is an management company The mining division of the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, which consolidates Russian uranium mining assets. According to the results of 2017, the mineral resource base of the holding itself is 523.9 thousand tons (2nd place among the largest uranium mining companies in the world).
The unique competencies concentrated in the company allow us to carry out the entire range of industrial works - from geological exploration to the extraction and processing of natural uranium. This is important because Russian uranium mining assets are located in different stages life cycle: from exploration (project "Elkon") to intensive industrial exploitation of deposits. Largest enterprise, which is part of the ARMZ Uranium Holding Co., is the Priargunskoye Industrial Mining and Chemical Association, founded in 1968 (PIMCU, Trans-Baikal Territory). It has been mining underground for many decades.
Two other enterprises are effectively developing - JSC Khiagda in the Republic of Buryatia and JSC Dalur in the Kurgan Region, mining uranium in a more environmentally friendly manner. pure method borehole in situ leaching (SPV).
Unlike traditional way mining, which consists in the extraction of ore from the depths, its crushing and hydrometallurgical processing, in case of SPV, uranium ore remains at the place of occurrence. Through a system of wells, a leaching agent is pumped through the ore deposit, followed by pumping out the uranium-containing solution to the surface, where it is sequentially processed to obtain final product- yellow cake or uranium oxide. With SPV soil cover almost not disturbed, waste rock and waste dumps are not formed, and the state of the aquifer containing the ore after mining is restored to its initial state. This technology is much more economical and environmentally preferable than open-pit or mine methods of uranium mining.
JSC Khiagda is rated as the most promising asset of the holding. Expansion of its production base in the near future will allow reaching the design capacity of 1000 tons of uranium per year.
Among other subsidiaries of JSC Atomredmetzoloto - service center JSC RUSBURMASH, which explores natural resources both in Russia and abroad, the engineering center of JSC VNIPIprokhnologii, specializing in design and construction industrial facilities"Full construction".
In addition to uranium mining, ARMZ Uranium Holding Co. is also implementing a number of projects related to the mining of rare, rare-earth and precious metals. One of the key projects is the development of the Pavlovsky lead-zinc silver deposit in the archipelago New earth, the mineral resource base of which will make it possible to organize one of the largest processing enterprises in Russia. This activity is based on many years of experience in field development in a wide variety of geoclimatic conditions. JSC Dalur plans to organize by-product production of concentrate (up to 10 tons per year) and concentrate of rare earth metals (up to 450 tons per year). PIMCU at the Urtuisky open pit is mining coal.
Thanks to investments and optimization of operations, labor productivity at ARMZ Uranium Holding Co. is growing, while production costs are decreasing. The introduction of advanced technologies also contributes to improved results. In particular, in 2015, JSC Dalur installed a technological line for drying "yellow cake" with a design capacity of 120 kg of product per hour. The moisture content of the suspension of uranium compounds due to the commissioning of the line decreased from 30% to 2%. In turn, this not only reduces logistics costs, but also provides convenience for further processing to obtain high-purity uranium compounds.
The foreign uranium mining assets of ROSATOM are united by the Uranium One holding. It has a diversified portfolio of international assets in Kazakhstan, the United States and Tanzania. The mineral resource base of Uranium One, according to estimates according to international reporting standards, amounted to 216 thousand tons of uranium at the end of 2018 (compared to 2017, the value did not change). The volume of uranium production in 2018 amounted to 4.4 thousand tons of uranium.
The production is carried out using environmentally friendly in-situ leaching technology. Uranium One is a supporter of clean energy, maintains the highest standards in the field of environmental protection, ensuring the protection of the life and health of employees, and actively participates in programs for the development of local communities in the territories of the company's presence.
When the radioactive elements of the periodic table were discovered, man eventually came up with an application for them. So it happened with uranium. It was used for both military and peaceful purposes. Uranium ore was processed, the resulting element was used in the paint and varnish and glass industries. After its radioactivity was discovered, it began to be used in How clean and environmentally friendly is this fuel? This is still being argued about.
Natural uranium
In nature, uranium does not exist in its pure form - it is a component of ore and minerals. The main uranium ore is carnotite and pitchblende. Also, significant deposits of this strategic are found in rare earth and peat minerals - ortite, titanite, zircon, monazite, xenotime. Uranium deposits can be found in rocks with an acidic environment and high concentrations of silicon. Its companions are calcite, galena, molybdenite, etc.
