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Uranium Mine Feasibility Calculator

(last updated 1 Mar 2010)
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Calculate the economic feasibility of a uranium mine and mill. HELP

Select a predefined parameter set, or enter and/or change parameters at your discretion,
enter a value into any one field of the Lifetime Material Balance (if none was preset), and
click the "Calculate" button.

"t" = metric tonne, "Mt" = million t, "Mlbs" = million lbs, "M$" = $ million, $ = US$.

Lifetime Material Balance
	Waste generated	Reserve/Product
	Amount	Amount	Uranium contents			Value
	Amount	Amount	[Mlbs U₃O₈]	[t U₃O₈]	[t U]	[M$]
Ore deposit		Mt Ore in situ
Mine	Mt Waste Rock	Mt Ore mined
Ore Sorting	Mt Ore Reject	Mt Ore post sorting
Mill	Mt Mill Tailings	t Ore Concentrate

Lifetime Cost Summary
Lifetime of operation: years

Capital
Cost Nominal
Oper. Cost Subtotal
(Nominal Cost) Long-Term
Mgmt. Cost Total
(True Cost)

Mining M$ M$ M$ M$ M$

Ore Sorting M$ M$ M$ M$ M$

Milling M$ M$ M$ M$ M$

Gen. & Admin. M$ M$ M$ M$ M$

All stages M$ M$ M$
(=$/lb U₃O₈) M$ M$
(=$/lb U₃O₈)

Profit
at Nominal Cost Profit
at True Cost

(Ore Concentrate Value ./. Cost) M$
(=%) M$
(=%)

Lifetime Cost Summary Lifetime of operation: years
	Capital Cost	Nominal Oper. Cost	Subtotal (Nominal Cost)	Long-Term Mgmt. Cost	Total (True Cost)
Mining	M$	M$	M$	M$	M$
Ore Sorting	M$	M$	M$	M$	M$
Milling	M$	M$	M$	M$	M$
Gen. & Admin.	M$	M$	M$	M$	M$
All stages	M$	M$	M$ (=$/lb U₃O₈)	M$	M$ (=$/lb U₃O₈)

	Profit at Nominal Cost		Profit at True Cost
(Ore Concentrate Value ./. Cost)	M$ (=%)		M$ (=%)

Specific Results

Resulting Specific Operating Cost [$/lb U₃O₈ in Ore Concentrate]
	Nominal Operating	Long-Term Management
Mining	$/lb U₃O₈	$/lb U₃O₈
Ore Sorting	$/lb U₃O₈	$/lb U₃O₈
Milling	$/lb U₃O₈	$/lb U₃O₈
Gen. & Admin.	$/lb U₃O₈	$/lb U₃O₈
Total	$/lb U₃O₈	$/lb U₃O₈

Resulting Uranium Concentrations

in Waste generated in Reserve/Product

Ore deposit Uranium Ore in situ: wt_% U

Mine Waste Rock: (conc. not specified) Uranium Ore mined: wt_% U

Ore Sorting Ore sorting reject: wt_% U Uranium Ore post sorting: wt_% U

Mill Mill Tailings: wt_% U Uranium Ore Concentrate: wt_% U

Resulting Uranium Concentrations
	in Waste generated	in Reserve/Product
Ore deposit		Uranium Ore in situ: wt_% U
Mine	Waste Rock: (conc. not specified)	Uranium Ore mined: wt_% U
Ore Sorting	Ore sorting reject: wt_% U	Uranium Ore post sorting: wt_% U
Mill	Mill Tailings: wt_% U	Uranium Ore Concentrate: wt_% U

Resulting Mass Flow

Mine Actual Mine Ore production rate: Mt/a
Actual Mine capacity usage: %

Ore Sorting Percentage of uranium contents in mined ore rejected by sorting: wt_%

Mill Actual Mill Ore processing rate: Mt/a
Actual Mill capacity usage: %
Actual production rate of uranium in ore concentrate: t/a U₃O₈

General Overall uranium recovery from Ore in situ to Ore concentrate: wt_%

Resulting Mass Flow
Mine	Actual Mine Ore production rate: Mt/a Actual Mine capacity usage: %
Ore Sorting	Percentage of uranium contents in mined ore rejected by sorting: wt_%
Mill	Actual Mill Ore processing rate: Mt/a Actual Mill capacity usage: % Actual production rate of uranium in ore concentrate: t/a U₃O₈
General	Overall uranium recovery from Ore in situ to Ore concentrate: wt_%

Parameter Entry

Select Parameter Set:


    Process Parameters

Mine Waste/Ore Ratio:
Ore Production Capacity: Mt/a (optional)
Extraction Losses: wt_%
Grade of Ore mined: wt_% U = wt_% U₃O₈

Ore Sorting Ore rejected: wt_%
Relative Ore grade improvement by sorting: %

Mill Ore Processing Capacity: Mt/a
Design Life: years (optional)
Extraction Losses: wt_% (auto estimate)
Uranium concentration in Ore Concentrate: wt_% U

    Cost Parameters

Capital Cost Nominal Operating Cost Long-Term Management Cost

Mining $ per t/a mined
$ million $ per t ore mined
$ per t waste rock $ per t ore mined
$ per t waste rock
Ore Sorting $ per t/a mined
$ million $ per t ore mined
$ per t ore reject $ per t ore mined
$ per t ore reject

Milling $ per t/a milled
$ million $ per t ore milled
$ per lb U₃O₈ produced
$ per t tailings $ per t ore milled
$ per lb U₃O₈ produced
$ per t tailings

General and
Administrative $ per t/a mined
$ million $ per t ore mined
$ per lb U₃O₈ produced $ per t ore mined
$ per lb U₃O₈ produced

Price Parameters

Market Price

Natural Uranium in
Ore Concentrate
$ per lb U₃O₈ = $ per kg U

Price Parameters
	Market Price
Natural Uranium in Ore Concentrate	$ per lb U₃O₈ = $ per kg U

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