WO2015084417A1 - Devices, systems, and methods for processing heterogeneous materials - Google Patents
Devices, systems, and methods for processing heterogeneous materials Download PDFInfo
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- WO2015084417A1 WO2015084417A1 PCT/US2014/011529 US2014011529W WO2015084417A1 WO 2015084417 A1 WO2015084417 A1 WO 2015084417A1 US 2014011529 W US2014011529 W US 2014011529W WO 2015084417 A1 WO2015084417 A1 WO 2015084417A1
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B02—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING; PREPARATORY TREATMENT OF GRAIN FOR MILLING
- B02C—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING IN GENERAL; MILLING GRAIN
- B02C23/00—Auxiliary methods or auxiliary devices or accessories specially adapted for crushing or disintegrating not provided for in preceding groups or not specially adapted to apparatus covered by a single preceding group
- B02C23/08—Separating or sorting of material, associated with crushing or disintegrating
- B02C23/10—Separating or sorting of material, associated with crushing or disintegrating with separator arranged in discharge path of crushing or disintegrating zone
- B02C23/12—Separating or sorting of material, associated with crushing or disintegrating with separator arranged in discharge path of crushing or disintegrating zone with return of oversize material to crushing or disintegrating zone
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B02—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING; PREPARATORY TREATMENT OF GRAIN FOR MILLING
- B02C—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING IN GENERAL; MILLING GRAIN
- B02C19/00—Other disintegrating devices or methods
- B02C19/06—Jet mills
- B02C19/065—Jet mills of the opposed-jet type
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B02—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING; PREPARATORY TREATMENT OF GRAIN FOR MILLING
- B02C—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING IN GENERAL; MILLING GRAIN
- B02C23/00—Auxiliary methods or auxiliary devices or accessories specially adapted for crushing or disintegrating not provided for in preceding groups or not specially adapted to apparatus covered by a single preceding group
- B02C23/08—Separating or sorting of material, associated with crushing or disintegrating
Definitions
- the present disclosure relates generally to processing heterogeneous materials, such as ores or oil-contaminated sands, to separate the materials into discrete components.
- Heterogeneous materials such as heterogeneous solid materials, occur naturally and may also be formed by man-made processes.
- naturally occurring ores may include volumes containing a material of interest (i.e. , a so-called "bearing fraction"), such as a metal or a mineral, mixed with volumes not containing the material of interest (i.e. , a so-called "non-bearing fraction").
- Bearing fraction a material of interest
- non-bearing fraction a so-called “non-bearing fraction”
- Recovery of the material of interest generally requires physical or chemical separation of the bearing fraction from the non-bearing fraction. Chemical separation may require reagents (e.g. , cyanide, acids, carbonates), which may be expensive or raise environmental challenges.
- uranium is typically found in nature as uranium ore.
- Low-grade uranium ore may contain any form of uranium-containing compounds in concentrations up to about 5 lbs of U3O8 equivalent per ton of ore (about 2.5 kg of U 3 0 8 equivalent per 1000 kg of ore, or about 0.25% uranium oxides by weight), whereas higher grade ore may contain uranium-containing compounds in concentrations of about 8 lbs of U 3 0 8 equivalent per ton of ore (about 4.0 kg of U 3 0 8 equivalent per 1000 kg of ore, or about 0.4% uranium oxides by weight), about 30 lbs of U 3 0 8 equivalent per ton of ore (about 15 kg of U 3 0 8 equivalent per 1000 kg of ore, or about 1.5% uranium oxides by weight) or more.
- Uranium deposits may be formed in sandstone by erosion and redeposition. For example, an uplift may raise a uranium-bearing source rock and expose the source rock to the atmosphere. The source rock may then erode, forming solutions of uranium and secondary minerals. The solutions may migrate along the surface of the earth or through permeable subsurface channels into a sandstone formation, stopping at a structural or chemical boundary. Uranium minerals may then be deposited as a patina or coating around or between grains of the formation. Uranium may also be present in carbonaceous materials within sandstone. Uranium may be all or a portion of the cementing material between grains of the formation.
- FIG. 1 shows a section photomicrograph of sandstone formations from the
- uranium-bearing sandstone 10 may include various constituents.
- oversize material 12 may be defined as relatively large particles or fragments, such as homogeneous particles of host rock. Oversize material 12 may also be defined as particles larger than can be processed in a particular processing system. For example, in some sandstone 10, oversize material 12 may include cobbles and stones arbitrarily defined as material having an average diameter larger than about 0.25 inch (in.) (6.35 mm). Oversize materials 12 in sandstone 10 generally do not contain much uranium.
- Grains 14 may generally be defined as particles or fragments smaller than oversize material 12.
- Grains 14 may include particles having diameters from about 400-mesh (i.e., about 0.0015 in. or about 0.037 mm) to about 0.25 in. (6.35 mm), and may include quartz or feldspar.
- Grains 14 in sandstone 10 do not typically contain much uranium, but uranium may be formed around the grains 14 due to deposition.
- Fines may be generally defined as particles disposed among the oversize material 12 and the grains 14, and may include materials also found in the grains 14 and oversized material 12, such as uranium, quartz, feldspar, etc. Fines may cement the oversize material 12 and the grains 14 into a solid mass.
- Fines in uranium-bearing sandstone 10 may include light fines 16 and heavy fines 18.
- Light fines 16 generally have a specific gravity up to about 4.0 with reference to water, whereas heavy fines 18 have a specific gravity greater than about 4.0.
- Uranium compounds are generally components of the heavy fines 18, but may also be a part of light fines 16 in the form of deposits on carbonaceous materials.
- uraninite has a specific gravity from about 6.5 to about 10.95, depending on its degree of oxidation, and coffinite has a specific gravity of about 5.4.
- Both light fines 16 and heavy fines 18 may be bound to grains 14 in the sandstone 10. In the sandstone 10, the oversize material 12, grains 14, light fines 16, and heavy fines 18 may be combined into a single mass.
- Uranium may conventionally be recovered through in-situ recovery (ISR), also known in the art as in-situ leaching (ISL) or solution mining.
- ISR in-situ recovery
- a leachate or lixiviant solution is pumped into an ore formation through a well.
- the solution permeates the formation and dissolves a portion of the ore.
- the solution is extracted through another well and processed to recover the uranium.
- Reagents used to dissolve uranium of the ore may include an acid or carbonate.
- ISR may have various environmental and operational concerns, such as mobilization of uranium or heavy metals into aquifers, footprint of surface operations, interconnection of wells, etc.
- ISR typically requires particular reagents, which must be supplied, recovered, and treated. Because ISR relies on the subsurface transport of a solution, ISR cannot generally be used in formations that are impermeable or shallow.
- Uranium may also conventionally be mined in underground mines or surface mines (e.g., strip mines, open-pit mines, etc.). During such mining activities, it may be necessary to process large quantities of material having a concentration of uranium too low for economic recovery by conventional processes. Such material (e.g., overburden) may be treated as waste or as a material for use in mine reclamation. Conventional mining may produce significant amounts of such low-concentration material, which may require treatment during or subsequent to mining operations. It would therefore be advantageous to provide a method of uranium recovery that minimizes or alleviates these concerns.
- underground mines or surface mines e.g., strip mines, open-pit mines, etc.
- a system for processing a heterogeneous material includes a conduit for a pressurized fluid and a nozzle assembly in fluid
- the nozzle assembly includes a plurality of adjustable nozzles configured such that fluid streams passing through each of the plurality of adjustable nozzles intersect at an oblique angle after passing through the plurality of adjustable nozzles. At least one of the fluid streams comprises a heterogeneous material.
- a system in other embodiments, includes a conduit for a pressurized fluid, a nozzle assembly in fluid communication with the conduit, and a separation system configured to separate particles of a heterogeneous material into a first fraction and a second fraction.
- the nozzle assembly includes an adjustable nozzle configured such that a stream of the heterogeneous material passing through the adjustable nozzle contacts a surface approximately perpendicular to the surface after passing through the nozzle.
- the particles of the first fraction have a first average property
- the particles of the second fraction have a second average property different from the first average property.
- a method of processing a heterogeneous material includes entraining heterogeneous particles of a material into at least one fluid stream, passing the fluid stream through an adjustable nozzle, impacting the fluid stream with another fluid stream at an oblique angle to ablate the heterogeneous particles of the material, and classifying the heterogeneous particles.
- FIG. 1 is a photomicrograph of uranium ore in a sandstone formation
- FIG. 2 is a photomicrograph of a carbonaceous material
- FIG. 3 is a simplified schematic illustrating an embodiment of a system for processing a heterogeneous material
- FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a nozzle assembly as shown in the system of FIG. 3;
- FIGS. 5 and 6 are enlarged cross-sectional views of nozzle assemblies of additional embodiments of the present disclosure.
- FIG. 7 is a simplified schematic illustrating a portion of the system shown in
- FIG. 3
- FIG. 8 is a simplified view of an embodiment of an elutriator
- FIG. 9 is a simplified cross-sectional view of the elutriator of FIG. 8;
- FIG. 10 is a simplified view of a cylindrical stage of the elutriator of FIG. 8;
- FIG. 1 1 is a simplified cross-sectional view of the cylindrical stage of
- FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic representation of FIG. 10
- FIG. 12 is a graph illustrating the calculated terminal velocity of selected particles in an elutriator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. 13 is a side view of an embodiment of a system for processing a heterogeneous material
- FIG. 14 is a simplified schematic illustrating another embodiment of a system for processing a heterogeneous material
- FIGS. 15 through 17 are photomicrographs of ore samples from
- FIG. 18 is a graph illustrating a particle size distribution for a crushed sample of ore from sandstone-hosted uranium deposits
- FIG. 19 is a graph illustrating a particle size distribution and a percentage of uranium in each size fraction for a crushed sample of ore from sandstone-hosted uranium deposits;
- FIG. 20 is a graph illustrating a particle size distribution and a percentage of uranium in each size fraction for a crushed sample of ore from sandstone-hosted uranium deposits and for a sample of the same material after ablation;
- FIGS. 21 and 22 are graphs illustrating concentrations of elements as a function of ablation time in water used in an ablation process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. 23 is a photomicrograph of a crushed ore sample from sandstone-hosted uranium deposits, including a mineral patina;
- FIG. 24 is a photomicrograph of an ablated crushed ore sample from sandstone-hosted uranium deposits
- FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view of a nozzle assembly of an additional embodiment of the present disclosure.
- FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional top view of a nozzle assembly of another embodiment of the present disclosure.
- a method includes entraining heterogeneous particles into a fluid stream (e.g. , air, water, oil, etc.).
- the fluid stream is passed through at least one nozzle of a system, and is impacted to ablate the heterogeneous particles via kinetic collisions between particles within the fluid stream.
- ablate means and includes wearing away by flexure, rebound, and distortion. Ablation may also include wear by friction, chipping, spalling, or another erosive process.
- a system for the ablation process may include a conduit for a pressurized fluid and a nozzle assembly.
- the nozzle assembly may include two or more adjustable nozzles configured such that a stream passing through a nozzle intersects another stream passing through another nozzle in the nozzle assembly.
- the method and system may be scalable for operations of any size.
- the system may be portable, and its use may make separation commercially feasible in instances wherein conventional separation processes are impractical.
- the devices, systems, and methods described herein may be particularly applicable to ores, such as sandstone, for the recovery of selected minerals, such as uranium-containing compounds.
- Uranium is often a post-depositional material, carried into an already established sandstone formation by mineral-bearing solutions. Without being bound to any particular theory, it is believed that when these mineral-bearing solutions reached a reduction zone, carbon caused the uranium to reduce and precipitate out of solution to form stable uranium-containing compounds. Because the sandstone formation was already in place, these uranium-containing compounds formed in two very specific locations within the ore— as a mineral patina surrounding grains and in carbonaceous material. Because the grain structure of sandstone is relatively impermeable, uranium patinas do not penetrate the grains. Instead, uranium patinas form a boundary between the grain and the cementing material in the sandstone formation.
- the uranium mineral patina includes the heavy fines 18, and is shown around quartz grains 14.
- Carbonaceous materials are commonly found in sandstone-hosted uranium deposits, such as in the light fines 16 shown in FIG. 1. In sandstone-hosted uranium deposits, carbonaceous materials generally range in size from less than about 1 mm to more than about 25 mm across. Other carbonaceous materials include partially decomposed trees, coal seams, etc., and vary widely in size.
- FIG. 2 shows a sample of a carbonaceous material.
- Carbonaceous materials generally have low specific gravities of between about 1.25 and 1.30, and may contain high concentrations of uranium or other post-depositional elements deposited by permeation of mineral-bearing solutions. However, carbonaceous materials may also have specific gravities higher or lower, depending on how the carbonaceous materials formed. For example, some carbonaceous materials may have specific gravities less than about 1.0. Carbonaceous materials subjected to compressive forces may have specific gravities greater than about 1.5. Dissociating and then recovering the light fines 16 from the oversize material 12, the grains 14, and the heavy fines 18 may therefore enable enhanced recovery of certain elements without processing the entire mass of sandstone by conventional techniques.
- both the heavy fines 18 (including the mineralized uranium patina) and the light fines 16 (including the carbonaceous materials) makes them each amenable to dissociation and separation from the oversize material 12, which does not contain uranium, and grains 14 of sandstone using an ablation process of the present disclosure.
- the heavy fines 18 are separated from the oversize material 12 and grains 14.
- the patina Without the structure of the oversize material 12 and grains 14, the patina has limited structure and forms the heavy fines 18, which are smaller than about 400-mesh. That is, the patina forms weak bonds between particles such that ablation breaks the patina particles down into particles smaller than about 400-mesh.
- a system 100 for processing a heterogeneous material 103 is shown schematically in FIG. 3. To simplify the figures and clarify the present disclosure, not every element or component of the system 100 is shown or described herein.
- the system 100 may also include appropriate piping, connectors, sensors, controllers, etc. (not shown), as will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art.
- the system 100 may include a hopper 101 feeding a tank 102, and a pump 104 in fluid communication with the tank 102.
- the pump 104 may transport a mixed heterogeneous material 106 (which may include a mixture of the heterogeneous material 103 from the hopper 101 and an ablated heterogeneous material 124 that is recycled through a portion of the system 100, as explained in more detail below) through a continuous-flow mixing device 108 and a splitter 1 10.
- the mixed heterogeneous material 106 may then pass through a nozzle assembly 1 14, and multiple streams of the mixed heterogeneous material 106 may impact one another, ablating solid particles therein to form the ablated heterogeneous material 124.
- the ablated heterogeneous material 124 may, in some embodiments, be recycled through the system 100 by mixing the ablated heterogeneous material 124 with the unablated heterogeneous material 103 in the tank 102.
- a stream 136 may be drawn off through a pump 138 to a separation system 140, where it may be separated into two or more components.
- the separation system 140 may separate the stream 136 into grains 150, light fines 152, and heavy fines 154.
- the system 100 may also be configured to operate in batch mode, as will be understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art.
- the system 100 may include multiple pumps, mixing apparatuses, and/or nozzle assemblies operated in series, such as with the stream 136 being directed through a second nozzle assembly before entering the separation system 140.
- a system 100 having multiple nozzle assemblies operating in series may be configured such that each and every particle of the heterogeneous material 103 necessarily passes through each nozzle assembly at least once.
- subsequent nozzle assemblies may operate without additional hoppers 101 or separation systems 140.
- the heterogeneous material 103 may be placed into the hopper 101.
- the heterogeneous material 103 may include solid particles or a mixture of solid particles with a liquid.
- the heterogeneous material 103 may include a portion of an ore containing a metal (e.g., uranium, gold, copper, and/or a rare-earth element) to be recovered.
- the heterogeneous material 103 may be oil-contaminated sand.
- the liquid may include water (e.g., groundwater, process water, culinary or municipal water, distilled water, deionized water, etc.), an acid, a base, an organic solvent, a surfactant, a salt, or any combination thereof.
- the liquid may include dissolved materials, such as a carbonate or oxygen.
- the liquid may be substantially pure water, or water removed from a water source (e.g., an underground aquifer) without purification and without added components.
- the composition of the liquid may be selected to balance economic, environmental, and processing concerns (e.g., mineral solubility or disposal).
- the liquid may be selected to comply with environmental regulations.
- the liquid may be substantially free of a reagent (e.g., a leachate, an acid, an alkali, cyanide, lead nitrate, etc.) that is formulated to chemically react with the particles in the heterogeneous material 103.
- the liquid may be omitted.
- the hopper 101 may be configured to feed the heterogeneous material 103 into the tank 102.
- the hopper 101 may be placed at a higher elevation than the tank 102, such that the heterogeneous material 103 flows by gravity into the tank 102.
- the hopper 101 may include a device to move the heterogeneous material 103 to the tank 102, such as an auger, tilt table, etc. , which may communicate with or be controlled by a computer 184, such as a programmable logic controller (PLC).
- PLC programmable logic controller
- the computer 184 may detect operating conditions of the system 100 via one or more sensors (not shown) and adjust the flow of the heterogeneous material 103 accordingly.
- the tank 102 may have an inlet (not shown) configured to receive the heterogeneous material 103 from the hopper 101.
- the tank 102 may have one or more angled baffles 105 configured to direct the flow of the heterogeneous material 103.
- the heterogeneous material 103 may mix with a mixed heterogeneous material 106 already in the tank 102.
- the tank 102 may optionally have an input port (not shown) to add liquid to the mixed heterogeneous material 106.
- the tank 102 may include a volume that narrows toward the ground, such as a conical portion. The narrowed volume may direct solids of the mixed heterogeneous material 106 into an outlet at the bottom of the tank 102.
- the pump 104 may be in fluid communication with the tank 102, and may draw the mixed heterogeneous material 106 from the outlet of the tank 102.
- the pump 104 may be a horizontal centrifugal pump, an axial centrifugal pump, a vertical centrifugal pump, or any other pump configured to pressurize and transport the mixed heterogeneous material 106.
- the pump 104 may be selected such that solid particles of the mixed heterogeneous material 106 may pass through the pump 104 at an appropriate flow rate without damaging the pump 104.
- the pump 104 may be selected to pump 30 gallons per minute (gpm) (1.9 liters per second (1/s) of a mixed heterogeneous material 106 containing particles up to about 0.25 in.
- the pump 104 may be a 5-horsepower WARMAN® Series 1000 pump, available from Weir Minerals, of Madison, WI.
- the pump 104 may deliver any selected pressure and flow rate, and may be selected by a person having ordinary skill in the art based on the requirements for a particular application (e.g., a selected heterogeneous material 103 feedstock composition and flow rate).
- the pump 104 may communicate with or be controlled by the computer 184.
- the computer 184 may detect operating conditions of the system 100 (e.g., by sensors (not shown)) and adjust the operation of the pump 104.
- the system 100 may include multiple pumps 104 (not shown in FIG. 3).
- the pump 104 may pressurize and transport the mixed heterogeneous material 106 through a continuous- flow mixing device 108, such as a pipe having mixing vanes inside.
- the continuous-flow mixing device 108 may promote a uniform distribution of the solid particles within the mixed heterogeneous material 106.
