Economic and environmental implications of leakage upon in situ uranium mining

Journal Article · Sat Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1987 · Min. Eng. (Littleton, Colo.); (United States)

OSTI ID:6104776

Popielak, R S; Siegel, J

A computer model was used to simulate the effect of leakage through confining beds on a hypothetical in situ leach operation in an aquifer with a thin mineralized section. The simulations were used to assess economic and potential environmental implications of leakage on an in situ leach operation. Four scenarios were modeled - three representing cases with different degrees of confinement, and the fourth representing a stratified ore zone under a low degree of confinement. The model simulated the travel path and travel time of lixiviant given the hydraulic conditions prescribed in each scenario. The results show that the travel path and travel times vary by about 10% for confinement ranging from nearly impermeable (essentially no leakage) to an extremely low level (thin confinement with a permeability about equal to that of the aquifer) for isotropic aquifer conditions. The aquifer thickness contacted by the lixiviant varied from 85% to 90%.

• Research Organization: Canonie Engineers, Englewood, CO
• OSTI ID: 6104776
• Journal Information: Min. Eng. (Littleton, Colo.); (United States), Journal Name: Min. Eng. (Littleton, Colo.); (United States) Vol. 39:8; ISSN MIENA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

050100* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Reserves
Exploration
& Mining
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
ACTINIDES
AQUIFERS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
DIMENSIONS
DISPERSIONS
DISSOLUTION
ECONOMICS
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
FLOW MODELS
FLUID MECHANICS
HYDRAULICS
ISOTROPY
LEACHATES
LEACHING
LEAKS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MECHANICS
METALS
MINING
MIXTURES
ORES
PERMEABILITY
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SIMULATION
SOLUTION MINING
SOLUTIONS
STRATIFICATION
THICKNESS
TIME DEPENDENCE
URANIUM
URANIUM ORES