Experimental investigation on the influence of surfactant to the seepage characteristics of acid leaching solution during in-situ leaching of uranium

Investigating the seepage characteristics of acid leaching solution affected by surfactant in the ore-bearing layer during the in-situ leaching process can be useful for optimizing the process parameters of uranium ore. Three surfactant leaching solutions of different concentrations were prepared respectively for the agitation leaching experiment, from which the best was screened out for seepage simulation experiment using a self-developed multifunctional physical and chemical seepage test device. The influence of surfactant to seepage characteristics of leaching solution were examined based on the seepage flow mechanics and physicochemical seepage theory. Results indicated that trend of seepage characteristics of different leaching solutions were the same in rock samples with similar internal pore architectures in general, both of which were horizontal seepage processes from the unsaturated stage to the saturated stage. While the seepage process of leaching solution added surfactant reached the saturation point of the set flow rate earlier, and the addition of surfactant provided improvement in the permeability coefficient with the largest increase of 29.41% in the saturation stage, the growth of seepage pressure also decreased by up to 22.72%.