- mixing vanes may cause larger or more dense particles (which may tend to be distributed differently in the mixed heterogeneous material 106 than fines) to be remixed throughout the mixed heterogeneous material 106.
- the mixed heterogeneous material 106 may pass through a splitter 1 10, separating the mixed heterogeneous material 106 into a plurality of streams 1 12 approximately equal in volumetric flow and composition.
- the splitter 1 10 may produce two, three, four, or more streams 1 12.
- a rotor of the pump 104 may be aligned with respect to the splitter 1 10 such that each stream 1 12 includes identical or nearly identical amounts of solid particles of each size and/or density.
- a plane of symmetry of the splitter 1 10 may be perpendicular to an axis of rotation of the rotor of the pump 104.
- the continuous-flow mixing device 108 may be omitted, saving energy that would otherwise be used for mixing in the continuous-flow mixing device 108.
- the mixed heterogeneous material 106 may be separated into components without a continuous-flow mixing device 108.
- Each stream 1 12 may pass through various piping or hoses, and such piping or hoses may be configured to have the same dimensions.
- the length and curvature of the piping for each stream 1 12 may be equivalent and arranged symmetrically, such that each stream 1 12 experiences equivalent energy loss in the piping.
- the streams 1 12 produced by the splitter 1 10 or from the multiple pumps 104 may enter a nozzle assembly 114, shown in simplified cross-sectional view in FIG. 4, through a plurality of inlets 122.
- the streams 112 may each have the same amount of kinetic energy.
- the nozzle assembly 1 14 may include a body 1 15 and a plurality of nozzles 1 16 arranged and configured such that the streams 112 (not depicted in FIG. 4) intersect in an impact zone 118, indicated by a dashed circle in FIG. 4, after passing through the nozzles 1 16.
- the streams 112 may intersect in an open portion of the nozzle assembly 114.
- the nozzles 1 16 may form the streams 112 into coherent, focused streams.
- the nozzle assembly 114 may have a plurality of flow constriction zones 120 between inlets 122 and the nozzles 116 in which the flow velocity of the streams 1 12 increases.
- the flow constriction zones 120 may have sizes and shapes such that the streams 112 flow through the nozzles 116 without cavitation.
- the flow constriction zones 120 may have a size and shape configured to increase the flow velocity of the streams 1 12 isentropically (i.e., with little or no increase in entropy), such as by a reversible adiabatic compression.
- the flow constriction zones 120 may reduce the area through which the streams 1 12 pass.
- Each nozzle 116 may have a plurality of straight sections 121 (e.g., collimating tubes) having one or more walls approximately parallel to an axis of symmetry 1 17 between the flow constriction zones 120 and the nozzle exits 1 19.
- the straight sections 121 may serve to collimate or align the flow of particles and fluid of the streams 1 12 so that the particles travel in directions approximately parallel. Longer straight sections 121 may be more effective at aligning the flow than shorter straight sections 121.
- the cross-sectional area of the straight sections 121 may be approximately the same as the cross-sectional area of the nozzle exits 1 19, and may be from about 5% to about 20% of the cross-sectional area of the inlets 122.
- the cross-sectional area of the nozzle exits 1 19 may be approximately equal to the cross-sectional area of the inlets 122, which may, in turn, be approximately equal to the cross section of an outlet of the pump(s) 104.
- the diameter of the nozzle exits 119 may be selected to be approximately twice the diameter of the largest particles expected to pass through the nozzles 1 16.
- the velocity of the streams 1 12 may vary in proportion to an inverse of the cross-sectional area, and the velocity of the streams 1 12 at the nozzle exits 1 19 may therefore be from about 5 times to about 20 times the velocity of streams 1 12 at the inlets 122.
- the velocity of the streams 1 12 may be tailored for a specific application.
- the velocity of the streams 1 12 may be from about 10 feet per second (ft/s) (3.0 meters per second (m/s)) to about 1000 ft/s (305 m/s).
- the velocity of the streams 1 12 may depend on the properties of the heterogeneous material 103 (FIG. 3).
- the velocity of the streams 1 12 may be from about 300 ft/s (91 m/s) to about 500 ft/s (152 m/s), whereas in other applications, the velocity of the streams 1 12 may be from about 40 ft/s (12.2 m/s) to about 60 ft/s (18.3 m/s).
- the velocity of the streams 1 12 may be selected such that solids are carried along with liquids in the heterogeneous material 106 and that enough energy is transferred to particles to dissociate constituents of the particles without breaking homogeneous portions of particles (e.g. , to remove a coating without breaking a core over which a coating is disposed). In some embodiments, the velocity of the streams may be selected (i.e., relatively higher) such that enough energy is transferred to particles to pulverize homogeneous portions of material into finer particles.
- the ablated heterogeneous material 124 (FIG. 3) may optionally include particles having a relatively uniform particle size.
- Each of the nozzles 1 16 may have its own axis of symmetry 1 17 in the center thereof. The axis of symmetry 1 17 of one nozzle 1 16 may intersect or coincide with the axis of symmetry 1 17 of another nozzle 1 16 in the impact zone 1 18. In embodiments in which the nozzle assembly 1 14 contains two
- the nozzles 1 16 may share a single axis of symmetry 1 17. Furthermore, the nozzles 1 16 may be oriented to face one another. That is, two streams 1 12 may impact one another traveling in opposite directions (i.e., head-on) through counter-opposing nozzles 1 16. In such an arrangement, the kinetic energy of the streams 1 12 converted to impact energy may be larger than in nozzle arrangements in which the streams impact obliquely or perpendicularly.
- FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of a nozzle assembly 1 14'.
- a system 100 having nozzle the assembly 1 14' may not include a splitter 1 10, but may instead be configured such that the entire mixed heterogeneous material 106 is directed through a single nozzle 1 16.
- the nozzle 1 16 may be configured to direct the stream 1 12 (not depicted in FIG. 5) against a solid object, such as surface 123 of the impact zone 1 18. The portion of the surface 123 against which the stream 112 collides may be the impact zone 1 18 of the nozzle assembly 1 14'.
- the body 1 15 and nozzle 116 may be a single unitary structure.
- FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment of a nozzle assembly 114".
- Each stream 1 12 (not depicted in FIG. 6) may pass through multiple constriction zones 120 separated by straight sections 121 before exiting a corresponding nozzle 1 16.
- Two constriction zones 120 are shown for each nozzle 116 in the nozzle assembly 1 14" shown in FIG. 6, but a nozzle assembly 1 14" may include any number of constriction zones 120.
- Multiple constriction zones 120 and multiple straight sections 121 may contribute to increased collimation and decreased wear of the nozzle assembly 1 14". Thus, additional constriction zones 120 may increase the efficiency of the system 100.
- the impact zone 1 18 may be centrally positioned proximate to the nozzles 1 16 (e.g., between or among multiple nozzles 1 16, or on a surface across a gap from a single nozzle 1 16). In embodiments having two nozzles 1 16, the impact zone 1 18 may be located approximately midway between the two nozzles 1 16 (i.e. , if the streams 1 12 have equivalent mass flow and particle distribution), but may be located anywhere between the two nozzles 1 16 or in any location in which the streams 1 12 can intersect.
- the size of the impact zone 1 18 may be determined by various design parameters, such as the velocity of the mixed heterogeneous material 106, the size and/or shape of the nozzles 1 16, the roughness of the material of the nozzle assembly 1 14, the alignment of the nozzles 1 16, the number of nozzles 1 16, the distance between the nozzles 1 16 (if applicable), the length and/or number of the straight sections 121 , the composition of the streams 1 12, etc.
- the impact zone 1 18 may encompass the vena contracta of each stream 1 12 (i.e., the point at which the diameter of each stream 1 12 is at a minimum, and the velocity of each stream 1 12 is at a maximum).
- the volume or area of the impact zone 1 18 may correspond to the concentration of energy of the streams 1 12.
- particles may be more likely to impact or collide directly with other particles traveling in an opposite direction than they are in streams 1 12 intersecting in a larger volume.
- the particles have a greater probability of colliding directly if the streams 1 12 themselves impact directly (e.g., one stream is positioned at an angle of about 180° relative to another, opposing stream) or nearly directly (e.g., one stream is positioned at an oblique angle relative to another, opposing stream).
- one stream may be positioned between about 45° and about 180° (e.g., near 180°) relative to another, opposing stream.
- Flaring may be reduced or eliminated by, for example, lengthening the straight section 121 , precision machining, reducing surface roughness, including a shielding fluid (e.g., air, water, oil, etc.) around the stream 1 12, etc.
- a shielding fluid e.g., air, water, oil, etc.
- the kinetic energy of the streams 1 12 may be used to separate materials of the particles in the streams 1 12, such as coatings or layers of material overlying a core (e.g., a film, patina, varnish, oxide, or crust).
- a core e.g., a film, patina, varnish, oxide, or crust.
- the mixed heterogeneous material 106 contains uranium ore, including particles of the sandstone 10 shown in FIG. 1
- the kinetic energy of the streams 1 12 may remove the light fines 16 and/or the heavy fines 18 from the grains 14.
- the mixed heterogeneous material 106 contains micro-fine gold particles having silicate patinas, the kinetic energy may remove the silicate from the gold.
- the kinetic energy may remove the oil coating from the grains of sand.
- Separation of materials may be a physical process (e.g., physical dissociation), independent of any chemical process (e.g., chemical reaction, dissolution) of any materials.
- materials may be separated without the addition of reagents (e.g., leachates, acids, alkalis, cyanide, lead nitrate, etc.), and the system 100 may be used to recover materials that are conventionally recovered by environmentally or operationally problematic techniques.
- reagents may be present in the liquid, such as in the groundwater, in trace amounts.
