Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

In-situ leaching studies of uranium ores. phase iv. Open file report (final)

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5548101
In situ uranium mining is a process for recovering uranium from relatively low-grade ore bodies. A laboratory technique for simulating this underground leaching process was developed and used to determine the effects of leaching variables on the permeability, uranium recovery, and ore-aquifer leakage for ores from Texas and Wyoming. Agitation leach tests were used to examine the effect of pressure, pH, and leach concentration. Column tests were performed to study the effect of various leachants and oxidants: sulfuric acid, ammonium, sodium and potassium bicarbonates, peroxide, and dissolved oxygen. High pressure leaching and recycling of the leach solution were also examined. Permeability was studied as a function of both pressure and solution. To deal with post-leach restoration, potential chemical leakage was examined. Also, mineralogical characteristics of the virgin and processed ores were identified to determine the effect of ore processing. Post-leach ore residues were examined to determine the effect of an acid and an alkaline leach on the ore minerals.
Research Organization:
Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, PA (USA). Research and Development Center
OSTI ID:
5548101
Report Number(s):
PB-296336
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English