Automatic exhaust device for in-situ leaching uranium mining liquid injection well

Abstract

The invention particularly relates to an automatic exhaust device for an in-situ leaching uranium mining liquid injection well, and belongs to the technical field of in-situ leaching uranium mining. The interior of the shell is axially divided into a monitoring cabin, a control cabin and an exhaust cabin which are mutually sealed and isolated; a gas monitoring module is installed in the monitoring cabin and used for monitoring the pressure in a liquid injection well shaft in real time. A mechanical exhaust executing mechanism is installed in the exhaust cabin and used for exhausting gas in a liquid injection well shaft. An intelligent control unit is mounted in the control cabin; the intelligent control unit is electrically connected with the gas monitoring module and the mechanical exhaust executing mechanism and used for driving the mechanical exhaust executing mechanism to be opened or closed according to the pressure in the liquid injection well shaft. The automatic exhaust device for the in-situ leaching uranium mining liquid injection well can automatically, safely, quickly and accurately exhaust the liquid injection well according to the set pressure, so that gas blockage of the liquid injection well is effectively eliminated, the manual operation burden and the safety risk are remarkably reduced, and the production continuity and stability of the liquid injection well are guaranteed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of in-situ leaching uranium mining technology, and in particular to an automatic venting device for in-situ leaching uranium injection wells. Background Technology

[0002] In-situ leaching (ISL) is a mining process that involves directly injecting a chemical leaching solution into an underground uranium ore layer to dissolve and recover uranium minerals in situ. In this process, the injection well is a key facility. Its function is to efficiently inject the prepared chemical leaching solution into the target ore layer, oxidizing insoluble tetravalent uranium into soluble hexavalent uranium, which then enters the solution and flows with the liquid.

[0003] In actual production, injection wells need to continuously inject the aforementioned chemical leaching solution into high-pressure ore formations for extended periods. Due to changes in downhole pressure and temperature, as well as chemical reactions, some gases carried in the leaching solution, especially oxygen injected as an oxidant, will precipitate from the solution due to incomplete dissolution. These gases accumulate in the injection wellbore or near-wellbore area, forming a "gas blockage" phenomenon. Specifically, according to Henry's Law, gas solubility decreases as pressure decreases. During injection, the pressure of the leaching solution gradually decreases along the wellbore and into the ore formation pores. Coupled with the possible effect of increased geothermal temperature, this leads to supersaturation and precipitation of dissolved gases. The precipitated free gases occupy the seepage channels, producing the Jamin effect, significantly increasing injection resistance, reducing the injection volume, and ultimately affecting uranium recovery and production efficiency.

[0004] Currently, the conventional method for dealing with gas blockage in injection wells is manual venting. This method requires interrupting production, and operators must operate valves on-site to release pressure and vent the gas. This is labor-intensive, inefficient, and exposes workers to occupational safety risks from exposure to high-pressure fluids and chemical reagents. Furthermore, frequent manual intervention affects the continuity and stability of injection well production. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to solve the problems of high workload, high safety risks, and impact on the continuity and stability of injection well production caused by the need for manual venting of injection wells due to gas blockage in existing in-situ leaching uranium mining processes. This invention provides an automatic venting device for injection wells in in-situ leaching uranium mining. This device can automatically, safely, quickly, and accurately vent the injection well according to a set pressure, thereby effectively eliminating gas blockage in the injection well, significantly reducing the burden of manual operation and safety risks, and ensuring the continuity and stability of injection well production.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] An automatic venting device for uranium injection wells in in-situ leaching mining includes an integrated shell; the shell is axially divided into a monitoring chamber, a control chamber, and an venting chamber that are sealed and isolated from each other; a gas monitoring module is installed in the monitoring chamber for real-time monitoring of the pressure inside the injection well; a mechanical venting actuator is installed in the venting chamber for venting gas from the injection well; and an intelligent control unit is installed in the control chamber; the intelligent control unit is electrically connected to the gas monitoring module and the mechanical venting actuator respectively, and is used to drive the mechanical venting actuator to open or close according to the pressure inside the injection well.

[0008] As one possible implementation, the shell is a cylindrical structure with an outer diameter matching the inner diameter of the injection well casing coupling; the shell surface is coated with a chemical corrosion resistant coating, preferably an epoxy chemical corrosion resistant coating; the interior of the shell is axially divided into a mutually sealed and isolated monitoring chamber, control chamber, and exhaust chamber by a sealing partition.

[0009] As one possible implementation, the gas monitoring module includes a pressure sensor; the sensing end of the pressure sensor is connected to a stainless steel porous screen tube through a threaded interface penetrating the monitoring chamber wall; the porous screen tube extends into the injection well barrel outside the monitoring chamber and comes into direct contact with the fluid inside the injection well barrel.