World deposits and reserves
To date, many deposits have been explored in the 20-kilometer layer of the earth's surface. All of them contain a huge number of tons of uranium. This amount is capable of providing humanity with energy for many hundreds of years to come. The leading countries, in which uranium ore is found in the largest volume, are Australia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Canada, South Africa, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, USA, Brazil, Namibia.
Types of uranium
Radioactivity determines the properties of a chemical element. Natural uranium is made up of three isotopes. Two of them are the ancestors of the radioactive series. Natural isotopes of uranium are used to create fuel for nuclear reactions and weapons. Also, uranium-238 serves as a raw material for the production of plutonium-239.
Uranium isotopes U234 are daughter nuclides of U238. It is they who are recognized as the most active and provide strong radiation. The isotope U235 is 21 times weaker, although it is successfully used for the above purposes - it has the ability to support without additional catalysts.
In addition to natural isotopes, there are also artificial uranium isotopes. Today there are 23 known of them, the most important of which is U233. It is distinguished by the ability to be activated under the influence of slow neutrons, while the rest require fast particles.
Ore classification
Although uranium can be found almost everywhere - even in living organisms - the strata in which it is contained can be of different types. The methods of extraction also depend on this. Uranium ore is classified according to the following parameters:
- Formation conditions - endogenous, exogenous and metamorphogenic ores.
- The nature of uranium mineralization is primary, oxidized and mixed uranium ores.
- The size of aggregates and grains of minerals is coarse-grained, medium-grained, fine-grained, fine-grained and dispersed ore fractions.
- The usefulness of impurities - molybdenum, vanadium, etc.
- The composition of impurities is carbonate, silicate, sulfide, iron oxide, caustobiolite.
Depending on how the uranium ore is classified, there is a method for extracting a chemical element from it. Silicate is treated with various acids, carbonate - soda solutions, caustobiolite is enriched by combustion, and iron oxide is smelted in a blast furnace.
How uranium ore is mined
As in any mining business, there is a certain technology and methods for extracting uranium from the rock. Everything also depends on what kind of isotope is in the layer of the lithosphere. Uranium ore is mined in three ways. The separation of an element from the rock is economically justified when its content is 0.05-0.5%. There is a mine, open-pit and leaching method of extraction. The use of each of them depends on the composition of the isotopes and the depth of the rock. Open-pit mining of uranium ore is possible at shallow bedding. Radiation risk is minimal. There are no problems with equipment - bulldozers, loaders, dump trucks are widely used.
Mine mining is more difficult. This method is used when the element is buried at a depth of up to 2 kilometers and is economically viable. The rock must contain a high concentration of uranium in order for it to be efficiently mined. The adits provide maximum safety, this is due to the way uranium ore is mined underground. Workers are provided with overalls, the operating mode is strictly limited. The shafts are equipped with elevators, reinforced ventilation.
Leaching - the third method - is the cleanest from the environmental point of view and the safety of the employees of the mining enterprise. Through the system of drilled wells, a special chemical solution... It dissolves in the formation and is saturated with uranium compounds. Then the solution is pumped out and sent to processing plants. This method is more progressive, it allows you to reduce economic costs, although there are whole line restrictions.
Deposits in Ukraine
The country turned out to be the happy owner of the deposits of the element from which it is produced. According to forecasts, uranium ores in Ukraine contain up to 235 tons of raw materials. Currently, only the deposits have received confirmation, which contain about 65 tons. A certain amount has already been worked out. Part of the uranium is used domestically, and part is exported.
The main deposit is considered to be the Kirovograd uranium ore region. The uranium content is low - from 0.05 to 0.1% per ton of rock, therefore the cost of the material is high. As a result, the resulting raw material is exchanged in Russia for finished fuel elements for power plants.
The second large deposit is Novokonstantinovskoe. The content of uranium in the rock made it possible to reduce the cost in comparison with Kirovograd by almost 2 times. However, since the 90s, no development has been carried out, all mines have been flooded. Due to the aggravation of political relations with Russia, Ukraine may be left without fuel for
Russian uranium ore
Uranium mining the Russian Federation is in fifth place among other countries in the world. The most famous and powerful ones are Khiagdinskoye, Kolichkanskoye, Istochnoye, Koretkondinskoye, Namarusskoye, Dobrynskoye (Republic of Buryatia), Argunskoye, Zherlovoye.
