UNIQUE RADIATION PROTECTION DESIGN FOR PROCESSING HIGH-GRADE URANIUM ORES AT THE McCLEAN LAKE MILL

摘要

Rich uranium deposits in northern Saskatchewan are coming into production and will last for the next few decades. The combination of high ore grades and increasingly stringent radiation protection regulations require complex mill design features far different from those for conventional uranium mills. The McClean Lake mill, which has operated since June 1999 with production rates averaging 4 million lb. of U3O8 annually, has been expanded to receive uranium ore slurry with nominal feed grades up to about 20% U3O8 and production rate of up to 24 million lb. annually. The mill design ensures that workers are separated from radioactive ore being processed through the use of slurry handling and processing systems that are enclosed and has several state-of-the-art shielding and ventilation features that protect workers against external gamma radiation and airborne radioactive materials (radon progeny and radioactive dusts). This paper discusses the unique design of the AREVA’s McClean Lake mill.