Collet and 4 co-authors reported in 2019 that in uranium ISR operations, the mine operator never sees the deposit. And, it is very difficult to forecast the reservoir behavior
and is impossible to know what has really been recovered.
HYTEC double approach:
1 – Reservoir hydrodynamics
2 – Chemical reactions between mineral and aqueous phases
An integrated 3D modeling workflow
History Matching, A fair match at the cell scale
Forecast scenarios (2019-2021)
Uranium: location vs. production
Looking for the best design, Based on simulation results
Forecasts:
After 2 years with 53 cells:
• > 250 t of U produced
• < 30 [U] (mg/l) ⇒ too low
After 2 years with 23 cells:
• > 200 t of U produced
• ~ 60 [U] (mg/l) ⇒ good concentration
Optimization examples
S3-1: Keep only level B producers as injectors
S3-2: Transform all level B as injectors:
• After 2 years with 18 cells:
• > 175 t of U produced and > 65 [U] (mg/l) ⇒ good concentration
The authors concluded that:
Complete Approach:
• Geology + reserves
• Operational parameters
Hytec Reliability:
• Long history (10 y)
• Several main events (4 blocks)
• Cell scale
• Multi-levels
Short-Term Optimization:
• Well scale
• Producer ⇒ injector
• Investigate gravity effects
Allow Scenarios Economic Analysis:
• U production
• Acid consumption
Powerful Decision Helper Tool when Used in Multi-Step:
• Where the uranium remains
• Base case scenario
• Respect of the technical constraints
• Local optimization at the well scale
• Usage complementary criteria ([U], production, NPV, …)
For more on membrane technology in Kazakhstani: http://www.i2mconsultants.com/downloads/corp/KAP%20IX%20Innovation%20School_MembranesinKazhahstani.pdf
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