This 2022 technical report presents a processing design for the Shirley Basin ISR Uranium Project as a satellite ion-exchange facility that will ship loaded resin to an existing off-site processing plant.
Report context
The Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Shirley Basin ISR Uranium Project was authored as of March 07, 2022. The Project is anticipated to be a satellite to Ur-Energy’s Lost Creek Mine, located approximately 32 miles north of Wamsutter, Wyoming. Only the first major solution circuit,the uranium recovery/extraction circuit (ion exchange, or IX),will be located at the Project site. Loaded resin will be contract transported to the Lost Creek Mine, where elution, yellowcake precipitation, and dewatering, drying, and packaging circuits are situated.
Processing route
Overall circuit description
ISR operations consist of four major solution circuits. Only the IX circuit is proposed for construction at the Shirley Basin satellite facility. The remaining three circuits,elution to remove uranium from the IX resin, yellowcake precipitation, and dewatering/drying/packaging,will be completed at the Lost Creek Mine. A simplified process flow diagram (Figure 21 of the original report) illustrates the relationship between the Project satellite facility and the Lost Creek Mine.
Satellite IX circuit design
The IX circuit will be housed in a metal building that also contains resin transfer equipment and the restoration circuit. Uranium liberated from underground deposits as dissolved uranyl carbonate is extracted from pregnant production solution in a 6,000-gpm IX circuit. The barren lixiviant is then reconstituted to the proper bicarbonate strength, as needed, and pH is corrected using carbon dioxide before being pumped back to the wellfield for reinjection.
A low-volume bleed is permanently removed from the lixiviant flow to maintain an inward hydraulic gradient to the wellfields. This bleed is treated by reverse osmosis (RO) to remove metals and salts (e.g., calcium, sodium, sulfate). The clean permeate is either reused in the process or recycled to suitable aquifers and is described in the report as being of better quality than native groundwater. Brine from RO treatment will be disposed of in evaporation ponds, and excess permeate will be disposed of in historical pit lakes at the site. The satellite operation will also include office, construction, maintenance, warehouse, and drilling support buildings.
Resin transport design
Once an IX resin column is loaded to the point where it is no longer economically capturing uranium from production solution, the column is taken offline and the loaded resin is moved to a trailer. Resin will typically be shipped in 500 cu. ft. loads with the majority of water drained off prior to shipping. Bulk pneumatic trailers are planned to transport resin to and from the Lost Creek Mine. The mode of hauling is proposed to be a contract carrier licensed to haul radioactive materials in Wyoming; the report cites RSB Logistics as an example carrier currently contracted to haul yellowcake from Lost Creek Mine to Metropolis, Illinois.
Two possible routes from the Project to the Lost Creek Mine are identified. The preferred route is south on Wyoming Highway 487, west on U.S. Highway 30/287 continuing west on Interstate 80, then north on the Wamsutter–Crooks Gap road,approximately 175 miles total. The alternate route, approximately 160 miles, runs north on Wyoming Highway 487, west on Wyoming Highway 220, continuing northwest on Wyoming Highway 287, then south on the Wamsutter–Crooks Gap road; this is described as the lesser traveled trucking route. Upon delivery of loaded resin, a trailer with barren resin is immediately returned to the Project satellite facility.
Consumables and energy estimates
Annual consumption estimates used in the report evaluation assume 57,700 gallons of propane and 8.8 million kWh of electricity to heat and light the satellite plant and operate process equipment and wellfields. Anticipated annual chemical consumption rates at full design flow rate include 1.53 million lbs./year of soda ash and 100 cu. ft./year or less of resin (make-up/replacement). The soda ash will be stored in a silo outside the satellite plant and blown pneumatically or augered into the facility for mixing into bicarbonate, which is then added into the injection lixiviant.
Under normal operating conditions, the report states that resin is anticipated to last the life of the project or longer. However, due to potential wear associated with trucking of resin, the cost of an additional 100 cu. ft. of resin each year was factored into the analysis.
Personnel estimates
Personnel requirements over the life of the Project will vary, ranging from a low of four full-time equivalent (FTE) positions in year -1 to a high of 48.5 FTE positions when the Project is in full production in years 1 through 6.