The situation is a little different with the deposits in Buryatia and Kurgan. Uranium ore in Russia in these regions is deposited in such a way that allows the extraction of raw materials by leaching.
In total, deposits of 830 tons of uranium are forecasted in Russia, there are about 615 tons of proven reserves. These are also deposits in Yakutia, Karelia and other regions. Since uranium is a strategic global raw material, the numbers may be inaccurate, since many data are classified, only a certain category of people have access to them.
Uranium ore is a natural mineral formation that contains uranium in such an amount, concentration and combination that its extraction becomes economically profitable and expedient. There is a lot of uranium in the bowels of the earth. For example in nature:
- uranium is 1000 times more than gold;
- 50 times more than silver;
- uranium reserves are almost equal to those of zinc and lead.
There are uranium particles in the soil, rock, sea water. A very small part of it is concentrated in the deposits. Known, explored uranium deposits are estimated at 5.4 million tons.
Characteristics and types
The main types of uranium-containing ores: oxides (uranites, uranium resins, uranium black), silicates (coffinites), titanates (brannerites), uranyl silicates (uranophanes, betauranotiles), uranyl vanadates (carnotites), tyuyamunites, uranyl phosphates (uranyl phosphates) Zr, TR, Th, Ti, P minerals (fluorapatites, monazites, zircons, orthites ...) often also include uranium. Sorbed uranium is also found in carbonaceous rock.
Field and production
Top three countries in terms of reserves uranium ores represent - Australia, Kazakhstan, Russia. Almost 10% of the world's uranium reserves are concentrated in Russia, and in our country two-thirds of the reserves are localized in Yakutia (Republic of Sakha). The largest Russian uranium deposits are in such deposits: Streltsovsky, Oktyabrsky, Anteysky, Malo-Tulukuevsky, Argunsky, Dalmatovsky, Khiagdinsky ... There are still a great number of smaller deposits and deposits.
Application of uranium ores
- The most important application- nuclear fuel. The most commonly used isotope U235, which can be the basis for a self-sustaining chain nuclear reaction... It is used in nuclear reactors, weapons. The isotope U238 by fission increases the power of thermonuclear weapons. U233 is the most promising fuel for a gas-phase nuclear rocket engine.
- Uranium is able to actively generate heat. Its heat-generating capacity is a thousand times more powerful than oil or natural gas.
- Uranium is used by geologists to determine the age of rocks and minerals. There is even such a science - geochronology.
- It is sometimes used in the construction of aircraft, photography, painting (it has a beautiful yellow-green hue).
- Iron + U238 = magnetostrictive material.
- Depleted uranium is used for the production of radiation protection equipment.
- There are many more functions that uranium performs.
At present, nuclear energy is used in sufficient large scale... If in the last century radioactive materials were used mainly for the production of nuclear weapons, which have the greatest destructive power, then in our time the situation has changed. Nuclear energy at nuclear power plants is converted into electrical energy and is used for completely peaceful purposes. Atomic engines are also being created, which are used, for example, in submarines.
The main radioactive material used for nuclear energy production is Uranus... This chemical element belongs to the actinide family. Uranium was discovered in 1789 by the German chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth while studying pitchblende, which is now also called "uranium tar". New chemical element named after recently discovered planet solar system... The radioactive properties of uranium were discovered only at the end of the 19th century.
Uranium is contained in the sedimentary shell and in the granite layer. This is a rather rare chemical element: its content in earth crust 0.002%. In addition, insignificant amounts of uranium are contained in seawater (10-9 g / l). Due to its chemical activity, uranium is contained only in compounds and does not occur in free form on Earth.
Uranium ores are called natural mineral formations containing uranium or its compounds in quantities at which it is possible and economically feasible to use it. Uranium ores also serve as raw materials for the production of other radioactive elements such as radium and polonium.
