• Geological and hydrogeological grounds for the potassium and rock salts and other mineral deposits development.
• Geological grounds for the salts completion and extraction means, complex character of the mineral resources development.
• Geophysical methods of the salt deposits subsurface geology investigation.
• Geofiltrational and geomigratory investigations in the process of the mining operations and protection of the territories adjacent to the mine fields.
• Investigation of the brineinflow to the underground excavations and recommendations on the safety mining in accordance with the waterproof conditions.
• GIS-technology design on the potassium salts improved field development.
• The computer simulation of the rock massive mode of deformation.
• The evaluation of the rock geomechanical dimensions and the excavation safety drifting.
• Regulations on the mining operations working out.
• Mining infl uence on the environment assessment.
• Basic data for the salt-mining works designing development.
• The unique calculation of the mineral resources, their loss and dilution by mining.
• Development of the design estimates for the fresh water, mineral water and salt water wells construction.

• Laboratory of the physico-mathematical methods of mining production research.
• Sector of the geological processes modeling.
• Sector of the strata movement processes and ecology.
• Sector of the hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical research.
• Sector of the ground geophysics.

The basic lines of the laboratory's activity:

The MIPMMI laboratory carries out the wide-scale investigations in the mining industry of Belarus. The basic investigation methods are geophysical ones (seismic and electrical exploration). The laboratory specialists carry out investigations at the developed potash horizons and all the mines belonging to the RUE “PA “Belaruskali”. State of the rock massives and engineering installations, scientific support of the mining (through the remote nondestructive methods) value makes possible to increase the efficiency and safety of operations in the hazardous conditions.

• The roofing construction of the debugging layers.
• The roofing construction of the waterproof stratum.
• Defining the lithologic-stratigraphical borders, location of the datum beds in the salt-bearing section holding the productive horizons.
• The displacement zones delineation.
• Discovering of the fractured zones and rupturing dislocations.
• Discovering of the folded dislocations.
• Evaluation of the interchamber, waterproofi ng and other pillars.
• The medium over the open area physical properties alteration monitoring.
• Parametric grounding of the geomechanical calculations.
• The accumulation zones of the postsedimentation brines discovering.
• The unsafe gas-dynamic zones discovering.

• Defining of the lithologic-stratigraphical borders, location of the datum beds in the clay-marly stratum.
• The ground waters salinization, halo discovering and monitoring in the slime storage and salt dumps areas (referring to area and section).
• Discovering of the increased fractured zones in the persalt stratum.
• The structure and properties of the cross-section upper part investigation beforethe construction and during the exploitation of the buildings and works.
• Defining of the ground water level.
• Defining of the hydraulic engineering installation state.
• Defining of the salt dumps state.
• Discovering of the cavities in the fixing space around the pit-shafts.
• Analysis of the structural-morphological peculiarities of the disjunctive tectonic abnormalities.
• Separation of the mineralized waters inflow areas.

• Computer programmes design to solve the applied geological tasks (well logs, drill cores, maps, diagrams construction) for the geofiltration and geomigration processes modeling, numerical information preparation and processing.
• Simulation of rock massive mode of deformation programme package adaptation to the conditions of the Starobin deposit (ANSYS, FLEXPDE).
• Simulation of the geofiltration and geomigration processes being the result of the mineral deposits debugging.
• Simulation of rock massif mode of deformation in natural and excavation dislocated deposits.
• Estimation of the geological, hydrogeological and structural-tectonic features of the Starobin mine including the strip logs, potash horizon geological sections, geological-lithologic and geological-hydrogeological sections, surface structural maps (of salt, marl clay stratum, potash horizon, etc.) construction, as well as the map construction according to the KCl, insoluble sediment, MgCl and other chemical components composition.
• Mining industry influence on the environment assessment (earth surface deformation, groundwater level change, underground water pollution migration, agricultural crop capacity change as a result of the subsoil waters level change) followed by the nature-conservative measures development.
• Operative (author’s) estimation of geological reserves of the raw salts and the basic geological data for objects design issue.
• Calculation of the subsoil waters level lowering in the result of their withdrawal, calculation and defi nition of the water supply points sanitary protection zones; calculation and evaluation of the subsoil waters protection based on the numerical modeling of the geofi ltration and geomigration processes.

• Systematic study of the present scientific and technological level of the environment control, analysis of the rock and the earth surface shift process and the undermining objects protection.
• Grass deformation calculation technique improvement in connection with the new debugging process flowsheet used.
• The basic data and recommendations on the undermining objects protection measures selection and the natural environment protection development and issue.
• Development of the procedure, instructions, rules and other regulations and methods.
• Carrying out of the field observations to discover new promising lines of investigations.
• Carrying out of the geodynamic monitoring of the mine fields existing and newly placed in operation. At the same time the particular attention is paid to the deformation processes in special zones study - those of the fault, massive block structures edge zones, boundary zones of the strata, increased fissuring zones.
• New investigation methods development using the mathematical modelling methods, simulators and plants creation aimed at the prechecking of the suggested recommendations.
• The publications prepared according to the results of the research works.

