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Mariya A. Danilova
Mariya A. Danilova
Senior Researcher
RN Krasnoyarsk NIPIneft LLC
Researcher
Irkutsk National Research Technical University
Senior Researcher
RN Krasnoyarsk NIPIneft LLC
Krasnoyarsk
Russia
Researcher
Irkutsk National Research Technical University

Co-authors

Articles

Article
Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology
  • Date submitted
    2024-12-13
  • Date accepted
    2025-07-16
  • Online publication date
    2025-12-01

Conditions of chloride crystallization during well-based exploitation of saturated lithium-bearing brines in the southern part of the Siberian Platform

Article preview

We examine crystallization conditions for saturated brines of calcium, potassium, and magnesium chlorides from the Angara‑Lena artesian basin, Siberian Platform. The study focuses on temperatures matching actual thermal conditions in wells of the “Lithium” site at the Kovykta gas‑condensate field. This critical type of lithium‑bearing raw material is classified as hard-to-recover reserves. In most wells (depths to 2.2 km), rock temperatures in the upper geological section remain below 20 °C. During well operation, various salts precipitate from saturated magnesium-calcium chloride brines within the production line. This leads to rapid wellbore clogging and eventual production shutdown. Thermodynamic analysis of phase diagrams reveals that crystallization yields antarcticite CaCl2·6H2O, tachhydrite Mg2CaCl6·12H2O, minor amounts of carnallite KMgCl3·6H2O, bischofite MgCl2·6H2O, and several other chlorides, depending on temperature. At temperatures above 55 °C, salt precipitation becomes negligible. Thermohydrodynamic simulations of a single flowing well under hydrogeological conditions similar to those at the Kovykta area (southern Siberian Platform) demonstrate the feasibility of long-term (1 month to 1 year) exploitation of saturated sodium-chloride and calcium-chloride lithium-bearing brines. Such operations can yield lithium production rates of 31.2 to 4.2 t per well.

How to cite: Sergeeva A.V., Kiryukhin A.V., Vakhromeev A.G., Korotkov S.B., Danilova M.A., Kartasheva E.V., Kuzmina A.A., Nazarova M.A. Conditions of chloride crystallization during well-based exploitation of saturated lithium-bearing brines in the southern part of the Siberian Platform // Journal of Mining Institute. 2025. Vol. 276. Iss. 2. p. 89-106.