Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor Program. Volume III. Environmental Statement Page: 92 of 622
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of the other fuel cycle operations, omitted here, the reader is referred to Section 4
of this report, where similar operations in the LMFBR fuel cycle are discussed.
Uranium Mining-Milling Operations
Uranium mines usually are located in remote areas where average population densities
are 5 to 10 people per square mile12. The high plateau regions of the Rocky Mountain
States contain most of the uranium mines and about 90% of the known conventional ore
reserves.
Two methods--open-pit and underground mining--produce the bulk of the uranium in
the U.S.A. Open-pit mining usually has a cost advantage over underground methods
for deposits occurring less than about 400 ft below the surface.
Underground operations are essential for deep deposits and are characterized in
appearance by service buildings, a head-frame with ore handling facility, a mine
waste pile, and, in some cases, a flow of water pumped to surface drainage from
underground sumps in the mine complex. The ground area occupied by the surface
facilities may be only a few acres, but the reach of the underground workings often
range to a mile or more. The volume of the mine waste pile is related to the
gross volume of ore processed. The volume of ventilating air, usually downcast
through the production shafts and distributed through ore-haulage ways for discharge
through vent holes/shafts at the extremities of the workings, is large enough to
dilute the radon gas (emanating from uranium ore) to safe levels.
Open-pit mining has a highly visible effect on the local environment. A model
mine, equivalent to about 5.3 annual requirements for a 1000-MWe LWR operating on
enriched uranium fuel, would produce about 1600 metric tons of ore per day for
300 days per year for ten years. At an average U308 content of 0.2%, this output
is equivalent to about 960 metric tons of U308 per year. The ratio of overburden
volume to ore volume is estimated to be about 30 to 1 (although ratios of 50 to 1
may occur at times). This overburden, stored for later reclamation of the mined
area, averages about 9.5 million yd3/year. An open-pit mine is characterized by
a large open excavation, large piles of earth and rock overburden placed nearby,
a network of operating roads and yards, possibly a flow of mine water pumped to
surface drainage, a number of service buildings, and an assortment of heavy earth-
moving equipment. Surface heap leaching facilities also are often present.
The uranium milling operation usually is located adjacent to an operating mine. The
mill employs a mechanical crushing/screening technique to control reaction rate in6A.1-47
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Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor Program. Volume III. Environmental Statement, report, December 1, 1974; Washington, District of Columbia. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1019855/m1/92/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.