- embodiments of the present disclosure may be used to separate materials from one another even when none of the materials has sufficient solubility in the liquid for chemical separation.
- reagents may nonetheless be added to enhance dissolution of certain species.
- sodium bicarbonate may be added to the streams 1 12 to promote the dissolution of uranium in conjunction with the energy input within the system 100.
- the nozzle assembly 1 14 may be customized or tuned for various reasons.
- the distance from the nozzles 116 to the impact zone 1 18 may be varied, such as by moving the nozzles 1 16 inward or outward in the nozzle assembly 1 14.
- the nozzles 1 16 may be adjustable, including threaded fittings or other means to adjust the position and/or orientation of the nozzles 1 16 with respect to the impact zone 1 18 (e.g., to move the vena contracta within the impact zone 1 18, to move the impact zone 118 such that the streams 1 12 of material leaving the nozzles 1 16 do not travel along the same line, etc.).
- Other properties of the system 100 include, for example, nozzle diameter, the number of nozzles, the length and/or number of constriction zones 120 and straight sections 121 , the addition of a liquid to the mixed heterogeneous material 106, the maximum particles size of the heterogeneous material 103 entering the system 100, etc. Performance may also be adjusted by changing the pressure, velocity, and/or composition of the streams 1 12 exiting the nozzles 1 16. Some properties may be made by, for example, adjusting the power output of the pump 104. Such tuning may be desirable to use the system 100 to process different materials. As another example, one fluid may be passed through one nozzle, and another fluid may be passed through another nozzle.
- one or both fluids may carry particles of the mixed heterogeneous material 106.
- tuning may be performed in the field, such that as changes are encountered in a feed stream of heterogeneous material 103, adjustments may be made to maintain or improve processing efficiency.
- the impact energy may be lowered by adjusting one or more properties as described above.
- the impact energy may also be lowered by colliding the streams 1 12 in a configuration other than directly opposing. Two streams 1 12 may be aligned such that they intersect at an angle less than 180°, such as in the shape of the letter "V.” Such an arrangement may also direct the flow of the material after impact.
- FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view of a nozzle assembly 314 in which axes of symmetry 1 17 intersect at an oblique angle, such that the streams 1 12 (not shown in FIG. 25) passing through the nozzles 1 16 impact at an oblique angle (e.g., the axes of symmetry 117 of the nozzles 1 16 do not fall on the same line).
- the nozzle exits 1 19 and the impact zone 1 18 may not be collinear.
- the streams 1 12 may impact at an angle 316 ranging from about 90° to less than about 180°. It may be beneficial to select the angle 316 to be near 180°, such that most of the kinetic energy of the streams 1 12 is converted to impact energy.
- the angle 316 may range from about 160° to about 179.9°, from about 170° to about 179°, or about 175°.
- the oblique angle may have other benefits. For example, it has been observed that in nozzles 1 16 oriented directly head-on, such as those shown in FIG. 4, or a nozzle assembly having another configuration including an even number of nozzles, small perturbations in the flow of the streams 1 12 may cause the flow through one or more of the nozzles 1 16 to stop or clog the nozzles 1 16, an effect that has not been observed in nozzle
- the pressure in the impact zone 1 18 is higher than the pressure in the streams 1 12 within the nozzles 1 16.
- a change in flow velocity or pressure of one stream 1 12 relative to another stream 1 12, such that the streams 1 12 are not balanced, may cause the impact zone 1 18 to shift. If the impact zone 1 18 shifts near one of the nozzles, the flow through that nozzle 1 16 can stop almost instantaneously, because the pressure at the impact zone 118 is greater than the pressure of the stream 1 12 in the nozzle 1 16. When this occurs, flow through the system 100 may be restarted by stopping and restarting the pump 104. However, in embodiments in which the streams 1 12 impact at an oblique angle, such as in the nozzle assembly 314 shown in FIG. 25, a perturbation in the flow of one of the streams 1 12 may cause movement of the impact zone 118, but does not generally cause flow through any nozzle 116 to stop.
- a non-brittle hard material 128 may be disposed over at least one surface of the nozzles 116 to protect the nozzles 116, and particularly the straight sections 121, from wear.
- the non-brittle hard material 128 may be a high-yield-strength metal that is resistant to abrasion (e.g., tungsten or hardened steel), a non-brittle ceramic, a
- the non-brittle hard material 128 may be in the form of a washer, a surface coating, a bonded plate, etc.
- the non-brittle hard material 128 may be secured to nozzles 116 by an adhesive, a weld, fasteners (e.g., screws), or any other means or combination.
- the non-brittle hard material 128 includes a tungsten washer bonded to the nozzle 116 with epoxy.
- FIG. 26 illustrates a cross-sectional top view of another embodiment of a nozzle assembly 414.
- the nozzle assembly 414 includes three nozzles 1 16, rather than two. In this nozzle assembly 414, a shift in the location of the impact zone 1 18 is unlikely to cause flow through any nozzle 1 16 to stop because none of the nozzles 1 16 directly opposes any other nozzle 1 16. Some such nozzle
- assemblies 414 may include any odd number of nozzles 1 16, such as five nozzles 1 16, seven nozzles 1 16, etc.
- the splitter 1 10 (FIG. 3) produces the same number of streams 1 12 as there are nozzles 1 16.
- the streams 1 12 (not shown in FIG. 26) that pass through the nozzles 1 16 in the nozzle assembly 414 shown in FIG. 26 intersect at an oblique angle 416.
- the streams 1 12 intersect at an angle 416 of about 120°.
- streams 1 12 intersect at an angle of about 72°.
- streams 1 12 intersect at an angle of about 51.4°.
- the streams 1 12 may recombine into a single stream of ablated heterogeneous material 124, and may flow through an outlet 126 of the nozzle assembly 1 14.
- the ablated heterogeneous material 124 may contain more particles and/or finer particles than the mixed heterogeneous material 106 entering the nozzle assembly 114.
- the outlet 126 may have a cross-sectional area larger than the combined cross-sectional areas of the nozzles 1 16, such that the flow of the ablated heterogeneous material 124 does not fill the entire outlet 126. Air may, therefore, flow freely into or out of the outlet 126 adjacent the impact zone 1 18.
- the tank 102 (FIG.
- the tank 102 may contain an inert gas.
- the inert gas may flow freely into or out of the outlet 126.
- the outlet 126 may be disposed below the impact zone 1 18, such that the stream of ablated heterogeneous material 124 exits the nozzle assembly 1 14 by the force of gravity.
- the nozzle assembly 1 14 or, alternatively, nozzle assembly 1 14" (FIG. 6) or 314 (FIG.
- the nozzle assembly 1 14 may be shaped like the letter “T,” with the two nozzles 1 16 pointed at each other, and wherein the outlet 126 is below the impact zone 1 18 between the nozzles 1 16.
- the nozzle assembly 1 14 (or nozzle assembly 1 14' (FIG. 5), 1 14" (FIG. 6), 314 (FIG. 25), or 414 (FIG. 26)) may have air disposed therein, such that the streams 1 12 flow through air after leaving the nozzles 1 16 and before reaching the impact zone 1 18.
- the stream of ablated heterogeneous material 124 may pass through the outlet 126 of the nozzle assembly 1 14 back to the tank 102, and may mix with the mixed heterogeneous material 106 in the tank 102.
- a discharge pump 138 may extract a stream 136 of the mixed heterogeneous material 106 from the tank 102 and may transfer the stream 136 to a separation system 140.
- the stream 136 may be drawn from an outlet located above one or more baffles 105, and the heterogeneous material 103 may enter the tank 102 below one or more of the baffles 105.
- the baffles 105 may direct the flow of the ablated heterogeneous material 124 past the outlet for the stream 136 before mixing the heterogeneous material 103 from the hopper 101 , such that material of the stream 136 is drawn from the ablated heterogeneous material 124 that has been passed through the nozzle assembly 1 14 at least once.
- the system 100 may include multiple nozzle assemblies 1 14 operated in series, such that material of the stream 136 passing to the separation system 140 has passed through each nozzle assembly 1 14 at least once.
- the system 100 may include one or more transfer pumps to transfer material from one nozzle assembly 1 14 to another.
- the flow rate of the stream 136 may be varied relative to other flow rates (e.g.
- Different heterogeneous materials 103 may have different bonding properties, and therefore may require different amounts of energy to effect dissociation. For example, relatively weaker bonds may be broken by relatively less-direct collisions in the impact zone 1 18 (see FIGS. 4 through 6), whereas relatively stronger bonds may require more-direct collisions. To increase the fraction of particles undergoing direct collision, the particles may be recycled through the system 100 (i.e.
- a separation system 140 may be designed to separate portions of the stream 136 by size, shape, density, magnetic character, electrostatic charge, or any other property of particles of the stream 136.
- the separation system 140 may include a screen 142 (e.g. , a rotary screen, an angled screen, etc.) to remove particles larger than a selected size.
- the screen 142 may allow fines 148 (i.e., particles smaller than the mesh size of the screen 142 (e.g.
- the fines 148, the grains 150, or both, may be selected for further processing.
- the grains 150 may contain the gold, whereas the fines 148 may be substantially free of gold.
- the fines 148 may be discarded or returned to the mine as barren waste (i.e. , waste substantially free of a material of interest).
- barren waste i.e. , waste substantially free of a material of interest.
- the fines 148 may contain uranium, whereas the grains 150 may contain barren ore.
- the grains 150 may be returned to a uranium mine as barren waste, and the fines 148 may be further separated, such as in a gravimetric separator 144.
- a portion of the stream 136 may pass into a gravimetric separator 144 for further separation.
- the particles of the stream 136 in the gravimetric separator 144 may have approximately uniform particle sizes, making them inseparable by screening, but separable on the basis of density.
