EP0089294B1 - Procédé et installation de lixiviation in situ de minerai - Google Patents

Procédé et installation de lixiviation in situ de minerai Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0089294B1
EP0089294B1 EP83400540A EP83400540A EP0089294B1 EP 0089294 B1 EP0089294 B1 EP 0089294B1 EP 83400540 A EP83400540 A EP 83400540A EP 83400540 A EP83400540 A EP 83400540A EP 0089294 B1 EP0089294 B1 EP 0089294B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
solution
pressure
conduit
lixiviation
injection
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
EP83400540A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0089294A1 (fr
Inventor
Jacques Roussel
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
LAir Liquide SA pour lEtude et lExploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
Original Assignee
LAir Liquide SA pour lEtude et lExploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by LAir Liquide SA pour lEtude et lExploitation des Procedes Georges Claude filed Critical LAir Liquide SA pour lEtude et lExploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
Publication of EP0089294A1 publication Critical patent/EP0089294A1/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0089294B1 publication Critical patent/EP0089294B1/fr
Expired legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
    • E21B43/34—Arrangements for separating materials produced by the well
    • E21B43/40—Separation associated with re-injection of separated materials
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
    • E21B43/28—Dissolving minerals other than hydrocarbons, e.g. by an alkaline or acid leaching agent

