducted laboratory
material properties testing on selected core samples. Upon completion of the
drilling project, a core hole summary report was prepared followed by a
stability evaluation of the proposed solution mine.
American Soda, L.L.P., Solution Mining of
Nahcolite, Piceance Creek Basin, Colorado, USA
AAI has been actively involved with the American Soda Project since
1997. Major projects include:
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Stability assessment of pilot test cavern for permit application
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Design of subsurface solution mining plan
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Design of solution well completion
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Support in permit application to BLM, EPA, and affected counties
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Core drilling (7 core holes), core logging, assay and resource/reserve
evaluation for bankable document
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Field support during drilling of 26 production wells
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Pilot test plan development
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Groundwater monitoring plan
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Subsurface monitoring plan
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Review of well field performance
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Development of heat and mass balance model for prediction of well
performance
American Soda, L.L.P. operates a solution mine at the Yankee Gulch lease and
processes the nahcolite to produce both soda ash and sodium bicarbonate.
Agapito Associates, Inc. has been involved in characterization of the lease,
design of well field layout, planning and interpretation of test mining, and
support for permitting the project. Six deep core holes were drilled;
lithologic and structural logging of core, and laboratory testing of core at
elevated temperatures completed; stability of proposed caverns/leach zones
analyzed; and production well completion designs and well pad permits
prepared. The project completed an Environmental Impact Statement with start
of construction of the commercial well field and plant slated for later in
1999.
Andalex Resources, Tower Division, Price, Utah, USA
Numerous projects have been performed for Andalex. A technical
review and recommendations were presented on the feasibility of converting
mining operations in three seams from room-and-pillar to longwall. The
project included reviews of the geologic setting, lithology, structure, and
longwall mineable reserves, as well as evaluation of mine ventilation plan,
methane control, ground control plan, and productivity. Longwall shield load
capacity requirements were generated. A ventilation survey and network
modeling were performed, leading to recommendations for new fan equipment
for the Aberdeen Mine. Other projects have included an extensive
investigation into face burst mechanisms, design of interpanel barriers,
coal acquisition surveys for Colorado and Utah coal fields, and an ongoing
ground control program.
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GENWAL Resources, Inc., Huntington, Utah, USA
A longwall feasibility study was conducted for deep cover mining
under difficult conditions including numerical analysis, gateroad design,
longwall support capacity specifications, reserves, and productivity
analysis. A longwall panel orientation study was performed including
underground and surface fracture mapping, leading to a recommendation. A
ventilation survey and network modeling were performed leading to a new fan
recommendation.
White River Nahcolite Mineral Limited
Liability, Inc., Solution Mining of Nahcolite, Piceance Creek Basin,
Colorado, USA
AAI personnel have provided technical support during the
development of this pioneer solution mining project using cavity development
from long horizontal boreholes. Specifically, AAI provided field and
technical support in a pilot drilling program to characterize rock structure
and hydrologic data. Rock structural data generated from drill core
and laboratory tests were used in the stability assessment of dissolution
cavities and overlying roof strata. Alternative configurations of long
prismatic cavities and single-hole circular cavities were evaluated to
assess overall resource recovery.
Inter-cavern pillars were designed
to preserve overlying water-bearing strata and to minimize any adverse
impacts on future mining of overlying oil shale resources. As
production progressed, the shape of the cavity was monitored using in-cavity
sonic surveys and was compared to the predicted cavity shape. Methods
of monitoring and predicting cavity shape in these long cavities were
evaluated. |
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AGAPITO
ASSOCIATES, INC.