Dynamic compaction of salt: Initial demonstration and performance testing

A practical, large-scale demonstration of dynamic compaction of mine-run WIPP salt has been completed. The demonstration initially used salt with a natural 0.26 wt % water, whereas a subsequent demonstration used salt with an additional 1.0 wt % water. Fractional densities of the compacted salt approached 0.9. Gas permeabilities of several samples extracted from the compacted masses ranged from 10−12 to 10−13 m2. The demonstration of a potential construction technique coupled with initial measurements of key design parameters provide needed design input for the WIPP shaft seal system.