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method and an installation for in situ leaching of ores, such as nickel, cobalt, copper, uranium, etc., using a leaching solution composed of a basic solution in which oxygen is added which is circulated in a pipe placed in an injection well, said pipe emerging at its downstream end in a bottom zone called leaching, with recovery in one or more recovery wells a composite solution incorporating metal compounds extracted from the ore, which is treated to separate said compounds, then is regenerated with the optional addition of basic products, reoxygenation and recycling in said injection well pipe.
  • a network of a plurality of injection wells distributed on the surface is used with a plurality of recovery wells also distributed on the surface and at a distance from the injection wells.
  • oxidant the oxygen which is dissolved in the basic solution, because it is less expensive than hydrogen peroxide but its low solubility in aqueous solutions makes its use delicate.
  • the first drawback of the use of oxygen in a leaching solution lies in the formation, when incorporating sufficient quantities of oxygen, of oxygen bubbles with a diameter greater than a few tens of microns, thus forming a two-phase mixture which flows with difficulty through the micro-fractures of the rock so that one is forced to artificially fracture the ore between an injection well and a recovery well, for example with explosives, which allows the passage of the two-phase leaching solution, but such a fracturing operation is delicate and costly.
  • the average pressure in the vertical injection pipe is close to half of the fracturing pressure at the top of the leaching zone and therefore, the concentration of dissolved oxygen is at most equal to half of what 'one might hope for operational pressure in the leaching area. For all these reasons, the oxygen utilization yield is low, of the order of 40%.
  • the subject of the present invention is a process for in situ leaching of ore which avoids all the drawbacks mentioned above by certainly eliminating any formation of oxygen bubbles while approaching, throughout the leaching zone of the limit saturation for a pressure slightly lower than the fracturing pressure of the rock. Thanks to this measure, the leaching solution has very effective properties with regard to the dissolution of the ore, so that one can obtain an oxygen utilization yield very close to 100%.
  • the internal diameter of the injection pipe is chosen so that the pressure of the leaching solution increases, preferably, slightly, during its transfer into said pipe, the value of the pressure of said solution at the downstream end of said pipe being reduced to a value just equal to that of the pressure of said solution at the upstream end of said pipe, by expansion of said solution through throttling means placed in the lower part of said pipe.
  • the internal diameter of the injection pipe is chosen so that the pressure of the leaching solution increases, preferably, slightly, during its transfer into said pipe, the value of the pressure of said solution at the downstream end of said pipe being brought to a value barely higher than that of the pressure of said solution at the upstream end of said pipe, by expansion of said solution through throttling means placed in the lower part of said pipe.
  • the difference between the pressure at the downstream end and the pressure at the upstream end is preferably less than or equal to 1 bar.
  • the throttling means placed at the bottom of the injection pipe can be, for example, constituted by a thin-walled orifice or by a valve which may adjust the opening by suitable means placed on the surface.
  • the calculation of the diameter of the throttle orifice as a function of the desired effect is carried out by conventional methods such as those described in the "Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering" manual cited above.
  • the invention also relates to an installation for implementing the method according to the invention.
  • throttling means are placed at the bottom of the injection pipe.
  • FIG. 1 shows an installation which comprises, in the ground, a plurality of injection wells, only one of which is represented in (1), which are uniformly distributed on the surface and recovery wells, of which only one is shown in (2), also distributed between said injection wells.
  • Each injection well is equipped with an injection pipe (3) opening at its downstream end into a leaching zone (4).
  • the pipe (3) passes through a seal (5) with the well (1), the seal (5) being placed a little above the downstream end of said condite (3).
  • Each injection pipe (3) is supplied with leaching solution by a pipe (6) ending at one at the surface end of the injection pipe (3), on the other hand at the surface end d '' a recovery conduit (7) formed in each recovery well (2), each conduit (7) having a downstream end at a level lower than that of an injection conduit (3), but nevertheless at a level intermediate of the leaching zone (4).
  • Each recovery duct (7) incorporates a pump (11) located near its downstream end, which is set in motion for example by a vertical shaft (12) from a driving eccentric (13). In this way, the leaching solution loaded with dissolved metal compounds extracted from the ore and which flows in the direction of the arrow F is taken up by the pump (11) and is recycled through the conduit (6) to an injection well.