- the gravimetric separator 144 may be an elutriation system including a vertical column 146.
- the term "elutriation" means and includes a process of separating materials based on differences in density.
- the portion of the stream 136 to be separated (e.g., the fines 148) may enter the top of the vertical column 146.
- a fluid 156 (e.g.
- water may be continually introduced into the bottom of the vertical column 146 and may flow upward through the vertical column 146.
- the flow of fluid 156 through the vertical column 146 may be in either a laminar or a turbulent regime. It may be desirable to pass fluid 156 through the vertical column 146 in the turbulent flow regime because surface roughness and flow perturbations may be inconsequential for turbulent flow, and control may therefore be simpler.
- the rate at which fluid 156 is introduced into the vertical column 146 it may be possible to control the vertical flow rate within the vertical column 146 so that light fines 152 (particles having densities below a selected value) exit the top of the vertical column 146 with the fluid 156, whereas heavy fines 154 (particles having densities above the selected value) sink to the bottom of the vertical column 146.
- the heavy fines 154 may be continuously extracted from the bottom of the vertical column 146, and the volume of the fines removed may be replaced with makeup water added at the bottom of the vertical column 146.
- the gravimetric separator 144 may be operated in batch mode, and the heavy fines 154 may be removed between operations.
- the light fines 152 may be directed to another apparatus (e.g., a
- the gravimetric separator 144 may include two or more vertical columns 146 in series, to enhance separation, or in parallel, to increase volumetric flow. Separation of the heavy fines 154 from the light fines 152 may decrease the amount of material to be processed to recover a target material of interest, and may decrease the amount of the target material of interest left in non-bearing fractions. Fluids 156 used in the operation of the system may be cleaned by reverse osmosis, filtration, ion exchange, or any other method known in the art.
- the gravimetric separator 144 depicted in FIG. 7 may be an elutriator 200, as shown in FIGS. 8 through 1 1.
- a cross section of the elutriator 200 is shown in FIG. 9.
- the elutriator 200 includes a column 202 having a plurality of fluid inputs 204 and a slurry input 206.
- the column 202 may include a generally cylindrical upper portion 208 and a plurality of cylindrical stages 210 (e.g., 210a, 210b, 210c, 21 Od, etc. ), forming a lower portion 21 1 having a generally conical interior.
- the elutriator 200 may be configured such that the higher-density particles settle to the bottom of the column 202, and the lower-density particles rise to the top of the column 202.
- water may enter the column 202 via the fluid inputs 204 in the plurality of cylindrical stages 210.
- the water may be directed upward in the column 202 as the water leaves each cylindrical stage 210, such that water entering the column 202 from each fluid input 204 flows parallel to water entering from adjacent fluid inputs 204.
- the water may flow upward through the column 202 in a turbulent flow regime (e.g., with a Reynolds number of at least about 2,300, at least about 10,000, at least about 50,000, or even at least about 100,000).
- the column 202 may have a geometry selected to minimize or eliminate the boundary layer between the water and walls of the column 202.
- the cylindrical stages 210 may each include a fluid input 204 configured to deliver a portion of water.
- the fluid input 204 in the first stage 210a may provide water flowing into a void defined by an inside wall 212b of the second stage 210b at a selected velocity.
- the water flowing into the column 202 through the first stage 210a fills the entire void defined by an inside wall 212b of the second stage 210b.
- the fluid input 204 in the second stage 210b may provide water such that the water flows through a void defined by an inside wall 212c of the third stage 210c at the same selected velocity.
- each fluid input 204 may provide water sufficient to maintain a constant flow velocity from the bottom of the column 202 to the top of the column 202.
- FIG. 10 A top view of a single cylindrical stage 210 is shown in FIG. 10, and a section view through line A-A is shown in FIG. 1 1.
- the stage 210 shown is a cylindrical body and includes six fluid inputs 204 spaced around the stage 210, but the stage 210 may be any shape and include any number of fluid inputs 204. Fluid enters the stage 210 through the fluid inputs 204, and passes through a channel 214.
- the channel 214 may be a cylindrical void, open along an upper side of the stage 210.
- another stage 210 may provide a boundary of the channel 214 to direct the flow toward the inside wall 212.
- the fluid then flows through the channel 214 toward the center of the stage 210, where a lip 216 deflects the fluid upward.
- the fluid then leaves the stage 210 and flows upward in the column 202.
- the stages 210 may direct the fluid upward within an annular area (e.g., the area between the lip 216 of the stage 210 and the inside wall 212 of the stage 210 above), and may continuously interrupt the boundary layers at the inside wall 212. Because the fluid from each stage 210 (starting with second stage 210b) is directed upward around flowing fluid from lower stages 210, the volume near the lip 216 in which the fluid has a low-velocity fluid is relatively small. That is, the
- upward-flowing fluid in the center of the column 202 tends to carry fluid that would otherwise flow slowly (due to the no-slip boundary condition of fluid mechanics) at the lip 216.
- the velocity profile of the combined fluid may tend to flatten, forming a more uniform flow as the fluid rises.
- the velocity may be slightly higher near the walls of the column 202 than at the center.
- Such a velocity profile may tend to cause heavier particles (e.g. , particles having a terminal velocity higher than the average velocity of the fluid) to fall downward and toward the center of the column 202, while lighter particles rise to the top of the column 202.
- Particles of material to be separated may enter the elutriator 200 near the top of the column 202 via the slurry input 206.
- the slurry input 206 may include one or more nozzles, a distribution manifold, a spray, or any other means to disperse particles within the column 202.
- Particles of material in the slurry may be separated based on gravitational forces and forces of the water.
- particle mass, particle surface area, and fluid flow conditions may each affect the speed and direction of travel of a particular particle. In particular, a particle on which the gravitational force exceeds the force of the water will fall in the column 202, and a particle on which the force of the water exceeds the gravitational force will rise in the column 202.
- the movement of particles in the column 202 may be characterized as a flow of particles in an upward-flowing stream of water.
- calculation of the terminal velocities of particles is instructive, and may aid in the design or selection of the elutriator 200.
- FIG. 12 shows calculated terminal velocities for particles of various geometry and density.
- the terminal velocities of smaller particles are influenced less by the particles' shapes than the terminal velocities of larger particles.
- terminal velocities of smaller particles of a selected density are more closely clustered than terminal velocities of larger particles of the same density. This makes classification of smaller particles by their densities relatively more effective than classification of larger particles. For example, in a sample of particles having an effective diameter of approximately 0.002 in.
- an upward water flow at a velocity of between about 0.009 and 0.02 ft/s (between about 0.0027 and 0.0060 m/s) would effectively separate particles (whether spherical, cubic, tetrahedral, or disk-shaped) having a density of 2.5 g/cm 3 from particles having a density of 6.5 g/cm 3 .
- the term "effective diameter" of a particle means the diameter of a hypothetical spherical particle having the same mass as the particle. In a sample of particles having an effective diameter of approximately 0.010 in.
- a water flow rate of between about 0.13 and 0.16 ft/s would effectively separate particles (whether spherical, cubic, tetrahedral, or disk- shaped) having a density of 2.5 g/cm 3 from particles having a density of 6.5 g/cm .
- particles having an effective diameter larger than about 0.015 in. (0.38 mm) separation of particles having a density of 2.5 g/cm 3 from particles having a density of 6.5 g/cm 3 may not be possible if one or both materials include particles of differing geometry.
- the terminal velocity curve for disk-shaped particles having a density of 6.5 g/cm crosses the terminal velocity curve for spherical particles having a density of 2.5 g/cm 3 at a particle diameter of about 0.015 in. (0.38 mm).
- Particles e.g., lower-density particles
- Particles that flow upward in the column 202 may eventually reach an upper outlet 218 (FIGS. 8 and 9), where particles may be collected and removed from the elutriator 200 with the fluid.
- Particles e.g., higher-density particles
- the elutriator 200 may include multiple columns 202 selected and configured to separate different materials. For example, the particles collected from the upper outlet 218 or the lower outlet 220 of the column 202 may be transferred to another column 202 having different dimensions or flow rates for subsequent separation.
- the column 202 of the elutriator 200 may include additional outlets for withdrawing materials.
- the flow of materials into and out of the elutriator 200 may be measured and/or controlled by flow meters, valves, a computer control system, etc. ⁇ e.g., the computer 184 shown in FIG. 3).
- the gravimetric separator 144 may be used to separate light fines 152 from heavy fines 154.
- the light fines 152 may include barren material and carbonaceous materials
- the heavy fines 154 may include uranium-bearing minerals, such as uraninite.
- Processing of uranium ore in the system 100 (FIG. 3) including in the separation system 140 may produce a concentration of less than about 1.0 parts per million (ppm) of uranium in waste fractions ⁇ e.g., light fines 152, grains 150, and oversize materials).
- the system 100 may be used to process uranium left behind in ore previously processed by ISR techniques.
- the screen 142 or the gravimetric separator 144 may be used alone. In other embodiments, the gravimetric separator 144 may precede the screen 142 in the process. Furthermore, the gravimetric separator 144 may include any other equipment for classifying materials based on specific gravity, such as a centrifuge, a shaking table, a spiral separator, etc., instead of or in addition to the vertical column 146.
- the system 100 for processing a heterogeneous material may be disposed within a single container.
- the system 100 may be contained substantially within a frame 180 on a skid or pallet 182 configured to be carried by a forklift and/or a commercial truck, such that the system 100 may be transported and operated without disassembly.
- the components of the system 100 may be entirely disposed within the frame 180, with the exception of portions of piping, wiring, covers, etc.
- the frame 180 may surround and protect the system 100 during transport, but may be open such that the system 100 may be operated without removing the system 100 from the frame 180.