The basic lines of the sector's activity:

• The geological-hydrogeological and engineering-geological grounding of the mineral deposits quarry and underground operation.
• Mining infl uence on the environment assessment using the GIS technologies.
• Support and development of the mine and quarry water and brine production localization methods.
• Improvement and realization of the contemporary full-scale methods of the rock physical-mechanical properties, fracturing and watering investigations.
• Groundwater wells planning.

• Study of the geological-hydrogeological and engineering-geological conditions of the waterproof stratum by the potassium salt deposit development.
• Investigation of the natural and technogenic waters chemical composition and genesis.
• Estimation and prognosis of the brine infl ow to the excavations and the recommendations on their storage and/or utilization made.
• Field and experimental investigations in the underground excavations including the scientifi c support, holing, drill cores description and the core boring selection to study their physical-mechanical properties.
• Field survey of the water supply sources and other waterworks facilities state at the deposits.
• Development of the design estimates for the observation holes and exploratory wells construction for the domestic and drinking water supply purpose.

• Improvement of the seismic exploration of the potassium salt deposits general methods.
• Introduction of the high-resolution (sampling interval - 1m/s) shooting methods.
• Scientifi c support of the fi eld seismic operations.
• Office studies and interpretation of the primary seismic material results.

• Collection and actualization of the geological-geophysical materials according to the working areas and its analysis with reference to the solution of the problems set.
• Scientifi c support of the seismic operations (methodical and technical control of the fi eld operation).
• Office studies and interpretation of the fi eld materials, their coordination with the geological-geophysical materials.
• Direct control of the machine processing quality.

• Laboratory of the mining technology.
• Mining laboratory.
• Sector of the mining mechanization means development and implementation.

• Development and implementation of the debugging progressive systems and technology by excavation of the mineral deposits with open-cut and underground methods (the technology of the sylvinite layer selective excavation at the potassium bed debugging by the long stope stakes with the debugged space being partially backfi lled by the gob seams; the technology of the development stake system with increased longwall (250 - 300 m); pillarless process fl owsheets of the potassium seams debugging).
• Use of the scientifi c developments to improve the mine work organization.
• Investigation and use of the underground mining space in different purposes of national economy (underground speleological clinics, storage facilities, etc.).
• Problems of the mine aerology and dust and gas cleaning solution, including the problems of the aerodynamics, heat-mass exchange and power supply with the atmosphere composition and thermophysical properties in the multilinked ventilation networks of mines being normalized solution; engineering solutions on the improved means and methods of the dust and outside air leak control in the mines development and implementation; energy and resource-saving technologies of the mine air climatic parameters control development.
• Normative-technical documents development to ensure the safety by mining.

• Analysis of the straining and rock failure processes and mine working.
• Formation of the information retrieval system and the cadastre of the Starobin potassium salt deposit physical-mechanical and strength properties.
• Development of the fl exible and semianalytic circuits of the rock massif defl ected mode numerical modeling.
• Construction of the rock straining simulator and the thin-layer massif stability calculation.
• Construction of the rock massif synthesized geomechanical models;
• Geomechanical providing with the safety conditions by the potash layers debugging.
• Development and implementation of the mine working effective protection methods for different mining and geological conditions.
• The gas-air and air-depression surveys in mines.
• Scientific support of the mine working in particularly difficult mining and geological conditions.

• Development and implementation new constructions for the mining equipment.
• Cutter testing and implementation, as well as the cutting tools placing at the winning machines effectors new arrangements.
• Infl uence of the constructive decisions and various parameters on the miners on the cutter consumption, specifi c power intensity of the mineral ore destruction, efficiency and the extracted in the mining conditions ore grain-size distribution investigations.
• Improvement and updating, development and implementation of various mining mechanization means.

• Development of the normative, technical and design documentation to the technical facilities and materials maintenance, test and survey to raise their reliability and safety level of operation in the mining and chemical industries.
• Condition survey of the technical facilities and materials, structural units, pitshafts, underground machinery and systems with the different nondestructive inspection techniques and technical diagnostics used and Report on their possible use issued.
• New and revised pieces of the mining equipment control examination and certifi cation to evaluate the industrial safety level, issue of the Reports and draft licenses on their release and application.
• New pieces of the mining equipment, materials, conveyer belts, wire cables, winders, hoisting cranes, aerial ropeways and other technical facilities testing followed by the Reports and recommendations on their use in the mining and chemical industries issued.
• Development of the normative and technical documentation and mining, mineral processing and chemical equipment parts and units strengthening and recovery execution phase.
• Development of the normative and methodic documentation to the testing equipment, manufacturing, mounting and setting up of the test stands, mining automation facilities.
• Review and balancing of the technical documentation, testing, preparation and issue of the mine electrical and explosion proof electrical equipment Reports and Certifi cates.
• Development of the repair documentation to the mine electrical and explosion proof electrical equipment.
• Research works, development of the normative and technical documentation in the sphere of the industrial safety, mining technique and technology, power supply and automation facilities.

