Denison shows proof of concept for ISR mining at Phoenix
Uranium company Denison Mines on Thursday announced that engineering consultant Petrotek had developed a hydrogeologic model for the high-grade Phoenix uranium deposit, which demonstrated “proof of concept” for the application of in-situ recovery (ISR) mining at Wheeler River, in northern Saskatchewan.
The hydrogeologic model was developed based on the data collected from the ISR field test completed in 2019.
Based on the positive results from the hydrogeologic model, Denison also announced plans for the continuation of ISR field testing in 2020, within Phoenix.
Denison VP for operations, David Bronkhorst, said the hydrogeologic model was a “significant milestone” in the ongoing de-risking of the use of the ISR mining method at Phoenix.
“Petrotek applied a rigorous process of calibration to several numerical models developed based on hydrogeologic data collected from 19 test wells installed into the Phoenix deposit during the 2019 field test. Based on this site-specific data, the hydrogeologic model allowed for the simulation of an ISR wellfield including a total of 18 extraction wells and 33 injection wells across Test Area 1 and Test Area 2 of Phoenix. Based on these simulations, Petrotek concluded that the results demonstrated 'proof of concept' for the use of ISR mining at Phoenix,” he said.
The additional field testing in 2020 would aim to further confirm the hydrogeological model completed by Petrotek, and prepare for field tests in future years, which were expected to support a feasibility study.
The company previously indicated that field activities in 2020 could include the expansion of ISR field test work into Test Area 3 and Test Area 4 of Phoenix Zone A, but the company now plans to focus its testing efforts on Test Area 1 and Test Area 2 with the potential to carry out, in future years, an in-ground lixiviant test or ISR demonstration within the existing test areas.
Denison selected the ISR mining method for Phoenix in the prefeasibility study for Wheeler River in 2018. In an ISR mining operation, a mining solution is injected into the ore zone through a series of injection wells, and then dissolves the uranium as it travels through the ore zone, before the uranium bearing solution (UBS) is then pumped back to surface through a series of recovery wells. Once on surface, the UBS is sent to a surface processing plant for the chemical separation of the uranium. Following the uranium removal, the mining solution is reconditioned and returned to the wellfield for further production.
The ISR mining method accounts for a significant portion of uranium mine production globally and is generally considered the lowest cost uranium mining method in the world – owing to the fact that the method eliminates the surface disturbances and costs associated with physically removing ore and waste from the ground, as well as the tailings treatment and storage, that are normally associated with underground or openpit mining operations.
The geologic setting of the uranium orebody and the ability of the mining solution to travel through the orebody (permeability) is an important element of an ISR mining operation.
Much of Denison's work in 2019 was focused on enhancing its assessment of the permeability of Phoenix through the completion of a series of ISR field tests.
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