- onsite setup requirements and the costs associated with moving the system 100 may be minimized.
- the system 100 may include equipment as discussed above and shown schematically in FIGS. 3 and 7, such as a tank 102, a pump 104, a nozzle assembly 1 14, a gravimetric separator 144, etc. Furthermore, the system 100 may include a computer 184 configured to monitor and/or control operation of the system 100.
- the frame 180 may have a length of from about 2 feet (0.61 m) to about 10 feet (3.0 m), a width of from about 2 feet (0.61 m) to about 8 feet (2.4 m), and a height of about 2 feet (0.61 m) to about 8 feet (2.4 m).
- the system 100 may have a weight of, for example, from about 100 lbs (45.4 kg) to about 4,000 lbs (1814 kg).
- the system 100 may be installed in a temporary or permanent facility.
- the system 100 may include unitized components configured to be transported by multiple commercial vehicles. For example, the system 100 may be transported on five 30-foot trailers.
- the system 100 may also include one or more analytical instruments (not shown).
- the system 100 may include instruments configured to test X-ray fluorescence, gamma radiation ⁇ e.g., to determine the concentrations of various isotopes of a material), turbidity, H, bicarbonate ion concentration, particle size distribution (e.g., by laser particle analysis) etc.
- the analytical instruments may be controlled by the computer 184.
- the computer 184 may use data from the analytical instruments to calculate a mass balance in real time.
- the computed mass balance may be used in the control mechanism of the system 100, quality control, maintenance, accounting, etc.
- the computer 184 may track the amount of material processed in the system 100 or the amount of a selected material produced.
- the system 100 may be configured to optionally be used in conjunction with other systems 100.
- a material e.g., ore from a mining operation
- ablated material may optionally be processed in a second ablation system.
- the ablated material leaving the first ablation system may be tested to determine whether subsequent processing is necessary or desirable.
- the material may be processed through as many ablation systems as necessary to achieve desired material properties.
- the flow of material through ablation systems may be varied during operations. For example, during a mining operation, material properties may vary widely within a formation. Some materials may be profitably processed through a single ablation system, whereas other materials may be profitably processed through two or more ablation systems in series. The flow of materials through various ablation systems may be varied during mining operations in response to changes in materials to be processed.
- system 200 may include a pressurized fluid source 107.
- the pressurized fluid source 107 may be compressed air from a pump 104 or a compressor, or may be water, oil, or any other fluid.
- the pressurized fluid source 107 may pass through a conduit to a nozzle assembly (e.g. , any of nozzle assemblies 1 14, 1 14', 1 14", as described previously herein and shown in FIGS. 4 through 6), optionally passing through a splitter 1 10.
- the fluid of the pressurized fluid source 107 may entrain a heterogeneous material 103, such as from a hopper 101.
- An ablated heterogeneous material 124 may pass optionally into a tank 102 (e.g. , a collection bin, a hopper, etc.) and then to a separation system 140.
- a transport apparatus e.g., a conveyor belt, a chute, etc.
- the system 200 may include a computer 184 for control, data collection, etc.
- Heterogeneous materials may be processed with the system 100, 200 described herein.
- heterogeneous material is crushed and/or screened to remove particles larger than a selected size, such as particles that are too large to be effectively processed in the system 100, 200.
- particles larger than about 0.25 in. (larger than about 6.35 mm) may be removed.
- particles of ore larger than about 0.25 in. that have been mechanically crushed may contain no uranium compounds. Therefore, these particles need not be processed by the ablating process described herein if the goal is uranium recovery. These particles may instead be discarded as barren waste, used to reclaim mines, etc.
- no screening is necessary.
- some heterogeneous solid feedstocks may already be entirely within size requirements of the system. For example, in the processing of oil-contaminated sand or
- silicate-coated gold grains of material may all be within a range of sizes that may pass through the system.
- Methods may include mixing the heterogeneous material with a liquid to form a slurry.
- the slurry may be formed in a tank 102, as shown in FIG. 3.
- the heterogeneous material may be mixed with the liquid before adding the heterogeneous material to the system.
- the ore may be extracted by borehole mining. In borehole mining, the ore is extracted from the formation by high-pressure water jets, and is carried to the earth's surface by the water. The mixing of the heterogeneous solid ore with the liquid water therefore occurs in the underground formation.
- the slurry may have any ratio of solids-to-liquids as long as the flow can transport the solids to an impact zone.
- the slurry may include from about 5% to about 50% solids by mass, such as between about 10% and about 20% solids by mass.
- Methods may further include pumping streams of the slurry through a nozzle assembly (e.g., any of nozzle assemblies 1 14, 1 14', 1 14", as described previously herein and shown in FIGS. 4 through 6) and impacting the streams (and therefore the particles therein) to ablate particles of the slurry against one another.
- the streams may, in the process, recombine into a single slurry stream.
- the heterogeneous material may separate into discrete fractions in the ablation process. For example, coatings may be removed from particles of the heterogeneous material in the ablation process.
- all or a portion of the slurry may be recycled through the system (e.g., returned to the tank 102).
- the slurry that has been processed through the nozzle assembly may be processed to separate particles by size.
- the slurry may be passed through a screen to separate particles larger than a mesh size of the screen from particles smaller than the mesh size of the screen.
- the particles of the slurry may be separated into grains larger than 0.004 in. (0.10 mm) and fines smaller than 0.004 in. (0.10 mm) by appropriately selecting the mesh size of the screen.
- multiple separations may be performed, such as by passing portions of the slurry through multiple screens in series. Different size
- classifications may be selected by selecting one or more appropriate screens.
- Particles having approximately the same size may have different compositions, and separation of particles with different compositions may be desirable.
- uranium-rich fines may have similar sizes as non-bearing or uranium-depleted fines formed from ablation of material from a single formation. Light and heavy fines may require different techniques to recover uranium. Therefore, to reduce the amount of material that must be processed by other means (e.g., chemically) to extract the uranium, the fines may be separated gravimetrically.
- the fines may be disposed in a vertical column of water, and a fluid may flow upward through the column, such as at turbulent flow rates.
- the fluid may be water, mineral oil, an organic solvent, air, etc. Water may be selected based on its flow properties, availability, and minimal environmental impact, but other fluids may be used instead.
- the fines may be separated in the column by their densities, with heavier fines dropping to the bottom, and lighter fines rising to the top. Gravimetric separation may be performed in one or more stages, with different stages having different densities at which the separation occurs. Various parameters may affect the separation, such as the type of fluid used, the temperature, the flow rates, the size of the column, etc. Fluids used in the process, such as in the slurry or in the gravimetric separation, may be removed from the solids in a dewatering operation. Fluids may be processed by filtration, ion exchange, reverse osmosis, etc., to remove residual impurities, enabling recycling of the fluids.
- the ablation process described herein may be coupled with borehole mining, the borehole mine providing the heterogeneous material 103 to be processed.
- the heterogeneous material 103 is an ore, such as a
- borehole mining in conjunction with an ablation system as described herein may provide operational, environmental, and other advantages.
- borehole mining may be used to extract minerals from unbounded deposits, deposits located above the water table, shallow deposits with insufficient hydrologic permeability, deposits in impermeable rock formations, or small deposits of minerals that may not be economically, technically, or lawfully recoverable by conventional ISR.
- Borehole mining may be performed in
- a single well may be used to penetrate a formation, scour the ore from the formation, carry the scoured ore to the surface by a slurry, and return barren fractions of processed ore to the formation. This may allow extraction of minerals with a reduced surface footprint in comparison to conventional methods.
- Borehole mining is a technique for extracting mineral deposits from an underground formation.
- a borehole is drilled to a desired depth.
- a casing may be inserted into a portion of the borehole.
- a borehole mining tool is inserted into the borehole, and water is pumped into the tool to produce high-pressure water jets. The jets scour ore from the formation, and the mined ore is carried to the surface in a slurry of the water.
- borehole mining has been demonstrated as a method of mining underground deposits, the method generally requires a nearby mill, and may require further separation of ore after transport to the surface.
- Borehole mining a water-only approach, may enable the removal of minerals that may conventionally ⁇ e.g., via ISR) be removed by injecting a leachate or lixiviant into a formation, but without problems associated with the use of leachates or lixiviants.
- water jets may physically remove formation material without chemically mobilizing or dissolving metals, limiting the risk of aquifer contamination. Water jets may operate without modifying formation chemistry and without additional reagent costs.
- Borehole mining may also be simpler than conventional ISR. Because material of the formation is extracted, rather than processed in-situ, borehole mining may begin with less information known about the formation. Though the boundaries of the formation and geological characteristic may still need to be probed, geochemical classification and
- permeability of the formation are not necessary to perform a borehole mining operation because borehole mining does not rely on chemical reaction or on permeation.
- borehole mining may be used to scour ore from a wedge-shaped volume of an underground formation.
- the extent of the volume may be tailored by controlling the direction, location, and intensity of the water jets. Borehole mining may therefore be used to asymmetrically excavate the formation, roughly following formation boundaries.
- the ore from the wedge-shaped volume may be extracted and processed.
- the wedge may then be refilled, such as with barren waste or fill and, optionally, a cementing material. Additional volumes of material may be extracted in a similar manner. Additional volumes may be excavated from a well in which volumes have previously been excavated and refilled. The refilled volumes may provide structural support for later-excavated volumes. Reinjection of the barren waste may reduce surface disturbance and reclamation requirements.
- the systems described herein may include a surge tank to regulate the flow of material to the systems.
- the ablation process described herein may also be used to process feedstocks from other types of mining operations, such as open-pit mining or underground mining.
- ore may be mined conventionally and processed by ablation, for example, near the mine.
- the barren waste may be returned to the mine, leaving a small bearing fraction.