• Laboratory of the mining equipment and technical diagnostics:
  - sector of the mining equipment test;
  - sector of the mining and processing equipment diagnostics;
  - research sector of the protecting coating;
  - sector of the mining equipment examination.
  
• Centre for the mining and explosion proof electrical equipment test and certifi cation (accredited according to the requirements of the STB ISO/MEC 17025 - accreditation certifi cate N BY/112 02.1.0.0407).

• coordination of technical documentation for mine and explosionprotected electrical equipment;
• checking the trial and serial samples of electrical equipment;
• holding the tests to conformity the demands of normative documents on miner’s and explosion-protected electrical equipment;
• registration and issuing the conclusions and certificates on electrical equipment, which passed the tests and corresponding to the safety standard;
• examination of technical documentation for mine and explosion-protected electrical equipment.

• Development and manufacturing of the power transformers 110…330 kV engineering diagnostics multichannel systems.
• Development and manufacturing of the power and processing equipment multichannel and multifunctional computer-assisted diagnostic systems (electrical machines, pumps, reducers, vessels, frictionless bearings and sliding bearings).
• Development of the power transformers 110…330 kV engineering diagnostics expert systems.
• Energetic inspection of the enterprises with the energy-saving potential defi ning and the energy-saving measures development.
• Development of the methods and computer programme of the current, planned and progressive specifi c rates of the fuelenergy resources consumption calculation. Development of the computer programmes of the energy efficiency operational control to be used in the systems of technical accounting and management of the fuelenergy resources consumption.
• Complex diagnostics of the power transformers 110…330 kV defining of its remaining life.
• Complex diagnostics of the high voltage alternating current electrical machines and defining of its remaining life. Development of the methods and complex diagnostics of vessels based on the acoustic emission and magnetic memory of metals.
• Thermal insulation of different kinds, efficiency evaluation and thermographic inspection of the technological and power equipment. 16 persons work at the department, including 1 doctor of sciences and 1 candidate of sciences.

• Process laboratory.
• Sector of the granulation and dehydration.
• Sector of the mineral mechanical concentration.

• Potassium mineral dressing by the flotation, halurgical methods technology development, and the combined patterns development.
• Investigation of the different flotation regimes using the new flotation reagents and different types of flotation machines.
• Potash minerals of the new fields investigation for dressability factor.
• Experimental-industrial and industrial testing of the new dressing equipment and technologies models.
• Research engineering aimed to increase the KCl extraction and integrated products quality (98 % KCl).
• Analysis of the potash minerals dressing dry methods.
• Deslimation and inspissation of the clay-salting slimes processes.
• High-clayey ores processing from insoluble residue (i, r,) -» 10-20 % technologies development.
• The halurgical cyclones clarification processes intensification.
• Water conditioning and water recycling of the halurgical plants.
• The equipment higher efficiency and losses reduction at the stage of the KCl solution.
• The salts evaporation and crystallization.
• Analysis of the CaCl2 and MgCl2 admixtures influence on the halurgical processes.
• Removal of the ions Ca++ and Mg++ from the return alkali liquors.
• Problems of the minerals complex processing.

• Development of the energy- and resource-saving drying technologies.
• Minerals dehydration, inspissation, drying.
• Problems of the clayey-salty slime.
• Granulation and agglomeration, new equipment testing and process development.
• Slimes countercurrent washing problems.
• Process development of the white table salt production.
• Process development of different kinds of the technical salt, salt briquettes and NaCl granules.
• Dedusting and classification, pneumo- and hydroclassification.
• Reagent regimes of the finished product processing.

• Ragging and grinding processes.
• Selective grinding in the dry grinding ventilated profiles.
• Hydromechanical desliming.
• Hydroclassifi cation.
• Dust control at the concentration plants.
• Mathematical simulation methods of the processes.
• Statistical methods of the production control and management.
• Ragging and classification of the granulated product by the production process.

• Scientific and organization support and coordination of the state scientific and technological programmes.
• Development, examination and norms control of the normative-technical legal acts: standards of the enterprise, technical specifications, state standards of the Republic of Belarus, including those based of the international standards.
• Patent and information support of the research, technological and design works, preparation and paper work for the titles of protection issue, patent investigations, revealing of the industrial property objects, legal protection.