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Mining Mining is the first step in the process of providing the natural uranium feed material for use as a fuel.
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Nuclear Fuel Cycle - Mining and Milling
Sources of Radiation Nuclear Fuel Cycle - Mining and Milling Day 4
Lecture 5 (2) Mining Mining is the first step in the process of
providing the natural uranium feed material for use as a fuel.
Mining Techniques Excavation Open Pit Underground Mines
In Situ Leaching Both excavation and in situ techniques are used to
recover uranium. Excavation may be underground or open pit mining.
Open Pit (Surface) Mining
In general, open pit mining is used where deposits are close to the
surface.Open pit mines require large holes on the surface, larger
than the size of the ore deposit, since the walls of the pit must
be sloped to prevent collapse. As a result, the quantity of
material that must be removed in order to access the ore may be
large. Underground Mines underground mining is used for deep
deposits, typically greater than 120 m deep. Underground mines have
relatively small surface disturbance and the quantity of material
that must be removed to access the ore is considerably less than in
the case of an open pit mine. In the case of underground uranium
mines, special precautions, consisting primarily of increased
ventilation, are required to protect against airborne radiation
exposure. Typically greater than 120 m deep .. Ventilation issues
Uranium Ore Uranium ore sand
The appearance of uranium ore differs depending on its origin.
Uranium ore sand In Situ Leach Production Facility Injection Well
Head
An increasing proportion of the worlds uranium now comes from in
situ leaching (ISL), where oxygenated groundwater is circulated
through a very porous orebody to dissolve the uranium and bring it
to the surface. ISL may be conducted with slightly acid or with
alkaline solutions to keep the uranium in solution. The uranium is
then recovered from the solution as in a conventional mill.
Injection Well Field in situ leaching (ISL), where oxygenated
groundwater is circulated through a very porous ore body to
dissolve the uranium and bring it to the surface Uranium Mining
Methods
Method World Production (%) Underground28 Open Pit20 In Situ Leach
(ISL)45 By-Product7 Total100 The decision as to which mining method
to use for a particular deposit is governed by the nature of the
orebody, safety and economic considerations. Source:World Nuclear
Association (WNA) percentage of world demand*
Uranium Mine Production Country 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
2012 Kazakhstan 4357 5279 6637 8521 14020 17803 19451 21317 Canada
11628 9862 9476 9000 10173 9783 9145 8999 Australia 9516 7593 8611
8430 7982 5900 5983 6991 Niger (est) 3093 3434 3153 3032 3243 4198
4351 4667 Namibia 3147 3067 2879 4366 4626 4496 3258 4495 Russia
3431 3262 3413 3521 3564 3562 2993 2872 Uzbekistan 2300 2260 2320
2338 2429 2400 2500 USA 1039 1672 1654 1430 1453 1660 1537 1596
China (est) 750 712 769 827 885 1500 Malawi 104 670 846 1101
Ukraine (est) 800 840 850 890 960 South Africa 674 534 539 655 563
583 582 465 India (est) 230 177 270 271 290 400 385 Brazil 110 190
299 330 345 148 265 231 Czech Republic 408 359 306 263 258 254 229
228 Romania (est) 90 77 75 Germany 94 65 41 8 51 50 Pakistan (est)
45 France 7 5 4 6 3 total world 41 719 39 444 41 282 43 764 50 772
53 671 53 493 58 394 tonnes U3O8 49 199 46 516 48 683 51 611 59 875
63 295 63 084 68 864 percentage of world demand* 65% 63% 64% 68%
78% 85% 86% Source:World Nuclear Association (WNA) The
largest-producing uranium mines in 2011
Country Main owner Type Production (tU) % of world McArthur River
Canada Cameco underground 7686 14 Olympic Dam Australia BHP
Billiton by-product/ underground 3353 6 Arlit Niger Somair/ Areva
open pit 2726 5 Tortkuduk Kazakhstan Katco JV/ Areva ISL 2608
Ranger ERA (Rio Tinto 68%) 2240 4 Kraznokamensk Russia ARMZ 2191
Budenovskoye 2 Karatau JV/Kazatomprom-Uranium One 2175 Rossing
Namibia Rio Tinto (69%) 1822 3 Inkai Inkai JV/Cameco 1602 South
Inkai Betpak Dala JV/ Uranium One 1548 Top 10 total 27,951 52%
Source:World Nuclear Association (WNA) Milling Milling, which is
generally carried out close to a uranium mine, extracts the uranium
from the ore. Milling, which is generally carried out close to a