[0010] One possible approach is to use a pressure sensor with a range of -0.1 MPa to 6 MPa and an accuracy of ±0.5% FS.

[0011] As one possible approach, the mechanical exhaust actuator includes a pilot-operated solenoid valve and an exhaust pipe connected to the solenoid valve.

[0012] The inlet of the solenoid valve is connected to the fluid space of the monitoring chamber through a pipe, and the outlet is connected to a vertically upward exhaust pipe; the top of the exhaust pipe passes through the top of the exhaust chamber and extends to the outside of the shell.

[0013] As one possible implementation, the intelligent control unit includes a microcontroller; the microcontroller is electrically connected to both the pressure sensor and the solenoid valve, and is used to execute the following control logic:

[0014] When the pressure inside the injection well is greater than or equal to the set venting start pressure threshold, it is determined that an air blockage has occurred inside the injection well, and an opening command is sent to the solenoid valve.

[0015] When the pressure inside the injection well is less than or equal to the set venting end pressure threshold, it is determined that the gas blockage inside the injection well is released, and a closing command is sent to the solenoid valve.

[0016] The exhaust start pressure threshold is greater than the exhaust end pressure threshold.

[0017] As one possible approach, the solenoid valve has a response time of ≤100ms and a leakage rating of not less than ANSI / FCI 70-2VI.

[0018] As one possible approach, the inner wall of the exhaust pipe is coated with a superhydrophobic coating; the outside of the exhaust pipe is wrapped with an electric heating tape; and the exhaust pipe is connected to the on-site waste gas and liquid recovery pipeline through a waste gas and liquid recovery interface.

[0019] As one possible approach, the control cabin is also equipped with a communication and power supply module; the communication and power supply module includes a power management circuit, a battery pack, and a wireless communication module; the power management circuit is electrically connected to the battery pack, gas monitoring module, intelligent control unit, and mechanical exhaust actuator respectively, providing them with stable power; the wireless communication module is connected to the intelligent control unit to realize data transmission and command reception between the device and the remote monitoring center.

[0020] One possible approach is to use two sets of lithium batteries connected in parallel.

[0021] As one possible implementation, the communication and power supply module also includes an external solar panel connected to the power management circuitry via a waterproof cable.

[0022] Beneficial technical effects of the present invention:

[0023] Fully automatic intelligent operation: Through closed-loop control of "sensing-decision-execution", it realizes automatic identification and elimination of air blockage without manual intervention, ensuring continuous and stable liquid injection operation.

[0024] Safe and reliable: It avoids the risk of personnel directly operating high-pressure fluid pipelines; the device itself adopts explosion-proof and corrosion-resistant design, making it suitable for harsh working conditions.

[0025] Precise and efficient: Based on accurate pressure sensing and intelligent algorithms, it only releases gas when needed, avoiding the loss of leachate and energy waste caused by ineffective venting.

[0026] Highly adaptable: The low-power design combined with solar power makes it suitable for remote mining areas; the modular design facilitates maintenance; and the adaptive algorithm can cope with different well conditions.

[0027] Environmental compliance: Through waste gas and liquid recovery interfaces, we ensure that emissions are treated in a controlled manner and meet the environmental protection requirements of green mines. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the automatic venting device for uranium injection wells in in-situ leaching mining according to the present invention.

[0029] Figure 2 A control logic flowchart of one embodiment of an intelligent control unit;

[0030] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the injection wellhead installation of an embodiment of the automatic venting device for uranium injection wells in in-situ leaching mining according to the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0031] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs; the terminology used herein in the specification of the application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application.

[0032] In this document, the term "embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of this application. The appearance of this phrase in various places throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a separate or alternative embodiment mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It will be explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0033] In the description of this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "set," "install," "connect," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms according to the specific circumstances.

[0034] The terms “upper,” “lower,” “left,” “right,” “front,” “back,” “top,” “bottom,” “inner,” and “outer,” etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship commonly used when the product of the invention is in use. They are only for the convenience of description and simplification, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the present invention.

[0035] See Figure 1-3 This embodiment provides an automatic venting device for uranium injection wells in in-situ leaching, comprising an integrated shell; the shell is a cylindrical structure with an outer diameter matching the inner diameter of the injection well casing coupling, facilitating installation in the injection well; the surface of the shell is coated with a chemical corrosion resistant coating, preferably an epoxy chemical corrosion resistant coating; the interior of the shell is axially divided into a mutually sealed and isolated monitoring chamber, control chamber, and venting chamber by a sealing partition.

