ABSTRACT
Independently from their origin and chemical composition all brines are capable to trigger the sealing reaction in the SVV. For practical reasons, for the construction of SVV dams, brine compositions should be in chemical equilibrium with the mineralogy of the surrounding salt formation. For sealing constructions in rock salt, a NaCl-rich halite saturated solution is recommended. In the surroundings of the potash beds carnallitite (a potash salt containing mainly carnallite, kieserite, halite and anhydrite) or Hartsalz (hard salt, a potash bed containing sylvite, halite, kieserite and other sulfate minerals), brines with high Mg and K contents, IP21 or IP19 solutions are adequate. In the extremely soluble potash salt tachhydrite (a potash formation containing tachhydrite, carnallite and halite) a CaCl2-and MgCl2-rich brine is recommendable.
