Navoi State Mining Institute (Navoi, Republic of Uzbekistan):

Alikulov Sh. Sh., Assistant of a Chair, Candidate of Engineering Sciences, e-mail: shuxrat_aliqul@mail.ru

Salimov R. S., Senior Researcher

Researches and practice of underground uranium leaching from weakly-pervious clay ore-bearing rocks in their natural deposits have shown, that process efficiency is basically controlled by the stages of reagent delivery to ore mineral surface and transfer of dissolved valuable component through hydrate wall structured microlayer into the volume of filtration flow. There were carried out the calculations of change of grade of uranium extraction from weakly-pervious clay layers of continental and sea facies (with Kf from 10^–3 to 5–10^–4 m/day) from its initial content. Taking into account the average powers of clay layers, during different duration of productive strata leaching by reagent filtration flow, the carried out researches made it possible to define the available underground leaching area as applied to the conditions of certain deposit. Analysis of geological and hydrogeological factors and technological indices of underground uranium leaching made it possible to use the filtration anysotropy of ores for the choice of optimal scheme of leaching of valuable component from the complex-structured ore bodies in their natural deposition as the most profitable. If uranium content is U > 1C, it should be taken into account that clay weakly-pervious layers are recommended to be leached in the units with preliminary breaking and storing of ore mass.

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