[0036] In this embodiment, a gas monitoring module is installed inside the monitoring chamber. The gas monitoring module includes a pressure sensor with a range of -0.1MPa to 6MPa and an accuracy of ±0.5%FS to adapt to the pressure fluctuation range of the injection well. The sensing end of the pressure sensor is connected to a stainless steel porous screen tube through a DN15 threaded interface that penetrates the wall of the monitoring chamber. The porous screen tube extends into the injection well barrel outside the monitoring chamber and comes into direct contact with the fluid inside the injection well barrel. The gas monitoring module is used to monitor the pressure inside the injection well barrel in real time.

[0037] In this embodiment, the mechanical exhaust actuator includes a pilot-operated solenoid valve and an exhaust pipe connected to the solenoid valve; the response time of the solenoid valve is ≤100ms and the leakage level is not lower than ANSI / FCI 70-2VI; the inlet of the solenoid valve is connected to the fluid space of the monitoring chamber through a pipe, and the outlet is connected to a vertically upward exhaust pipe; the top of the exhaust pipe passes through the top sealing cover of the exhaust chamber and extends to the outside of the device, guiding the exhaust to the outside of the device.

[0038] In this embodiment, an intelligent control unit is encapsulated within the control cabin; the intelligent control unit includes a low-power industrial-grade embedded microcontroller; the microcontroller is electrically connected to the pressure sensor and the solenoid valve respectively, and is used to execute the following control logic:

[0039] When the pressure inside the injection well is greater than or equal to the set venting start pressure threshold, it is determined that an air blockage has occurred inside the injection well, and an opening command is sent to the solenoid valve.

[0040] When the pressure inside the injection well is less than or equal to the set venting end pressure threshold, it is determined that the gas blockage inside the injection well has been released, and a closing command is sent to the solenoid valve.

[0041] In this embodiment, the microcontroller is equipped with an LCD screen for parameter setting, valve control, pressure, and valve status display.

[0042] In this embodiment, the exhaust start pressure threshold can be set to 1.15 times the injection working pressure, and the exhaust stop pressure threshold can be set to 1.05 times the injection working pressure. By setting the difference between the exhaust start pressure threshold and the exhaust end pressure threshold, the solenoid valve can be prevented from frequently operating at the critical pressure point.

[0043] In this embodiment, the intelligent control unit has edge computing and adaptive adjustment functions, specifically: the microcontroller can record the frequency and duration of historical venting events; when the venting frequency exceeds the preset reasonable range value, it automatically fine-tunes the venting start pressure threshold and venting end pressure threshold to optimize the venting strategy, or sends early warning information to the remote monitoring center through the wireless communication unit to indicate that the liquid injection condition may be abnormal.

[0044] In this embodiment, the inner wall of the exhaust pipe is coated with a superhydrophobic coating to reduce scaling and liquid adhesion; the outside of the exhaust pipe is wrapped with an electric heating tape to prevent liquid in the exhaust from condensing and clogging the pipe in winter; the exhaust pipe is connected to the on-site waste gas-liquid recovery pipeline through a waste gas-liquid recovery interface to ensure that the discharged gas-liquid mixture is safely collected and treated to avoid environmental pollution; the waste gas-liquid recovery interface is a quick-connect connector.

[0045] In this embodiment, a communication and power supply module is also installed inside the control cabin. The communication and power supply module includes a power management circuit, two sets of lithium batteries connected in parallel, and a long-range, low-power wireless communication module. The power management circuit is electrically connected to the lithium battery pack, gas monitoring module, intelligent control unit, and mechanical exhaust actuator to provide them with stable power. The wireless communication module is connected to the intelligent control unit to realize data transmission and command reception between the device and the remote monitoring center. For example, it reports information such as the pressure inside the injection well, the status of the solenoid valve, and exhaust event records to the remote monitoring center every five minutes, and receives remote parameter adjustment commands. The communication and power supply module also includes an external solar panel, which is connected to the power management circuit inside the device through a waterproof cable.

[0046] In this embodiment, during installation, the housing is fixed to the top of the injection well casing by threads or clamps, located on one side of the injection pipeline; the lower end of the perforated screen pipe and the upper end of the vent pipe are both located inside the wellhead device; the wireless communication module maintains contact with the remote monitoring center.

[0047] The automatic venting device for uranium injection wells in uranium leaching production, as described in this embodiment, includes the following steps:

[0048] The pressure sensor senses the pressure inside the injection wellbore through a porous screen tube and transmits the pressure data inside the injection wellbore to the microcontroller in real time.

[0049] The microcontroller compares the received pressure data inside the injection wellbore with the preset venting start pressure threshold and venting end pressure threshold.

