Pre-feasibility and Feasibility on Chinese

uranium production

Beijing Research Institute of Chemical Engineering

and Metallurgy, CNNC, Beijing 101149, China

Niu Yu-qing

1、Introduction

2、Mining procedure of Chinese Uranium Mine

3、Pre-Feasibility and Feasibility

Conten

ts

1、Introduction

At the beginning of 21 century, under dual promotion

by Chinese newly nuclear power development layout and

great increase of national uranium demand, China has

increased steps to develop domestic uranium resource. A

number of uranium mine base is under plan and

construction or under development with reliable uranium

resource reserve or technical and economic feasibility

Sand stone，21％ volcanic rock，22％

granite，33％ others，8％

carbonate silicate mud ，16％

In China we found all type of uranium ore around the world

which can be divided into eight types with 22 sub-types. This

is disbennifit to selecte the mining and process method, and

increase difficulty of mining and metallurgy techniques.

<In-situ, 33%

>Open pit 7%Under ground,

60%

Conventional mining method is adopted in all hard rock of

Chinese mines. in-situ blasting leaching is already in industrial

application stage. In-situ leaching mining grows rapidly and

will be a mainly development mining method in China in 20’s

years.

Yi Li Site

under plan and construction Erlian,Dongsheng Site experiment and prefeasibility

Xiangshan Site under plan and construction

Guyuan, Tongliao Site technical and economic

feasibility

Because of special environment

pollution and radiation risk in uranium

mining process, there is a strict mining

permission system in China for uranium

deposit mining, and a strict project

allowance procedure. The Chinese uranium

mining franchise has been commissioned

into the China National Nuclear Corporation

(CNNC).

2 Mining procedure of Chinese Uranium Mine

The procedure of Chinese uranium ore mining

Prospect Permission

Mining deposit Permission

Project establishment

Report of feasibility

Engineering design

Construction Project

Uranium production

decommission and rehabilitations

A reliable geological materials is very

important in the development of mine, so that

the report of geological prospecting results will

be approved by the national mineral reserves

examination and approval authority.

Conceptual feasibility is required to be

attachment.

1) Geological information

Corporation of uranium mine submits

the concrete project to Government

according to national economic

development. It includes :

• mineral type, resource reserve,

• deposit condition, mine geology location,

• mining method, production scale, quality of

the product,

2) Project proposal

• market forecast, capital financing method,

• economic and social benefit of mine mining ,

• radiation defending and environment protection

method etc.

Project proposing will be evaluated and

censored by Government. The development of

uranium mine will be decided after official

approval.

• mining district and resource reserve in the mine area,

• mining main design scheme of the mine( technology, technique and equipment),

• technique and economy condition of production,

• safety and environment protection, financing etc.

The feasibility report will be not pass through until approval of environment and safety evaluation of the construction project.

3) Feasibility

At this stage by the basic design

requirement, it is needed additionally:

• special design of safety

• special design professional sanitation

• land recultivating plan

• power supply agreement etc

all above should be approved by relative

authority department.

4) Basic design and constructing

In the uranium mine production

process, it is always supervised under

relative charge department of safety,

environment, fire protection and

professional sanitation etc. in order to

meet with present Chinese law and

regulations demands.

5) Mining production of uranium

At the end of the mining, the owner submits

decommission program of the project.

decommission treatment and land remediation is

carried out. Cost comes from national special

decommission treatment fund. After

decommission, the owner general supervises it

2 to 5 years, and evaluate the final

environmental status, then submits it to local

government management .

6) Decommission

Pre-feasibility is based on detail survey and prospecting report.

• uranium resources, reserve data,

• uranium mining and metallurgy,

• mining technical conditions as other material and information of mine area transportation,

• power supply and water supply etc.

3 Pre-Feasibility report

Industrial index of uranium mines

Type

Hard rock（Conventional mining）

General

industrial

demands

Index Parameter

Cut-off grade(ωB,) 300×10-6

Lowest industrial grade 500×10-6

Minimum mining thickness 0.7 m

Rock eliminating thickness 0.7 m

Ore grade

High (rich) ≥3 000×10-6

Mid (ordinary) 1 000×10-6~3 000×10-6

Low (poor) ＜1 000×10-6

• The contents of feasibility study include:

• C1 General introduction

• C2 Demand forecast and proposal construction scale

• C3 Resource, raw and processed materials, fuel and public infrastructure

• C4 Mill construction condition and scheme of mill site selection

• C5 Design scheme

• C6 Environment protection and decommission treatment

• C7 Organization of enterprise, work force and staff training（estimate）

• C8 Schedule suggestion for implement

• C9 Evaluation of capital investment and financing

• C10 Evaluation of social and economic benefit

4 Feasibility report