102. 



In Kansas six caverns were dissolved in bedded 

 salt fifty feet thick for LP storage. These had a 

 capacity of 25,000 barrels and were within 500 feet 

 of each other, but not connected. A well for the 

 disposal of the dissolved brine was drilled at a cost 

 of $80,000. The cost of the first cavern, including 

 the well, was $7.00 per barrel and for the remain- 

 ing five, $3.00 to $3.50 per barrel. 



I think if conditions were favorable the cost could 

 go down to fifty cents to a dollar a barrel. 



Do you have any idea of the shape of these caverns? 



There's no way of knowing. 



I don't think you can predict the shape because most 

 beds are shot full of fracture galleries. In Texas we 

 have dissolved two caverns in salt, not bedded, of 1.7 

 and 2 million cubic feet. The diameter is about 270 

 feet, as measured by sonar explorations. The depth 

 is controlled using gas or oil cushion. I think you 

 could probably get this for $20,000. In Canada there 

 is one which is eighteen feet deep, lens shaped, with 

 a limestone roof. 



Salt domes can be written off as economically 

 worthless because of huge amounts of salt available. 

 Salt has twice the heat conductivity of soil, and a 

 melting point of 800° C. The liquid can be saturated 

 and probably would stay there for years. 



Put holes down into a dome, say thirty feet in di- 

 ameter and one thousand feet deep. Keep them at 

 fifty pounds' pressure and let them operate as reflux 

 condensers . 



Reflux action may take material from the top and 

 place it at the bottom. Differential heating would re- 

 move material from the the sides. 



Maybe the hole will crawl. 



I think this will work and I'd sure look into it. 