- the bearing fraction may be transported elsewhere for further processing.
- the ablation process described herein may be used to process material having a concentration of mineral components too low for economic recovery by conventional processes.
- waste or overburden from other mining operations may be processed using ablation.
- materials may be treated by ablation to aid in environmental remediation, such as by lowering the concentration of chemical species in material previously mined.
- the ablation process may be used for remediation of contaminated land near mines no longer operating.
- the goal may be clean-up of a site.
- the chemical species recovered may be disposed of (the mass containing the chemical species being much smaller than the total mass initially contaminated), sold, or further processed.
- the system and method disclosed herein may be scaled as dictated by constraints of a particular application (e.g., cost, portability, operating footprint, etc.).
- the system 100, 200 may have a capacity of from about 750 to about 1 ,000 lbs per hour (about 340 to about 454 kilograms per hour), and may fit within the frame 180, as shown in FIG. 13.
- Other systems 100, 200 may have a capacity of about 40,000 lbs per hour (about 20 tons per hour or 18,100 kilograms per hour) or more.
- the capacity of the system 100, 200 may be varied by varying the capacity of individual components, as known in the art.
- the capacity of the nozzle assembly 1 14 may be varied by varying the size and/or number of nozzles 1 16 or the particle size distribution of the mixed heterogeneous material 106 entering the system 100, 200.
- the systems and methods disclosed herein may be used to quickly separate portions of materials using water, without the addition of chemical reactants.
- Water may provide energy to physically dissociate the portions into discrete particles that may be separated based on particle size and density.
- the methods may significantly reduce the amount of material to be further processed to recover various components.
- 95% or more of the uranium-containing compounds may be concentrated into 10% of the mass, with the remaining 90% of the mass containing only about 5% or less of the uranium-containing compounds.
- the majority of the uranium may be in particles that pass through a 325-mesh or 400-mesh screen (i.e. , particles smaller than about 0.0017 in. (0.044 mm) or 0.0015 in. (0.037 mm) diameter).
- the separation may be relatively less effective.
- Slurry pumps e.g. , slurry pump 104
- slurry pump 104 conventionally have an upper limit on the size of particles that can be processed in a slurry. Removal of particles larger than a selected size (e.g., larger than about 0.25 in. (6.35 mm)) may enable the use of a smaller pump 104 than would otherwise be utilized if these larger particles were present.
- a selected size e.g., larger than about 0.25 in. (6.35 mm
- removal of such larger particles does not significantly affect uranium recovery because this ore fraction contains virtually no uranium.
- Example 1 Silicate-plated gold processing
- Precious metal ores were extracted from hydrothermal deposits by conventional mining techniques.
- the ores contained micro-fine gold particles having silicate patinas.
- the silicate patinas interfered with gravity separation of the gold-bearing particles from barren material.
- the silicate chemistry made the patinas difficult to remove chemically.
- the ore was crushed, mixed with water to form a slurry, and passed through a pair of opposing nozzles, each having an exit diameter of 0.5 in. (12.7 mm), directed to an impact zone 1 18, as in the nozzle assembly 1 14 shown in FIG. 4, at a flow rate of 100 gpm (6.3 1/s) and a pressure of 32 psi
- Example 2 Oil-contaminated sand processing
- a sample of oil-contaminated sand was prepared by mixing a volume of sand with crude oil.
- the oil-contaminated sand was mixed with water and a
- bio-degradable wood product available from LBI Renewable, of Buffalo, WY, under the trade name DUALZORB®
- the slurry was passed through a pair of nozzles, each having an exit diameter of 0.5 in. (12.7 mm), directed to an impact zone 1 18, as in the nozzle assembly 1 14 shown in FIG. 4, at a flow rate of 40 gpm (2.52 1/s) and a pressure of 32 psi (221 kPa).
- the collision of the opposing slurry streams imparted enough energy to the sand to remove the crude oil coating from the sand after each particle of sand had passed through the nozzle assembly 114 an average of two times.
- the wood product Upon removal of the oil coating from the sand, the wood product absorbed the oil.
- the process was performed in batch mode, such that an entire batch of sand was recycled through the nozzle assembly 114 until the oil was removed from the sand.
- the cleaned sand was separated from the oil-soaked wood product and water.
- the process may alternatively be performed with a surfactant (e.g., a liquid surfactant) instead of or in addition to the bio-degradable wood product.
- a surfactant e.g., a liquid surfactant
- the surfactant may promote the mixture of oil with the water.
- the surfactant or the wood product may prevent the oil from re-coating the sand after the sand leaves the impact zone 1 18.
- Example 3 Uranium ore processing
- Uranium ores were mechanically extracted from a sandstone formation. The ores contained oversize materials that contained only minimal amounts of uranium.
- the ores also contained fine deposits of non-uranium-bearing minerals.
- the ore was crushed and screened to remove the oversize materials larger than about 0.25 in.
- the grains and fines were processed in the system 100 shown in FIG. 3.
- the grains and fines were mixed with water to form a slurry having about 20% solids by weight.
- the slurry was pumped through a pipe having vanes to increase uniformity of the slurry, split into two streams, and passed through a pair of nozzles, each having an exit diameter of 0.5 in. ( 12.7 mm) directed toward an impact zone at a flow rate of 30 gpm ( 1 .89 1/s) and a pressure of 32 psi (221 kPa).
- the nozzle diameter may be any appropriate size, such as 0.375 in. (9.53 mm).
- the collision of the opposing slurry streams imparted enough energy to the ore particles to physically remove the fines from the grains after each particle had passed through the nozzle assembly 1 14 an average of 15 times.
- grains were separated from fines by screening.
- the fines were classified by density in a vertical column, producing a uranium-rich heavy (i.e. , dense) fraction and a barren light fraction.
- the heavy fines were a small portion of the run-of-mine ore and were determined to be suitable for further refining (e.g. , by conventional chemical means).
- the light fines, grains, and oversize materials were analyzed and it was determined that the concentration of uranium was low enough that the materials were suitable for use as backfill.
- a sample of uranium-bearing sandstone was mechanically crushed just enough to break joints between grains, leaving the underlying grain structure intact.
- the crushed ore was segregated by screening to remove particles larger than 0.25 in. (6.35 mm).
- the sample included a mixture of ores from multiple sandstone-hosted uranium deposits located in the western United States.
- each ore exhibited common characteristics, including an identifiable grain structure of quartz and feldspars, similar pre-ablation size distributions, and the presence of carbonaceous materials up to 25.4 mm (1 in.) in size.
- the ores tested had clearly identifiable grains ranging in size from less than 1 mm to more than 10 mm.
- one portion of an ore sample is characterized by relatively large grains.
- another portion of the same ore has a relatively finer grain structure.
- a range of grain sizes within ore from a single deposit is typical of ore from sandstone-hosted deposits.
- the presence of carbonaceous materials with high post-depositional element concentrations, including uranium, is also typical of sandstone-hosted uranium ores.
- Carbonaceous material fragments are visible in FIG. 16 as black material.
- FIG. 17 shows carbonaceous material embedded in the patina surrounding a grain.
- the separated particles were tested for uranium content by X-ray
- FIG. 19 shows the percentage of uranium in each size fraction smaller than 0.25 in. (6.35 mm). In general, the uranium mass distribution corresponds to the total mass distribution. FIG. 19 suggests that, in some sandstone-hosted uranium deposits, removal of a minus 0.25-in. size fraction by screening also removes a corresponding percentage of the uranium in the deposit. Further, removal of any fraction other than the plus 60-mesh size fraction would result in only a marginal reduction in the amount of ore remaining to be further processed.
- Example 5 Particle-size distribution of ablated crushed ore and uranium
- a sample of uranium-bearing sandstone was mechanically crushed for processing by ablation.
- the crushed sandstone was mixed with water to form a slurry, and passed through a pair of opposing nozzles, each having an exit diameter of 0.5 in. (12.7 mm), directed to an impact zone, as in the nozzle assembly 1 14 shown in FIG. 4, at a flow rate of 30 gpm (1.89 1/s) and a pressure of 32 psi (221 kPa).
- the collision of the opposing slurry streams imparted enough energy to the sandstone particles to remove the patinas and carbonaceous materials after each particle had passed through the nozzle assembly 1 14 an average of 40 times.
- the process was performed in batch mode, such that an entire batch of ore was continuously recycled through the nozzle assembly 1 14 until the patinas were removed from the grains.
- the fines were separated into light fines and heavy fines by elutriation, such as by an elutriator 200 (see FIGS. 8 and 9).
- a sample of the light fines was tested for elemental concentrations by XRF.
- a sample of the sandstone from which the particles were extracted i.e., a sample that was not processed by ablation
- Table 1 lists the concentration of various elements in parts-per-million (ppm) in the light fines and in the sandstone. Carbon is not present in this analysis because the XRF analysis does not measure carbon.
- Table 1 Concentration of elements in samples tested in Example 5 lement Concentration in light fines Concentration in Sandstone
- Example 6 Concentration of uranium in heavy fines as a function of particle size
- a sample of heavy fines was tested from the uranium-bearing sandstone processed by ablation in Example 5.
- the sample of heavy fines was screened through successively finer screens to 600-mesh. After screening, the uranium concentration in each fraction was measured. The uranium concentration increased as the particle diameter decreased, never reaching an inflection point. This suggests that ablation of the sandstone forms uranium-containing fines small enough to pass through a 600-mesh screen.
- Example 5 Slurry was tested from the sample of uranium-bearing sandstone processed by ablation in Example 5.
- the slurry (including heavy fines and light fines) was centrifuged at 3,000 rpm for 50 minutes.