Liquid disposal design
Wastewater that cannot be returned to the production aquifers will be derived from three sources: wellfield production bleed, satellite processes, and wastewater treatment reject. The wellfield production bleed rate is estimated at 0.5 to 1.5% of the total mine unit flow rate. The wastewater flow rate from the satellite plant will be minimal,on the order of 1 gpm,because the facility houses only the IX circuit without elution, precipitation, filtration, or drying circuits. Wastewater from restoration relates to initial purging of the production area (groundwater sweep, or GWS) and untreatable brine from multiple volumes of groundwater treated using RO where the permeate is reinjected.
The rate of brine generated from the various degrees of wastewater treatment and concentration planned at the satellite facility will average approximately 6 gpm, all of which will be evaporated in two onsite ponds. Permeate from all operations will pass through a radium IX resin before being disposed in historic pit lakes pursuant to Ur-Energy’s Wyoming Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (WYPDES) permit (WY0096466). An average of 48 gpm of permeate recycling is expected over the production and restoration life of the project.
Solid waste disposal design
Non-contaminated solid waste,trash, piping, valves, instrumentation, equipment, and other items not contaminated with radioactive material or which can be decontaminated and re-classified,is estimated at approximately 700 cubic yards per year. This waste will be collected in designated areas and disposed of within a permitted, on-site industrial solid waste landfill. Non-contaminated solid household waste will be shipped by contractor to a local landfill.
Contaminated solid waste, classified as 11e.(2) byproduct material, consists of solids generated through concentration of wastewater, filters, personal protective equipment, spent resin, piping, and similar items. Ur-Energy owns a licensed 11e.(2) byproduct material disposal site at Shirley Basin. It is estimated that the Project will produce approximately 90 cubic yards of 11e.(2) byproduct material as waste per year, based on waste generation rates of similar uranium ISR facilities.
Key reported parameters
| Parameter | Value | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| IX circuit design flow rate | 6,000 gpm | Proposed design |
| Annual propane consumption | 57,700 gallons | Estimate used in report evaluation |
| Annual electricity consumption | 8.8 million kWh | Estimate used in report evaluation |
| Annual soda ash consumption (full design flow) | 1.53 million lbs./year | Assumed annual consumption rate |
| Annual resin make-up/replacement | 100 cu. ft./year or less | Assumed consumption; includes allowance for trucking wear |
| Resin shipment batch size | 500 cu. ft. loads | Typical shipping specification |
| Wellfield production bleed rate | 0.5–1.5% of total mine unit flow rate | Estimated |
| Satellite plant wastewater flow rate | ~1 gpm | Estimated (IX circuit only) |
| Average brine generation rate | ~6 gpm | Estimated over production and restoration life |
| Average permeate recycling rate | 48 gpm | Expected over production and restoration life |
| Non-contaminated solid waste | ~700 cubic yards/year | Estimated |
| Contaminated (11e.(2)) solid waste | ~90 cubic yards/year | Estimated, based on similar facilities |
| Personnel range | 4–48.5 FTE | Year -1 to full production years 1–6 |
| Preferred transport route length | ~175 miles | Shirley Basin to Lost Creek Mine |
| Alternate transport route length | ~160 miles | Shirley Basin to Lost Creek Mine |
Project website: https://www.ur-energy.com/projects/shirley-basin
Technical qualifications
The processing information presented in this report is based on a Preliminary Economic Assessment and describes proposed design assumptions and estimates. The report does not present detailed flowsheet performance data, measured water consumption rates from operations at this site, or confirmed economics. The waste generation estimates for 11e.(2) byproduct material are based on rates from similar uranium ISR facilities, not from Shirley Basin operational data. Personnel estimates, energy consumption, and chemical consumption values are described as assumptions used in the evaluation. The production bleed rate range (0.5–1.5%) and satellite plant wastewater flow rate (~1 gpm) are estimates. Resin is described as anticipated to last the life of the project or longer under normal conditions, with an additional allowance factored for trucking wear. The transport routes described are proposed; the mode of hauling is proposed to be a contract carrier. No testwork results are presented in the processing sections of this report.
Source: Shirley Basin ISR Uranium Project , 2022 Technical Report, Preliminary Economic Assessment, March 07, 2022, Sections 17.0–17.5.
