To enhance the separation efficiency and accuracy of medium and low-grade uranium ores, we developed a gamma array beneficiation detection system based on 64 NaI detectors and established a reliable consistency correction method. This system adopts an 8-column × 8-row array layout, integrating a digital single-channel pulse amplitude analyzer, an FPGA data processing module and an STM32 control module, which can achieve synchronous acquisition and real-time processing of gamma-ray signals from uranium ore conveyed by belts. To address the problem of count rate deviation caused by multi-detector process differences, a mathematical model for count rate consistency analysis was constructed, and one-way analysis of variance was used for consistency evaluation. The test results show that before calibration, the F value among the detector groups reached 3 654.41, and the P value was 0, significantly deviating from the consistency standard. Then, the t-test method was adopted to locate the abnormal detectors. After calibrating the abnormal detectors, the F value dropped to 0.64, P=0.98>0.05, and there was no significant difference in the counting rates of each detector. This system effectively enhances the accuracy and stability of signal acquisition, providing efficient technical support for the pre-beneficiation of low-grade uranium ore before grinding. It has significant engineering value for expanding the utilization boundaries of mineral resources and reducing subsequent processing costs.

The Qingshankou Formation is one of the primary ore-bearing layers for uranium deposits in the Songliao Basin, where the techno-metallurgical characteristics of the ores directly determine the feasibility of in-situ leaching uranium. This study focuses on sandstone type ores in the Qingshankou Formation, employing petrographic analysis, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and electron probe microanalysis to conduct techno-metallurgical research, systematically revealing the occurrence patterns of uranium minerals. The results indicate that uranium minerals in fine sandstones of the Qingshankou Formation are predominantly uraninite and pitchblende, primarily distributed along the edges of clastic particles, which facilitates contact between uranium minerals and leaching solutions. Additionally, the pores in fine sandstones are mainly intergranular, promoting uniform diffusion of leaching agents. In contrast, uranium minerals in mud breccia are primarily uraninite, mainly distributed within the mud breccia, which hinders contact between leaching solutions and uranium minerals, increasing leaching difficulty. The study suggests that the Qingshankou Formation of a uranium deposit in the Songliao Basin has the potential to become an ideal mining horizon in the region.

Against the background of digital transformation in the mining industry, long-standing issues such as data fragmentation, disjointed workflows, and insufficient collaboration mechanisms among geology, surveying, and mining disciplines have become key bottlenecks constraining improvements in production efficiency and technical management. Focusing on geology-surveying-mining collaboration, this study establishes a full-process collaborative technical system for mining production. Based on unified data standards, a layered architecture consisting of a data layer, toolset layer, collaborative operation platform layer, and mining business layer is proposed. A process-driven mechanism is employed to enable coordinated operation of core tasks such as geological modeling, surveying updates, and mining design, forming a closed-loop technical management model that covers task initiation, process control, result review, and archival sharing. Application results demonstrate that the proposed system effectively addresses common issues in traditional management modes, including data version inconsistency and poor traceability of business workflows, significantly enhances cross-disciplinary collaboration efficiency and technical management capability, and promotes the transformation of mining production management from experience-driven to process-and data-driven practices.

In order to solve the problems of cumbersome construction process, irreplaceable filter and non-convertible function of extractable liquid in complex sandstone type uranium deposits in the traditional in-situ leaching uranium well configuration (such as large-diameter gravel filling well configuration), a new type of slotted well configuration and its construction technology were proposed. The configuration adopts a one-diameter to the end method, the casing is lowered through the whole hole and the reverse grouting is cemented, and then the industrial ore section is slapped by high-pressure hydraulic sandblasting technology to open up the hydraulic connection channel inside and outside the casing. Through laboratory tests, the key technical parameters of hydraulic sandblasting joints were studied, including the effects of spray pressure, nozzle diameter and moving speed on the depth and width of the joints. The results indicate the optimal slotted performance is achieved when the injection pressure is maintained 30 MPa, the nozzle diameter is set at 3.5 mm, and the moving speed is controlled at 90 mm/min. The slotted well configuration has the advantages of simple construction process, high efficiency, less consumables and high well quality, and is suitable for the mining of complex sandstone type uranium deposits to improve the recovery rate of uranium resources.

The pregnant solution produced by the neutral in-situ leaching uranium process often contains a large amount of fine particles, which can easily lead to problems such as the decrease of ion exchange rate of subsequent ion exchange resins, the decrease of resin adsorption capacity, and frequent cleaning cycles. Aiming at the bottleneck of low removal efficiency and insufficient operation stability of traditional solid-liquid separation technology for fine particles, this study introduced a microchannel separation technology based on the coupling enhancement mechanism of microchannel adhesion separation—oscillation desorption, and carried out field pilot test. The experimental results show that the removal efficiency of particles with particle size >1 μm is higher than 94%, and the removal efficiency of particles with particle size > 5 μm is close to 100%. Under different influent turbidity (6-33 NTU) conditions, the effluent turbidity was stable at 2-9 NTU, and the removal rate was maintained 60%-75%. The operating pressure difference of the system increased slowly with the accumulation of particles. After 8 days of stable operation of the device, the removal efficiency of particles with particle size >1 μm decreased to 70%. In order to restore the separation performance of the system, the device was backwashed. After backwashing, the removal ability of particles with particle size >5 μm was quickly restored. Compared with the conventional bag filter, the particles at the out-let of the microchannel separator are mainly distributed in the sub-micron to micron scale, and the medium and large particle sizes are significantly reduced. This study provides experimental basis and technical support for the engineering application of microchannel separation technology in the pretreatment of pregnant solution of in-situ leaching uranium.