  • this conduit (6) successively incorporates from the recovery conduit (7), a separation device (20), from which the metals are extracted in (21) from the leaching solution, a pressure pump (22) carrying the leaching solution at an elevated pressure little lower than the fracturing pressure of the rock then, at this pressure, a supersaturation oxygenator (23), a phase separator (24), the liquid phase only being directed towards the injection conduits (3 ) by a flow measurement member (25), while the gas phase (26) is recycled by a booster (27) to the oxygenator (23), preferably on an oxygen supply duct (28) terminating to this oxygenator (23).
  • the oxygenator (23) is preferably a pipe-type reactor as described, for example, in the article by A.I. Ch. E. Journal of September 1964 "Gas Phase Controlled Mass Transfer in Two Phases Annular Horizontal Flow" by J. D. Anderson, R. E. Bellinger and D. E. Lamb.
  • the internal diameter d of the injection line (3) (for example, depending on the relationship so that the pressure of the leaching solution, which had the value P 3a at the upstream end 3a of the pipe (3) remains constant during its transfer into this pipe. More precisely, from the upstream end 3a to the downstream end 3b, at each elementary level of the pipe (3), the pressure decrease due to pressure losses is just equal to the pressure increase due hydrostatic effect; so that the pressure of the solution remains constant throughout its path in the pipe (3) and that its value P 3b at the downstream end 3b is equal to the value P 3a at the upstream end 3a.
  • FIG 2 there is shown an in situ ore leaching facility, much of which is similar to the facility shown in Figure 1 (the same references have been assigned to the same elements).
  • This installation comprises a plurality of injection wells (1) and recovery wells (2).
  • Each recovery well (2) is analogous to the recovery well shown in la_figure 1; the recovery duct (7) is connected, at its surface end, to a duct (6) which successively comprises a separation device (20), a pressure pump (22), a supersaturation oxygenator (23) , a phase separator (24), a flow measurement member (25), and which terminates at the surface end of the injection pipe (33) of the injection well (1).
  • This injection pipe (33) has a diameter greater than that of the injection pipe (3) of the installation of FIG. 1.
  • the pipe (33) passes through a seal (35) which is placed, for example, at the top of the injection well (1).
  • the pipe (33) has, at its downstream end, a thin-walled orifice (36) which reduces its diameter there.
  • the internal diameter d of the injection pipe (33) is chosen (for example according to the relation so that the pressure of the leaching solution which had the value P 33a at the upstream end (33a) of the pipe (33) increases, slightly preferably, during its transfer in said pipe until a value P 33c ⁇ More precisely, from the upstream end (33a) to the level (33c just upstream of the thin-walled orifice (36), at each elementary level of the pipe (33), the reduction in pressure due to the pressure losses is less than the increase in pressure due to the hydrostatic effect; so that the pressure of the leaching solution reaches at level (33c) a value P 33c higher, and preferably slightly higher, than the value P 33a.
  • the difference between the pressure P 33c of the leaching solution upstream of the orifice (36) and the pressure P 33b of said solution downstream of said orifice (36) is less than 5 bars.
  • the method is implemented in the installation shown in FIG. 1.
  • the injection pipe (3) of the well (1) has a length of 110m and an internal diameter of 18.58mm.
  • the leaching solution is sent into line (3) at a flow rate of 1.25 1 / sec.
  • This solution contains 0.5 g / liter of H 2 SO 4 , 6.25 g / liter of CaC1 2 and 1.75 g / liter of CaS0 4 . Its dissolved oxygen concentration is 200 ppm.
  • the temperature on the ground is 35 ° C and the temperature at the bottom of the well is 40 c , i.e. a average temperature in the pipe (3) of 37.5 ° C.
  • the pressure of the leaching solution P 3a , at the upstream end of the pipe (3), is 6.5 bars. As this pressure remains constant throughout the path of the solution in the pipe (3), the pressure P3b at the downstream end of the pipe (3), the pressure P 3b at the downstream end of the pipe is also 6, 5 bars.
  • the method is implemented in the installation shown in FIG. 2.
  • the injection pipe (33) of the well (1) has a length of 110m and an internal diameter of 20.96mm.
  • the diameter of the orifice (36) is 9.23mm.
  • the leaching solution has the same composition as that of Example 1. Its concentration of dissolved oxygen is 200 ppm. It is sent into the pipe (33) at a rate of 1.25 1 / sec.
  • the average temperature in the pipe (33) is 37.5 ° C (floor temperature 35 ° C and bottom temperature 40 ° C).
  • the pressure of the leaching solution P 33a , at the upstream end of the pipe (33) is 6.3 bars. It increases slightly during the transfer in the pipe (33) and reaches at level (33c), just upstream of the orifice (36), a value P 33c of 11 bars. After the solution has passed through the orifice (36), the pressure is brought back to a P 33b value of 6.5 bars.
  • the maximum dissolved oxygen concentration at the bottom of the well is 200 ppm.
  • the method is implemented in the installation shown in FIG. 2.
  • the injection pipe (33) of the well (1) has a length of 110m and the seal is placed 55m from the surface end of the well (1).
  • the leaching solution contains 0.5 g / liter of H 2 SO, 6.25 g / liter of CaC1 2 and 1.75 g / liter of CaSO 4 . Its dissolved oxygen concentration is 180 ppm. It is sent into the injection line (33) at a rate of 1.25 / sec.
  • the temperature on the ground is 35 ° C and at the bottom of the well 40 ° C, an average temperature in the pipe (33) of 37.5 ° C.
  • the diameter of the orifice (36) is a function of the diameter of the pipe (33), the flow rate of the leaching solution, the upstream pressures P 33a and downstream P 33b chosen, as well as the characteristics of the leaching solution.

