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    Nuclear Fuel Resources & Pre-Enrichment Phases

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    Leonardo Monaco
    Uranium is primarily used as nuclear fuel and for medical isotope production. It is found in low concentrations in the Earth's crust and oceans. Primary uranium resources come from mining deposits and include reasonably assured resources and inferred mineral resources. The largest deposits are found in Australia, Kazakhstan, Canada and Russia. Secondary resources include stockpiles, depleted uranium, and recycled nuclear materials. Uranium is extracted through underground mining, open pit mining, in-situ leach mining, and heap leach mining then milled to produce yellowcake. Exploration uses geological, remote sensing, radiometric, geochemical and geophysical techniques to discover economic deposits.

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    Nuclear Fuel Resources & Pre-Enrichment Phases

    Uploaded by

    Leonardo Monaco
    28 views11 pages
    Uranium is primarily used as nuclear fuel and for medical isotope production. It is found in low concentrations in the Earth's crust and oceans. Primary uranium resources come from mining deposits and include reasonably assured resources and inferred mineral resources. The largest deposits are found in Australia, Kazakhstan, Canada and Russia. Secondary resources include stockpiles, depleted uranium, and recycled nuclear materials. Uranium is extracted through underground mining, open pit mining, in-situ leach mining, and heap leach mining then milled to produce yellowcake. Exploration uses geological, remote sensing, radiometric, geochemical and geophysical techniques to discover economic deposits.

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    Presentation team A

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    Uranium is primarily used as nuclear fuel and for medical isotope production. It is found in low concentrations in the Earth's crust and oceans. Primary uranium resources come from mining deposits and include reasonably assured resources and inferred mineral resources. The largest deposits are found in Australia, Kazakhstan, Canada and Russia. Secondary resources include stockpiles, depleted uranium, and recycled nuclear materials. Uranium is extracted through underground mining, open pit mining, in-situ leach mining, and heap leach mining then milled to produce yellowcake. Exploration uses geological, remote sensing, radiometric, geochemical and geophysical techniques to discover economic deposits.

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    28 views11 pages

    Nuclear Fuel Resources & Pre-Enrichment Phases

    Uploaded by

    Leonardo Monaco
    Uranium is primarily used as nuclear fuel and for medical isotope production. It is found in low concentrations in the Earth's crust and oceans. Primary uranium resources come from mining deposits and include reasonably assured resources and inferred mineral resources. The largest deposits are found in Australia, Kazakhstan, Canada and Russia. Secondary resources include stockpiles, depleted uranium, and recycled nuclear materials. Uranium is extracted through underground mining, open pit mining, in-situ leach mining, and heap leach mining then milled to produce yellowcake. Exploration uses geological, remote sensing, radiometric, geochemical and geophysical techniques to discover economic deposits.

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    Nuclear Fuel Resources &

    Pre-Enrichment Phases
    WG1 Team A
    Balzarini Davide, Elisei Mattia, Missio Andrea,
    Monaco Leonardo, Morriello Margherita, Simonetti Martina
    URANIUM USES AND ABBUNDANCE

    USE: • Mostly for nuclear fuel


    • Medical isotopes production
    • Propulsion

    Earth crust: 4ppm Sea: 3,3 ppb

    source: USGS, Rare Earth Elements - Critical Resources for High Technology

    Nome Cognome, assoc.prof. ABC Dept.


    PRIMARY RESOURCES

    Primary resources are defined as resources


    from which Uranium is recoverable
    as a primary product, so the deposits.

    Can be classified as:


    • Reasonably assured resourced (RAR)
    • Inferred Mineral resources (IR)

    By-product resources are defined as


    resources from which Uranium is
    recovered after a treatment of other ores

    Nome Cognome, assoc.prof. ABC Dept.


    WORLD URANIUM RESOURCES
    DISTRIBUTION

    source: Uranium 2020 Resources, Production and Demand, IAEA and NEA

    Nome Cognome, assoc.prof. ABC Dept.


    OTHER RESOURCES

    SEAWATER

    Over 4 billions tU.


    Not effectively implemented.

    SECONDARY RESOURCES

    • Civil stockpiles (16.000 tU/yr)


    • Recycled Uranium and Plutonium
    • Depleted Uranium (1,5 million of tons)
    • Dismissed nuclear weapons

    Nome Cognome, assoc.prof. ABC Dept.


    MINING (1)

    Uranium mining is no different from other kinds of mining.


    Differencies are related to the high grade ore and to the radiation protection.

    Mining techniques

    UNDERGROUND OPEN PIT ISL HEMP LEACHING

    Where the Where the Where there is From a ore block


    orebodies are orebodies are close porous and (5 to 30 meters),
    deeper under the to the surface. unconsolidated the U is dissolved
    surface. material, the U is irrigating
    dissolved and
    pumped out

    Nome Cognome, assoc.prof. ABC Dept.


    MINING (2)

    Nome Cognome, assoc.prof. ABC Dept.


    MILLING

    ORE

    CRUSH

    LEACHING

    IX / SX

    PRECIPITATION

    YELLOWCAKE

    Nome Cognome, assoc.prof. ABC Dept.


    URANIUM EXPLORATION

    The uranium exploration process aims to discover an economic deposit at the lowest
    possible cost. The phases are:
    I. Planning and area selection ( > 50 000 km2)
    II. Reconnaissance ( > 5 000 km2)
    III. Follow-up ( 200 - 2 000 km2)
    IV. Detailed ( 2 - 20 km2)

    And the techniques used are:


    • Geological mapping
    • Remote sensing
    • Radiometric methods
    • Geochemical methods
    • Geophysical methods

    Nome Cognome, assoc.prof. ABC Dept.


    SOURCES

     Uranium 2020 Resources, Production and Demand, IAEA and


    NEA
     Mining and milling of uranium, HORE-LACY,
    World Nuclear Association, UK
     Nuclear Plants, Carlo Lombardi
     https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-
    cycle/mining-of-uranium/uranium-mining-overview.aspx
     Uranium exploration planning and practice (www-pub.iaea.org)

    Nome Cognome, assoc.prof. ABC Dept.


    THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION

    Nome Cognome, assoc.prof. ABC Dept.

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