In the production process of in-situ leaching of uranium, with the increase of leaching years, the pumping capacity of the wells will be accompanied by the decline, and well washing, plugging removal and permeability enhancement have become normal operations. But the well washing frequency is high, efficiency is low, and operation is complicated. In view of the limitations of well washing, this research, based on the working principles of various well washing methods and the concept of integrated technology, designed an integrated well washing device. This device integrates various well washing techniques such as high pressure air washing, air piston washing, water piston washing, high pressure water rotary jet washing, high pressure water drilling, and chemical sedimentation washing onto a multi-functional pipe string, and is mounted on a trailer drilling rig. All kinds of washing methods are freely switched in the well, and no pipe string is proposed. The test results show that the average amount of water after well washing is increased by 153.4%, which solves the limitations of the single well washing method, and improves the efficiency and effect of well washing.

Aiming at the safety and inefficiency issues existing in the mining of Mianhuakeng mine, this study established a three-dimensional geological model of the ore body and conducted research such as stope structure parameter simulation and numerical simulation of deep-hole blasting disturbance, then obtained stope structure parameters and mining process parameters. Through on-site mining tests to verify and optimize these parameters, a pillarless sublevel deep-hole continuous mining technology was developed. This technology enables simultaneous operation of multiple processes and unmanned operation in the stope, resulting in the monthly production capacity of the stope approximately three times that of the existing horizontal slicing backfill mining technology, and a reduction in the direct mining cost of about 13%, significantly improving the mining efficiency and safety of Mianhuakeng mine.

In order to solve the problems of easy clogging by debris and uneven application of leaching agents in the micro-sprinkler tape liquid distribution system, and to enhance the uniformity and efficiency of the heap leaching process, a feasibility study on the application of a mobile sprinkling method in a certain uranium mine heap leaching was conducted. The effects of parameters such as the sprinkling volume, the moving speed of the sprinkler machine, and the instantaneous sprinkling intensity of the sprinkler machine on the permeability of the ore heap were investigated. The results show that when using a 3.6 mm aperture nozzle for sprinkling and the sprinkler machine running at a speed of 8 to 10 m/min, a uniform liquid distribution effect can be achieved with a single row of sprinkling pipelines within the flow of 6.7 to 13.8 m³/h. Compared with micro-sprinkler tape sprinkling, the use of mobile sprinkling results in a relatively uniform leaching of the ore heap, enabling uniform leaching of the ore heap, with average leaching rate of uranium (based on residue) reaching 92.55%. This study provides technical support for the industrial application of mobile sprinkling technology in uranium mine heap leaching.

Pressurization serves as a critical approach for regulating reaction rate in hydrometallurgical processes. To investigate the effects of pressure conditions on uranium leaching performance, laboratory-scale simulated heap leaching tests of uranium ore were carried out using a self-made room-temperature pressurized leaching device, with hard-rock type uranium ore from a mine in southern China as the research material. The results indicate that room-temperature pressurized leaching can accelerates the leaching reaction rate, yet it exerts no positive effect on improving the final uranium leaching rate. Pressurization exhibits a significant promoting effect on uranium leaching before the uranium leaching rate reaches 60%, and the leaching performance is optimal under a pressure of 40 kPa when the uranium leaching rate is below 85%. After 15 days of pressurized leaching, the highest uranium leaching rate reaches 94.66%, while the lowest is 85.90%. This study reveals that based on the correlation between pressure and leaching performance during room-temperature pressurized leaching, the uranium heap leaching technology can be effectively optimized by regulating pressure—a physical parameter with the advantages of controllability and low cost—thereby achieving the high-efficiency recovery of uranium resources.

To enhance the leachability of low-permeability uranium-bearing strata during in-situ leaching of uranium, biotite—a mineral commonly enriched in the Nalinggou sandstone type uranium deposit, which often leads to localized densification and impeded fluid flow—was systematically investigated for its dissolution behavior in the presence of three low-molecular-weight organic acids: citric acid, tartaric acid, and succinic acid. A comparative study was conducted through dissolution experiments and PHREEQC simulations, combined with analytical techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis. The research focused on the mechanisms of structural alteration, cation release characteristics, and pore parameter evolution of biotite under varying organic acid concentrations. The results demonstrate that organic acids significantly enhance biotite dissolution, leading to increased cation release, aggravated crystal structure degradation, and expanded specific surface area and pore volume. These effects intensify with higher acid concentrations. Among the tested acids, tartaric acid exhibited the most pronounced dissolution effect, increasing the specific surface area from 4.071 8 m²/g to 9.184 5 m²/g. PHREEQC simulations revealed that organic acids effectively inhibit the precipitation of Al (OH)₃ and iron oxides by complexing with Al³⁺ and Fe³⁺, thereby prolonging the mineral dissolution process. The study indicates that low-molecular-weight organic acids can improve the permeability of uranium-bearing layers by enhancing mineral dissolution and optimizing pore structure. These findings provide a theoretical foundation and technical support for improving uranium leachability.