Landscapes

  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Geology (AREA)
  • Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
  • General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
  • Manufacture And Refinement Of Metals (AREA)
EP83400540A 1982-03-17 1983-03-16 Procédé et installation de lixiviation in situ de minerai Expired EP0089294B1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FR8204480 1982-03-17
FR8204480A FR2523636A1 (fr) 1982-03-17 1982-03-17 Procede et installation de lixiviation in situ de minerai

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0089294A1 EP0089294A1 (fr) 1983-09-21
EP0089294B1 true EP0089294B1 (fr) 1986-07-23

Family

ID=9272078

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP83400540A Expired EP0089294B1 (fr) 1982-03-17 1983-03-16 Procédé et installation de lixiviation in situ de minerai

Country Status (9)

Country Link
US (1) US4498705A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
EP (1) EP0089294B1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
AU (1) AU550655B2 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
BR (1) BR8301329A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
CA (1) CA1226514A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
DE (1) DE3364624D1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
ES (1) ES520645A0 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
FR (1) FR2523636A1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
ZA (1) ZA831798B (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Families Citing this family (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
ES2036491B1 (es) * 1991-12-30 1994-04-01 Minera De Santa Marta S A Procedimiento para la explotacion de yacimientos de glauberita.
CN107605438A (zh) * 2017-09-30 2018-01-19 中核通辽铀业有限责任公司 一种地浸采铀矿区集控室模块化装置及方法
CN107858537B (zh) * 2017-12-04 2019-07-26 江西理工大学应用科学学院 离子型稀土裸脚式矿山原地浸矿孔网参数设计方法
CN107858536B (zh) * 2017-12-04 2019-07-26 江西理工大学应用科学学院 离子型稀土全覆式矿山原地浸矿孔网参数设计方法
FR3088364B1 (fr) * 2018-11-14 2022-12-16 Orano Mining Procédé et installation d'exploitation d'une mine par lixiviation in situ
CN109577940B (zh) * 2018-12-26 2021-04-13 核工业北京化工冶金研究院 一种地浸采铀气体控制系统及方法
CA3079769A1 (en) * 2019-04-29 2020-10-29 Richard Cherry Mineral recovery
CN110714131B (zh) * 2019-10-23 2021-06-29 核工业北京化工冶金研究院 一种地浸采铀空气预氧化方法
CN112627262B (zh) * 2020-12-17 2022-05-13 乌海市錦宇矿业有限公司 一种适用不同高度矿堆的便携下料式挖矿机
CN116291449A (zh) * 2021-12-20 2023-06-23 新疆中核天山铀业有限公司 一种低渗透性砂岩铀矿中性浸出氧气加入装置

Family Cites Families (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3860289A (en) * 1972-10-26 1975-01-14 United States Steel Corp Process for leaching mineral values from underground formations in situ
US4071278A (en) * 1975-01-27 1978-01-31 Carpenter Neil L Leaching methods and apparatus
SU607020A1 (ru) * 1976-01-12 1978-05-15 Новочеркасский Ордена Трудового Красного Знамени Политехнический Институт Им.С.Орджоникидзе Способ добычи полезных ископаемых с применением выщелачивани
US4116488A (en) * 1976-09-20 1978-09-26 Kennecott Copper Corporation In-situ mining method and apparatus
US4105253A (en) * 1977-02-11 1978-08-08 Union Oil Company Of California Process for recovery of mineral values from underground formations
US4358158A (en) * 1977-02-11 1982-11-09 Union Oil Company Of California Solution mining process
US4351566A (en) * 1977-10-31 1982-09-28 Mobil Oil Corporation Method and apparatus for mixing gaseous oxidant and lixiviant in an in situ leach operation
US4175789A (en) * 1978-04-25 1979-11-27 Wyoming Mineral Corporation Solution mining utilizing dissolved oxygen with elimination of entrained gas
US4234232A (en) * 1978-10-04 1980-11-18 Standard Oil Company Methods of and apparatus for mining and processing tar sands and the like

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE3364624D1 (en) 1986-08-28
CA1226514A (fr) 1987-09-08
BR8301329A (pt) 1983-11-29
ZA831798B (en) 1984-02-29
AU550655B2 (en) 1986-03-27
EP0089294A1 (fr) 1983-09-21
AU1253683A (en) 1983-09-22
FR2523636B1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1984-05-25
FR2523636A1 (fr) 1983-09-23
ES8401564A1 (es) 1983-12-16
US4498705A (en) 1985-02-12
ES520645A0 (es) 1983-12-16

