SQM Salar’s current process is based on the concentration of brine in evaporation ponds which, during their operating phase, sometimes have volumetric imbalances due to leaks in the liner, which are difficult to identify in terms of size and location due to the presence of brine and salt. The evaporation ponds are rectangular in shape, with an average angle of 30° between the edge or containment slope and the horizontal bottom. The size is variable, with approximate areas between 5,000 m2 and 100,000 m2 and linear dimensions between 100 m x 50 m and 100 m x 500 m in width and length respectively. The liner is a mixed configuration with an average thickness of 0.75mm and a variety of material types including HDPE, PVC and/or geomembrane. The operational evaporation ponds have a free brine layer with a brine height varying from 1 mm to 1 m (upper part of the pond) and a salt and brine impregnated layer with a height varying from 20 cm to 80 cm (lower part of the pond).

Permanently

• Reduced operational performance due to brine loss and process shutdow.
• Risk to personnel involved in leak detection and repair.

Once a volumetric imbalance has been identified in an operating well, a leak detection campaign using ELD technology is initiated to locate and subsequently repair the leak. Finally, the absence of the leak is verified to ensure continuity of operations.

• ELD: Electronic Leak Detectio
• ERT: Electrical Resistive Tomography
• MEM: Electromagnetic Mapping
• E3D: 3D scanning
• GPR: Ground Penetrating Radar

Identification of technological solutions to detect infiltrations or leaks in the liner of evaporation ponds in operation.

• Consulting and/or engineering studies.
• Proposals applicable only to ponds under construction.
• Proposals involving a change in liner material.
• Proposals requiring any form of intervention in the pond.
• Proposals that do not meet SQM safety standards.

1) Compatibility with constructed, operating and exposed brine ponds (height between 1 and 100 cm) and salt + impregnated brine (height between 20 and 80 cm).

2) Compatibility with the operating conditions of the Salar de Atacama (salinity and corrosion) and environmental conditions (temperature, light conditions, humidity, particulate matter).

3) Compatibility with the characteristics of the brine (high salt content): P80 between 300 and 1,000 [um] and density between 1.0 and 2.0 ton/m3.

4) Elimination or minimisation of operator access to the pond during application.

5) Accuracy in detecting leaks, both in position and size.

6) Minimum response time, taking into account monitoring, data processing and reporting activities.

7) Compliance with SQM safety standards.