- the supernatant (liquid) was tested by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) with a spectrometer available from Spectro Analytical Instruments GmbH, or Kleve, Germany, under the trade name CIROS® VISION, and determined to have a uranium concentration of 16 ppm. This supernatant was then filtered through a 0.45- ⁇ filter.
- ICP-OES inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy
- the filtered supernatant was tested by ICP-OES, and the uranium concentration was below the lower detection limit (approximately 1 ppm) of the ICP-OES spectrometer.
- the removal of uranium by a 0.45- ⁇ filter suggests that the uranium present in the solution after centrifuging was primarily colloidal or near-colloidal in size, rather than dissolved.
- each uranium-bearing fraction of the ore the pulverized mineral patina and the carbonaceous material— make both easily separable from the uranium-barren materials after ablation. Because the ablated uranium mineral patina is very fine, it can be separated from the barren fractions by simply screening and capturing all the materials smaller than a selected size. In contrast, fragments of the carbonaceous materials are present in each size fraction after ablation. However, because the carbonaceous materials have relatively low specific gravities, they can be separated from barren materials in each post-ablation size fraction by elutriation.
- the carbonaceous materials have specific gravities only slightly higher than that of water, elutriation can efficiently separate these particles from the barren grains and cementing minerals.
- the remaining material may include virtually no uranium, enabling an almost complete recovery of the uranium from the ore by further processing ⁇ e.g., by chemical means) of only the fines and the light particles.
- Example 8 Uranium content of size fractions before and after ablation
- a sample of uranium-bearing sandstone was mechanically crushed, as described in Example 4.
- the ore was screened to remove materials larger than 0.25-in. (6.35 mm). After screening, the ore was weighed to determine the volume of culinary water necessary to perform ablation.
- the ablation system operates at peak efficiency with slurry densities of between about 10% and about 20% ⁇ i.e., when the slurry contains from about 10% to 20% solids by mass).
- the slurry pump circulated water through a mixing device, a splitter, nozzles, and a tank.
- the ore sample was then added to a hopper feeding the tank, and the resulting slurry was circulated through the ablation system at a flow rate of 30 gpm (1.89 1/s) and a pressure of 32 psi (221 kPa).
- the ablation system included a pair of opposing nozzles, each having an exit diameter of 0.5 in. (12.7 mm).
- Samples of the slurry were collected after 1 , 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 minutes. At each time interval, a small amount of the slurry was discharged into a clean 5-gallon bucket. Each sample was screened through a 60-mesh stainless steel GILSON ⁇ screen and the captured material (the plus 60-mesh fraction) was tested by XRF to determine its uranium concentration. The uranium concentration in the plus
- 60-mesh sample was compared to the uranium concentration in a pre-ablation plus 60-mesh sample to determine at what point ablation had effectively removed the mineralized patina from the grains.
- an ablation time may be determined during which the mineralized patina is removed, but the grains themselves do not break down, maximizing the volume of barren grains that can be separated from the pulverized uranium bearing patina by screening.
- FIG. 20 shows the percentage of total mass and percentage of uranium mass in each size fraction smaller than 0.25 in. (6.35 mm), for both the ablated sample (after five minutes) and an unablated sample.
- the clarified post-ablation water was analyzed to determine how much uranium dissolved in the water during ablation.
- the difference between the unablated sample and the ablated sample illustrates how ore from sandstone-hosted uranium deposits behaves during ablation.
- the mass of particles of sandstone-hosted uranium ores showed a minor shift from larger to smaller size fractions, whereas the uranium was almost completely concentrated into the minus 325-mesh fraction (see FIG. 20).
- the plus 60-mesh fraction Prior to ablation, the plus 60-mesh fraction contained about 74% of the total mass and 46% of the uranium. After ablation, this fraction contained about 73% of the total mass but only 1.8% of the uranium. Before ablation, the minus 325-mesh fraction contained about 3% of the total mass and 10.4%> of the uranium. After ablation, this fraction contained about 7%> of the total mass and 94.9% of the uranium. It is believed that the increase in mass in the fines and the almost complete transfer of uranium into the minus 325-mesh fraction both occur because, during ablation, the mineralized patina around the grain is removed and pulverized into particles smaller than 325-mesh. The residual uranium in the plus 325-mesh fractions appears to be in fragments of carbonaceous material.
- FIGS. 21 and 22 collectively show the concentrations of the seven elements detected consistently in the ablation water (As, CI, K, Rb, S, Sr, and U) as a function of ablation time.
- the uranium concentration in the ablation solution was 22 ppm after one minute of ablation, which represents 21.9% of the uranium in the head ore.
- the uranium concentration increased to 25 ppm after five minutes of ablation.
- non-solubilized uranium was present in the minus 325-mesh material, which accounted for between 5% and 7% of the mass of the ablated ore. Therefore, after five minutes of ablation, if all materials larger than 325-mesh were removed from the post ablation slurry stream, and only the minus 325-mesh post ablated material were subsequently processed, a 95% recovery of the uranium would be possible. Furthermore, subsequent processing could be reduced by between 93% and 95% (corresponding to the 93%-95%> of material that need not be further processed). Higher mass reductions and recovery rates can be achieved by elutriating and capturing the light carbonaceous materials that remain in each fraction after ablation.
- the ablation-only recovery rates compare favorably to conventional mining methods because, although 95% is roughly equivalent to the recovery achieved by leaching, ablation accomplishes this recovery in five minutes, using only culinary water, and does so while reducing by 90% or more the volume of ore that needs to be processed to recover the uranium.
- the pre-ablated sample of Example 8 had clearly identifiable grains, but, because of the adhered mineral patina, the underlying grain itself was hidden from view (see FIG. 23).
- the patina-coated grains had a grayish appearance.
- identifiable fragments of the carbonaceous materials were visible, often embedded or partially coated in the mineralized patina.
- the ablated grains were clearly identifiable and free of mineralized patina (see FIG. 24). Ablated fragments of carbonaceous materials were interspersed with these grains.
- a sample of uranium-bearing sandstone was mechanically crushed and ablated, as described in Example 8. However, deionized water was used as the liquid component of the slurry. The ablation slurry had a distinct silvery appearance that never settled out of the ablation slurry during centrifugation. This supernatant was then filtered through a 0.45- ⁇ filter and analyzed using XRF. No uranium was detected in the filtered ablation water. A portion of the supernatant that had not been filtered was also analyzed using XRF, and found to contain uranium. This suggests that the ablation slurry, before filtering, contained micro-fine uranium material. The micro-fine material appears to be small enough to remain in suspension, and may include other post-depositional elements that would be dissolved into untreated water (e.g., water having dissolved carbonates) if untreated water were used as the slurry fluid.
- untreated water e.g., water having dissolved carbonates
- uranium ores When sandstone-hosted uranium ores are ablated with untreated water (e.g. , culinary water, ground water, etc.), some of the uranium may dissolve into the ablation fluid. The amount dissolved varies depending on the deposit and the water used, but may range from one-tenth to one-third or more of the total uranium in the ore. Without being bound to a particular theory, it is believed that naturally occurring carbonates in the untreated water solubilize some of the uranium from the ore during ablation.
- untreated water e.g. , culinary water, ground water, etc.
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US3519403A (en) * | 1966-12-17 | 1970-07-07 | Nukem Gmbh | Method for the preparation of uranium dioxide powder (uo2) with good pressing and sintering properties from uranium hexafluoride (uf6) or aqueous solutions of uranyl nitrate (uo2(no3)2) |
JPH11319618A (en) * | 1998-05-14 | 1999-11-24 | Seiji Kagawa | Crushing and dispersion device for solid-liquid mixed fluid |
US6082640A (en) * | 1997-10-29 | 2000-07-04 | "Holderbank"Financiere Glarus Ag | Method for granulating and grinding molten material and device for carrying out said method |
US20040016834A1 (en) * | 2002-07-23 | 2004-01-29 | Xerox Corporation | Plural odd number bell-like openings nozzle device for a fluidized bed jet mill |
US6708909B2 (en) * | 2000-06-26 | 2004-03-23 | Nikkiso Co., Ltd. | Separation device for unburned carbon in fly ash and separation method |
US20060032953A1 (en) * | 2004-08-16 | 2006-02-16 | George Kruse | Hydraulic opposed jet mill |
-
2014
- 2014-01-14 WO PCT/US2014/011529 patent/WO2015084417A1/en active Application Filing
- 2014-01-14 AU AU2014357728A patent/AU2014357728A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2014-01-14 CA CA2932032A patent/CA2932032C/en active Active
Patent Citations (6)
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US3519403A (en) * | 1966-12-17 | 1970-07-07 | Nukem Gmbh | Method for the preparation of uranium dioxide powder (uo2) with good pressing and sintering properties from uranium hexafluoride (uf6) or aqueous solutions of uranyl nitrate (uo2(no3)2) |
US6082640A (en) * | 1997-10-29 | 2000-07-04 | "Holderbank"Financiere Glarus Ag | Method for granulating and grinding molten material and device for carrying out said method |
JPH11319618A (en) * | 1998-05-14 | 1999-11-24 | Seiji Kagawa | Crushing and dispersion device for solid-liquid mixed fluid |
US6708909B2 (en) * | 2000-06-26 | 2004-03-23 | Nikkiso Co., Ltd. | Separation device for unburned carbon in fly ash and separation method |
US20040016834A1 (en) * | 2002-07-23 | 2004-01-29 | Xerox Corporation | Plural odd number bell-like openings nozzle device for a fluidized bed jet mill |
US20060032953A1 (en) * | 2004-08-16 | 2006-02-16 | George Kruse | Hydraulic opposed jet mill |
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EP3459638A4 (en) * | 2016-05-16 | 2020-04-08 | Chuetsu-Pulp and Paper Co., Ltd | Counter collision processing device |
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