Nowadays, about 100 different uranium minerals are known, 12 of which are actively used in industry to obtain radioactive materials. The most important minerals are uranium oxides (uranite and its varieties - pitchblende and uranium black), its silicates (coffinite), titanites (davidite and brannerite), as well as hydrous phosphates and uranium micas.
Uranium ores are classified according to various criteria. In particular, they are distinguished according to the conditions of education. One of the types is the so-called endogenous ores, which were deposited under the influence of high temperatures and from pegmatite melts and aqueous solutions. Endogenous ores are characteristic of folded areas and activated platforms. Exogenous ores are formed in near-surface conditions and even on the Earth's surface during accumulation (syngenetic ores) or as a result (epigenetic ores). They appear mainly on the surface of young platforms. Metamorphogenic ores arising from the redistribution of initially dispersed uranium in the process of metamorphism of sedimentary strata. Metamorphogenic ores are characteristic of ancient platforms.
In addition, uranium ores are subdivided into natural types and technological grades. By the nature of uranium mineralization, they are distinguished: primary uranium ores - (U 4 + content is not less than 75% of the total amount), oxidized uranium ores (mainly contain U 6 +) and mixed uranium ores, in which U 4 + and U 6 + are in approximately equal proportions. The technology of their processing depends on the oxidation state of uranium. According to the degree of unevenness of the U content in the lumpy fraction of the mountain ("contrast"), highly contrasting, contrasting, weakly contrasting and non-contrasting uranium ores are distinguished. This parameter determines the possibility and feasibility of uranium ore enrichment.
According to the size of aggregates and grains of uranium minerals, the following are distinguished: coarse-grained (over 25 mm in diameter), medium-grained (3–25 mm), fine-grained (0.1–3 mm), fine-grained (0.015–0.1 mm) and dispersed (less than 0.015 mm) uranium ores. The grain size of uranium minerals also determines the possibility of ore beneficiation. According to the content of useful impurities, uranium ores are: uranium, uranium-molybdenum, uranium-vanadium, uranium-cobalt-bismuth-silver and others.
By chemical composition impurities uranium ores are divided into: silicate (mainly composed of silicate minerals), carbonate (more than 10-15% of carbonate minerals), iron oxide (iron-uranium ores), sulfide (more than 8-10% of sulfide minerals) and caustobiolite, consisting of mostly from organic matter.
The chemical composition of ores often determines how they are processed. From silicate ores, uranium is released by acids, from carbonate ores - by soda solutions. Iron oxide ores are blast-furnace smelted. Caustobiolite uranium ores are sometimes beneficiated by incineration.
As mentioned above, the uranium content in the earth's crust is quite low. There are several uranium ore deposits in Russia:
Zherlovoe and Argunskoe deposits. Located in the Krasnokamensk district of the Chita region. The reserves of the Zherlovoy deposit are 4137 thousand tons of ore, which contain only 3485 tons of uranium (average grade 0.082%), as well as 4137 tons of molybdenum (grade 0.227%). The C1 reserves of uranium at the Argunskoye deposit are 13025 thousand tons of ore, 27957 tons of uranium (average grade 0.215%) and 3598 tons of molybdenum (with an average grade of 0.048%). Reserves in category C2 are: 7990 thousand tons of ore, 9481 tons of uranium (with an average content of 0.12%) and 3191 tons of molybdenum (average content of 0.0489%). About 93% of all Russian uranium is mined here.
5 uranium deposits ( Istochnoye, Kolichkanskoe, Dybrynskoe, Namarusskoe, Koretkondinskoe) are located on the territory of the Republic of Buryatia. The total explored reserves of the deposits amount to 17.7 thousand tons of uranium, the inferred resources are estimated at another 12.2 thousand tons.
Khiagda uranium deposit. Production is carried out by in-situ leaching. The explored reserves of this field in the C1 + C2 category are estimated at 11.3 thousand tons. The deposit is located on the territory of the Republic of Buryatia.
Radioactive materials are used not only for the creation of nuclear weapons and fuel. For example, small amounts of uranium are added to glass to give it color. Uranium is a part of various metal alloys and is used in photography and other fields.
Looking for a cheaper energy source that doesn't harm environment, world scientific society paid attention to the field of nuclear energy. To date, the number nuclear reactors, which are being built to generate energy, number in the hundreds. As a raw material for production atomic energy uranium ore is used. It contains substances that belong to the actinide family. By some estimates, the earth contains 1,000 times more uranium ore than gold. To obtain fuel for nuclear power plants, it is processed.