[0050] When the pressure inside the injection well is greater than or equal to the exhaust start pressure threshold, the microcontroller controls the solenoid valve to open, and the high-pressure gas and a small amount of accompanying liquid focused inside the injection well are quickly discharged to the waste gas-liquid recovery pipeline through the exhaust pipe, and the pressure inside the injection well begins to decrease.

[0051] When the pressure inside the injection well is less than or equal to the venting end pressure threshold, the microcontroller controls the solenoid valve to close, stopping the gas venting from the injection well.

[0052] Throughout the venting process, information such as the injection well pressure, solenoid valve status, and venting event records are uploaded to the remote monitoring center via a wireless communication module, enabling unattended operation and remote supervision.

[0053] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementations of the present invention, and while the descriptions are specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of this patent should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An automatic venting device for uranium injection wells in in-situ leaching mining, characterized in that, It includes an integrated shell; the shell is axially divided into a monitoring chamber, a control chamber, and an exhaust chamber that are sealed and isolated from each other; the monitoring chamber is equipped with a gas monitoring module for real-time monitoring of the pressure inside the injection well; the exhaust chamber is equipped with a mechanical exhaust actuator for venting gas from the injection well; the control chamber is equipped with an intelligent control unit; the intelligent control unit is electrically connected to the gas monitoring module and the mechanical exhaust actuator respectively, and is used to drive the mechanical exhaust actuator to open or close according to the pressure inside the injection well.

2. The automatic venting device for uranium injection wells in in-situ leaching mining according to claim 1, characterized in that, The shell is a cylindrical structure with an outer diameter that matches the inner diameter of the injection well casing coupling. The shell surface is coated with a chemical corrosion resistant coating. The interior of the shell is axially divided into a monitoring chamber, a control chamber, and an exhaust chamber that are sealed and isolated from each other by a sealing partition.

3. The automatic venting device for uranium injection wells in in-situ leaching mining according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gas monitoring module includes a pressure sensor; the sensing end of the pressure sensor is connected to a stainless steel porous screen tube through a threaded interface that penetrates the monitoring chamber wall; the porous screen tube extends into the injection well barrel outside the monitoring chamber and comes into direct contact with the fluid inside the injection well barrel.

4. The automatic venting device for uranium injection wells in in-situ leaching mining according to claim 3, characterized in that, The pressure sensor has a range of -0.1MPa to 6MPa and an accuracy of ±0.5%FS.

5. The automatic venting device for uranium injection wells in in-situ leaching mining according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mechanical exhaust actuator includes a pilot-operated solenoid valve and an exhaust pipe connected to the solenoid valve; the inlet of the solenoid valve is connected to the fluid space of the monitoring chamber through a pipe, and the outlet is connected to the vertically upward exhaust pipe; the top of the exhaust pipe passes through the top of the exhaust chamber and extends to the outside of the shell.

6. The automatic venting device for uranium injection wells in in-situ leaching mining according to claim 5, characterized in that, The intelligent control unit includes a microcontroller; the microcontroller is electrically connected to the pressure sensor and the solenoid valve respectively, and is used to execute the following control logic: When the pressure inside the injection well is greater than or equal to the set venting start pressure threshold, it is determined that an air blockage has occurred inside the injection well, and an opening command is sent to the solenoid valve. When the pressure inside the injection well is less than or equal to the set venting end pressure threshold, it is determined that the gas blockage inside the injection well is released, and a closing command is sent to the solenoid valve. The exhaust start pressure threshold is greater than the exhaust end pressure threshold.

7. The automatic venting device for uranium injection wells in in-situ leaching mining according to claim 5, characterized in that, The response time of the solenoid valve is ≤100ms, and the leakage level is not lower than ANSI / FCI 70-2VI.

8. The automatic venting device for uranium injection wells in in-situ leaching mining according to claim 5, characterized in that, The inner wall of the exhaust pipe is coated with a superhydrophobic coating; the outside of the exhaust pipe is wrapped with an electric heating tape; the exhaust pipe is connected to the on-site waste gas and liquid recovery pipeline through a waste gas and liquid recovery interface.

9. The automatic venting device for uranium injection wells in in-situ leaching mining according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control cabin is also equipped with a communication and power supply module; the communication and power supply module includes a power management circuit, a battery pack, and a wireless communication module; the power management circuit is electrically connected to the battery pack, gas monitoring module, intelligent control unit, and mechanical exhaust actuator to provide them with power; the wireless communication module is connected to the intelligent control unit to realize data transmission and command reception between the device and the remote monitoring center.

10. The automatic venting device for uranium injection wells in in-situ leaching mining according to claim 9, characterized in that, The communication and power supply module also includes an external solar panel, which is connected to the power management circuit via a waterproof cable.

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