Nuclear Fuel Exploration, In Situ Recovery, and Environmental Issues in Context with the National Energy Needs through Year 2040 ...as of 2008 (original) (raw)
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Uranium Recovery Realities in the U.S. – A Review in 2010
In this presentation, we will be covering a range of topics involving nuclear power. They range from the pros & cons of nuclear power to public concerns, and to exploration, development and production practices and anticipated yellowcake prices. We will discuss past and current uranium recovery methods, such as typical in-situ recovery systems practiced in Wyoming and Texas, have a look at typical well-field layouts, drilling, sampling and geophysical logging, both with the old standard logging methods and the "new" PFN method, which makes radiological equilibrium studies much easier and more accurate than in the past. We also will look at the typical designs of processing plants to produce yellowcake. We will then discuss the typical concerns still expressed by many anti-nuclear groups and by the media serving them, including: • various unrealistic expectations they hold, • various forms of mis-information they believe, and • various half-truths they circulate. With the above as background, we’ll summarize current conditions and our expectations on the energy picture over the next 30 years, specifically to generate electricity in the U.S., in terms of both small- and large-scale nuclear plants, and in terms of the future source of nuclear fuel (yellowcake) produced in the U.S. and overseas, and perhaps even from the Moon in the foreseeable future.
2009
Uranium is an abundant element in the earth’s crust and occurs in economic concentrations in a variety of geological environments ranging from Precambrian (Proterozoic) in age to sediments of Tertiary age. Uranium occurs in geographic locations ranging from the cold of the high latitudes of Canada and Russia to the heat of the tropics of Australia, Africa and Brazil. It also is available as by-products from nuclear devices, from processing phosphate deposits, and from other sources. Reserve estimates are based on geophysical logs and an estimate of the physical dimensions of the mineralization. Reserve needs are based on industry estimates for new reactors and historical usage of older reactors, which depends on the reactor design. With the present expansion in the use of nuclear power expected to continue for the next 100 years, the dependence on overseas oil and gas will be reduced. This, along with reducing the use of coal over the next 30 years, will have a significant, positive...
Minerals, 2022
In-situ recovery (ISR) has been the only technique used to extract uranium from sandstone-hosted uranium deposits in the Pliocene Goliad Sand in the Texas Coastal Plain. Water plays a crucial role throughout the ISR lifecycle of production and groundwater restoration yet neither the water use nor other environmental footprints have been well documented. The goal of this study is to examine historical records for all six ISR operations completed in the Goliad Sand to identify and quantify parameters that indicate the surface and aquifer disturbances, water use, and radon emissions. Overall, the average mine area was 0.00023 ± 0.00006 acres per pound (ac/lb) U3O8. The average mine pore volume was 48.9 ± 50 gal/lb U3O8 with a minimum affected aquifer volume of 0.51 ± 0.08 cubic feet per pound (cu ft/lb) U3O8. An average of 258 ± 40 gallons (gal) of fluid were disposed per pound (lb) U3O8, with an average of 169 ± 26 gal/lb U3O8 attributed to restoration and 89 ± 36 gal/lb U3O8 attribut...
Uranium In-Situ Leach (Recovery) Development and Associated Environmental Issues - 2007
Tertiary uranium roll-front deposits of South Texas exhibit an exceptionally strong bias toward long, narrow ore bodies. Understanding these deposits is paramount in accurately determining the uranium resource available and in designing in situ leach (ISL) patterns to minimize the volume of barren sand to be included in the leach field. As in other mining projects, ore reserves are assessed by qualified professionals on the basis of the quantity and quality of the information available about the mineralization. To assess reserves in uranium roll-front deposits where ISL is under consideration, the number and distribution of the boreholes and core samples (to evaluate the local radiometric equilibrium and the amount and type of carbon present) and the quality of the geophysical logs (elevation control, radiometric calibration, panel settings, etc.) provide the required data to produce a meaningful assessment of reserves in preparation for ISL development. In ISL projects, the design of the well field depends on the appropriate interpretation of where in 3-dimensional space the uranium mineralization occurs. This requires not only an understanding of the geologic conditions present but also of the hydrogeologic conditions such porosity and hydraulic conductivity of the various segments of the ore zone and associated barren zones to understand the groundwater flow regime. Uranium exploration and mining are regulated by the State of Texas. Baseline studies consisting of comprehensive characterization of geography, geology, hydrogeology, and other topics are required by the State before mining can begin. To help the permitting process proceed smoothly, a strong community relations program should be made an integral part of management's function.
Minerals
A geoenvironmental assessment methodology was developed to estimate waste quantities and disturbances that could be associated with the extraction of undiscovered uranium resources and identify areas on the landscape where uranium and other constituents of potential concern (COPCs) that may co-occur with uranium deposits in this region are likely to persist, if introduced into the environment. Prior to this work, a method was lacking to quantitively assess the environmental aspects associated with potential development of undiscovered uranium resources at a scale of a uranium resource assessment. The mining method of in situ recovery (ISR) was historically used to extract uranium from deposits in the Goliad Sand of the Texas Coastal Plain. For this reason, the study’s methodology projected the following types of wastes and disturbances commonly associated with ISR based on historical ISR mining records: the mine area, affected aquifer volume, mine pore volume, water pumped and dispo...
In 1954, uranium was discovered in the Nueces River watershed near Tordilla Hill, western Karnes County. Uranium discoveries expanded (northwest and south) to an estimated U3O8 resource of 100,000 tons. From 1960 until 1983, uranium mining within the Nueces (and adjacent) watersheds generated large-scale landscape impacts including open-pit excavation, overburden pile accumulation, drainage course alteration and ground and surface water contamination. By 1980, the Texas Gulf Coast ranked 3rd in production of U3O8, (3 million lbs/yr) in the United States. Uranium mining liberated arsenic (As), molybdenum (Mo), selenium (Se) and vanadium (V) to the nearby environment via wind and water. Pit dewatering impacted nearby drainages; stockpiled tailings eroded and acidic processing wastes leached from unlined mine pits. Livestock, grazing near uranium mines, were poisoned by excess molybdenum. Although contaminants released from uranium mines have adversely impacted nearby areas, the effects of mining have not been evaluated at the watershed scale. It is likely that U and U-associated mining impacts have been transported away from the immediate vicinity of mines. Uranium, As, Mo, Se and V exhibit high geochemical mobility in oxidizing water and are immobilized in reducing waters. In New Mexico, these contaminants have been shown to migrate from uranium mines via (oxidizing) surface water and to accumulate in (reducing) organic-rich fluvial sediments up to 100 km downstream. A GIS is being used to assemble information regarding the location of pits, tailings piles, discharge points, surface water drainages and wetlands in the Nueces watershed. These data layers are directing sample collection aimed at revealing the magnitude of uranium mining impact. The talk will present the history of uranium mining in the Texas Gulf Coast, a review of the geochemistry and environmental significance of As, Mo, Se and V and preliminary data from sampling and analyses.