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The nominal design flow rate for the solution mining process to meet the planned <br /> capacity of 50,000 tons per year up to 400 gpm. The solution mining process will be <br /> continuous. <br /> Hot, pregnant soda solution will flow continuously from the production wells through <br /> above ground pipelines to the plant area by virtue of the driving pressure of the well <br /> injection pumps. The pressurized liquor will flow through a pregnant tank located <br /> outside the plant building to release a non-combustable gas mixture of carbon <br /> dioxide and methane. The liquor may be pumped from the pregnant tank through <br /> particulate filters located inside the plant building. <br /> B. Sodium Bicarbonate Crystallization and Dewatering <br /> In this section of the process, sodium bicarbonate will be separated from the <br /> pregnant soda liquor by crystallization and recovered as a moist filter cake of sodium <br /> bicarbonate crystals. Approximately 60 to 75 percent of the incoming dissolved <br /> sodium bicarbonate is expected to be recovered, and the balance will be recycled to <br /> the solution mining process. <br /> The filtered pregnant soda liquor will flow through a pre-cooling heat exchanger into <br /> a cooling crystallizer where it will be cooled to about 220°F. Carbon dioxide gas may <br /> be sparged into the crystallizer to aid in recarbonation of soda ash. Sodium <br /> bicarbonate crystals will form by the cooling of the solution in the crystallizer. The <br /> slurry will advance through cooling crystallizers in series to precipitate sodium <br /> bicarbonate crystals. The final slurry from the last crystallizer will be pumped to a <br /> thickener to separate the bulk of the water and produce a densified sodium <br /> bicarbonate sludge containing approximately 50 percent solids. The sludge will be <br /> pumped to a centrifuge where the crystals will be dewatered and washed to yield a <br /> moist filter cake. This cake material will be dried and used to produce industrial <br /> grade or animal grade product. The production of Food Grade Product will require <br /> some plant capacity additions after the pilot plant is proven. <br /> C. Sodium Bicarbonate Drying and Storage <br /> This part of the operation has a single train product dryer to dry the centrifuged wet <br /> filter cake and advance the finished raw product to storage. <br /> G:\LNW78545.002\Reciamation\Redamexh. D-32 <br /> L' <br />