Ion exchange columns, satellite plants and resin...

	Photograph of a satellite plant courtesy of Power Resources, Inc. Uranium bearing fluids from the wellfield are pumped to the satellite plant (shown to the left) where the uranium is loaded onto ion exchange resins in the downflow columns . When the resin is fully loaded, it is pumped out of the columns (pressure vessels) and trucked to the main plant
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Lixiviant is pumped out of the recovery wells in the wellfield and into the ion exchange column where the uranium loads onto freshly eluted resin from the Central Process Plant . The barren lixiviant is reconstituted with oxygen and carbon dioxide and injected back into the wellfield via the injection wells. A small amount of the barren lixiviant (1-3%) is removed from the system and disposed of either by deep well injection or treatment and irrigation. Removal of this small amount of lixiviant on a continuous basis maintains a slight cone of depression in the wellfield preventing lixiviant from leaving the mining area. When the resin is loaded, it is pumped into a resin trailer and hauled to the Central Process Plant for elution.
	Photograph of downflow ion exchange columns housed in the Plant Building courtesy of Crow Butte Resources, Inc.
	Photograph of upflow ion exchange columns housed in the Plant Building courtesy of Crow Butte Resources, Inc.
	Photograph of ion exchange resin courtesy of Crow Butte Resources, Inc.