Experimental research of natural eigenpolarization electric potential generated during disintegration of frozen sandy-clayey rocks in aqueous media

• Published in: Mining science and technology
• Main Author: V. F. Rochev
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; Russian
• Published: National University of Science and Technology MISiS 2017
• Subjects: south yakutia; frozen rocks; disintegration; ice content; research; clay rocks; rupture; theory; Mining engineering. Metallurgy; TN1-997; Yakutia
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.17073/2500-0632-2017-1-51-57; https://doaj.org/article/7bfb8ca6768c4892b56cd9d35c2ee659

For studying the mechanism of frozen sandy-clayey rock disintegration, natural electric fields (EP) arising in being frozen wet rocks due to electric potential difference at the boundary between frozen and thawed rocks, were investigated. The performed experiments showed that the frozen sandy-clayey rock disintegration in aqueous media is accompanied by generation and changing of natural electric fields in the specimen. In our opinion, the electric field generation is connected with filtration potentials arising as a result of water penetration through pores and fractures into the rock specimen. The eigenpolarization potential measurements were carried out by the potential gradient method using two electrodes frozen into the specimen. As a result, it was proved that the method of measuring the eigenpolarization electric potential difference between two points of a rock specimen has the advantage that it not only indirectly characterizes temperature change in the specimen, but additionally provides information on the process electrokinetics, the dynamics of changes in electrical resistance of the rock between the electrodes, and polarity of different volumes of the rock specimen. In addition, this method allows studying the dynamics of frozen rock thawing, and also confirms the filtration mechanism of frozen rock disintegration in aqueous media.