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
EP0089294B1 (fr) Procédé et installation de lixiviation in situ de minerai
EP2198123B1 (fr) Dispositif de separation liquide/gaz horizontal, procede de separation, notamment des phases liquide et gazeuse d'un petrole brut et installation du dispositif sur fond marin
CA1128035A (fr) Appareil pour le maintien en suspension de produits solides et procede d'utilisation
CA2699203C (fr) Installation et procede de production d'hydrocarbures
EP3119736B1 (fr) Procede de production d'explosif par melange avec un reactif de gazeification
EP3099393B1 (fr) Installation modulaire et procede de separation liquide/gaz, notamment des phases liquide et gazeuse d'un petrole brut.
WO2012120211A1 (fr) Séparateur à écoulement cyclonique
FR2550565A1 (fr) Dispositif du genre belier pour enfoncer des tubes dans le sol
EP2139576B1 (fr) Dispositif de separation liquide/gaz et procede de separation liquide/gaz, notamment les phases liquide et gazeuse d'un petrole brut
EP0191485B1 (fr) Dispositif d'homogénéisation d'un fluide transporté dans une canalisation
EP0420751A1 (fr) Procédé de pompage de mélange liquide gaz dans un puits d'extraction pétrolier et dispositif de mise en oeuvre du procédé
EP3334898B1 (fr) Installation sous-marine de séparation gaz/liquide
EP0917905A1 (fr) Dispositif et procédé de compression diphasique d'un gaz soluble dans un solvant
EP0413788A1 (fr) Dispositif de regulation et d'amortissement d'un ecoulement polyphasique et son application
EP3231786B1 (fr) Mélangeur statique avec un dispositif de cisaillement et procédé de production d'explosif
FR2692320A1 (fr) Dispositif et méthode de pompage d'un liquide visqueux comportant l'injection d'un produit fluidifiant, application aux puits horizontaux.
FR3036395A1 (fr) Unite de traitement d'une boue et procede correspondant
EP0488838A1 (fr) Dispositif d'agitation et de maintien en suspension des particules d'un écoulement polyphasique
EP3119735B1 (fr) Installation de production d'explosif par melange avec un reactif de gazeification
JP3496193B2 (ja) 急勾配トンネルの施工方法および装置
FR2626323A1 (fr) Procede de pompage et de dosage d'un produit liquide de point de fusion compris entre 200 et 350
EP1960557A1 (fr) Procede d'injection supersonique d'oxygene dans un four
Musnal Synchronization of Storage Tank Volume, Disposal Well Volume and Electric Submersible Pump (ESP) Pump Capacity in Disposal Well Field A
FR2490694A1 (fr) Procede et dispositif d'extraction de sediments et applications
EP3250976B1 (fr) Dispositif de régulation de la concentration d'un gaz dans un liquide

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012

17P Request for examination filed

Effective date: 19830319

AK Designated contracting states

Designated state(s): DE FR IT

ITF It: translation for a ep patent filed
GRAA (expected) grant

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009210

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: B1

Designated state(s): DE FR IT

REF Corresponds to:

Ref document number: 3364624

Country of ref document: DE

Date of ref document: 19860828

PLBE No opposition filed within time limit

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009261

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: NO OPPOSITION FILED WITHIN TIME LIMIT

26N No opposition filed
PGFP Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: FR

Payment date: 19900202

Year of fee payment: 8

PGFP Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: DE

Payment date: 19900227

Year of fee payment: 8

ITTA It: last paid annual fee
PG25 Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: FR

Effective date: 19911129

PG25 Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: DE

Effective date: 19920101

REG Reference to a national code

Ref country code: FR

Ref legal event code: ST