uranium mine, extracts the uranium from the ore. Ore Processing At
the mill the ore is crushed and ground to a fine slurry. The
uranium is extracted from the crushed and groundup ore by leaching,
in which either a strong acid or a strong alkaline solution is used
to dissolve the uranium from the waste rock. Uranium is then
recovered from solution and precipitated as uranium oxide (U308)
concentrate sometimes known as "yellowcake" At the mill the ore is
crushed and ground to a fine slurry.The uranium is extracted from
the crushed and groundup ore by leaching, in which either a strong
acid or a strong alkaline solution is used to dissolve the uranium
from the waste rock. It is then recovered from solution and
precipitated as uranium oxide (U308) concentrate sometimes known as
"yellowcake" Ore Processing At the mill the ore is crushed and
ground to a fine slurry.The uranium is extracted from the crushed
and groundup ore by leaching, in which either a strong acid or a
strong alkaline solution is used to dissolve the uranium from the
waste rock. It is then recovered from solution and precipitated as
uranium oxide (U308) concentrate sometimes known as "yellowcake"
Yellowcake Yellowcake is shipped from the mills in a granular solid
form . Themixture of uranium oxides that is not really yellow but
almost black olive green. 'yellowcake' generally contains more than
80% uranium. The original ore may contains as little as 0.1%
uranium. About 200 tonnes of U3O8 is required to keep a large (1000
MWe) nuclear power reactor generating electricity for one year.
Yellowcake is really a mixture of uranium oxides that is not really
yellow but almost black olive green and shipped from the mills in a
granular solid form that varies in color from yellowish to an
almost black olive green, depending on the mineral it was found in
and the processing (most notably, the calcination temperature).
'yellowcake' generally contains more than 80% uranium. The original
ore may contains as little as 0.1% uranium.After drying and usually
heating it is packed in 200litre drums as a concentrate. About 200
tonnes of U3O8 is required to keep a large (1000 MWe) nuclear power
reactor generating electricity for one year. Yellowcake Yellowcake
is really a mixture of uranium oxides that is hardly ever yellow
any more.It is shipped from the mills in a granular solid form that
varies in color from yellowish to an almost black olive green,
depending on the mineral it was found in and the processing (most
notably, the calcination temperature). 'yellowcake' generally
contains more than 80% uranium. The original ore may contains as
little as 0.1% uranium.After drying and usually heating it is
packed in 200litre drums as a concentrate. About 200 tonnes of U3O8
is required to keep a large (1000 MWe) nuclear power reactor
generating electricity for one year. Uranium Mill Tailings The
remainder of the ore, containing most of the radioactivity and
nearly all the rock material, becomes tailings, which are emplaced
in engineered facilities near the mine (often in a mined-out pit).
Tailings contain longlived radioactive materials in low
concentrations and toxic materials such as heavy metals; however,
the total quantity of radioactive elements is less than in the
original ore, and their collective radioactivity will be much
shorterlived. These materials need to be isolated from the
environment.Radon emanation from mill tailings is a major concern.
For example, if mill tailings were to be used in the construction
industry, elevated levels of radon emission would result in the
structures built.A variation of this actually occurred in the US
some time ago when residue from the phosphate industry was used to
refill the excavation.Homes were constructed on top resulting in
elevated radon levels. Radiological Hazards of U Milling
Ore dust and radon emissions from ore crushing, sorting, and
storage Yellowcake dust from drying and packaging area Windblown
particulates and radon emission from the tailings disposal area
Reference World Nuclear Association (WNA)
Cycle/Mining-of-Uranium/World-Uranium-Mining-Production/
of-uranium/uranium-mining-overview/ International Atomic Energy
Agency, Postgraduate Educational Course in Radiation Protection and
the Safety of Radiation Sources (PGEC), Training Course Series 18,
IAEA, Vienna (2002)