Characteristics of uranium ores
Free uranium ore is represented by a gray-white metal, which can have a fairly large amount of various impurities. It should be borne in mind that directly purified uranium itself is considered a chemically active substance. Considering the physical and mechanical and Chemical properties uranium, we note the following points:
- The boiling point of this chemical element is 4,200 degrees Celsius, which significantly complicates the process of its processing.
- In air, uranium oxidizes, can dissolve in acids and react to water. However, this chemical element does not interact with alkalis, which can be called its peculiarity.
- Under a certain influence, a substance becomes a source of a fairly large amount of energy. In this case, a relatively small amount of mining is formed, with the disposal of which quite a lot of problems arise today.
It should be borne in mind that many consider uranium to be a rare chemical element, since its concentration in the earth's crust is 0.002%. With such a relatively low concentration of this chemical element, no alternative substance has yet been found. Of course, so far the reserves are sufficient for the continuous mining of uranium and powering nuclear power plants or engines.
Uranium deposits
It is not difficult to guess that with such relatively small reserves of the substance in question in the bowels of the earth and the constant growth of the need for the material, its cost rises. Per recent times quite a large number of uranium deposits were discovered; Australia is considered to be the leader in its production. The studies carried out indicate that more than 30% of all reserves are concentrated on the territory of this country. The largest deposits are:
- Beverly;
- Olympic Dam;
- Ranger.
An interesting point is that Kazakhstan is considered to be Australia's main competitor in the field of uranium ore mining. More than 12% of the world's reserves are concentrated on the territory of this country. Despite enough large area, in Russia only 5% of world reserves.
According to some information, Russia's reserves amount to 400 thousand tons of uranium. At the end of 2017, 16 fields were discovered and developed. It is interesting that 15 of them are concentrated in Transbaikalia. Most of the uranium ore is concentrated in the Streltsovsky ore field.
As noted earlier, uranium ore is used as a fuel, which determines the ongoing search for its deposits. Today uranium is often used as fuel for rocket engines. In the manufacture of nuclear weapons, this element is used to increase its power. Some manufacturers use it to produce pigments that are used in painting.
Mining of uranium ores
Uranium ore mining has been established in many countries. It should be borne in mind that today three technologies can be used for ore mining:
- When uranium is located close to the surface of the earth, a discovery technology is applied. It is quite simple and inexpensive. Excavators and other similar special equipment are used to lift raw materials. After being lifted and loaded onto dump trucks, it is delivered to processing plants. Note that this technology has a fairly large number of disadvantages, but due to the ease of extraction, it has become widespread. In the process of developing deposits, quarries are obtained, the area of which can reach several square kilometers. It should be borne in mind that this method of mining ore causes irreparable harm to the environment. Quite a number of large mining companies are engaged in surface mining of uranium.
- With a deep location of ore in the earth, the creation of mines is carried out. The technology is quite complex in execution, it also provides for mechanical extraction of material. There are quite a large number of mines in which uranium and other ore is mined. This method of extracting rock is associated with rather high risks, since there may be pockets of gas or underwater rivers in the earth. Collapse of vaults can lead to conservation of the mine, death of workers and damage to expensive equipment. However, in the case of deep occurrence of the rock in question, it is practically impossible to extract it differently.
- The third method involves the formation of wells into which sulfuric acid is pumped. A second well is created near the previously drilled well, which is designed to raise the already obtained solution. After the sorption process is completed, equipment is installed that can lift substances resembling resins to the surface. After raising the resulting resin to the surface, it is processed and uranium is separated.
Underground leaching
Recently, the third method of uranium mining has been increasingly used. This is due to the fact that it allows you to achieve a high concentration of the required substance with a minimum content of pollutants. chemical elements... However, such a technology requires precise geological research, since wells must be drilled above the field in question. chemical... Otherwise, adding acid to the sorption process at a low concentration of uranium will take quite a long time.
On the territory of Russia, in most cases, uranium is mined by mechanical extraction. In addition, the extraction of raw materials for the production of nuclear fuel is carried out in China and Ukraine.
