Dalur Mines Uranium ‘Digitally’ at Khokhlovskoye Deposit in Shumikhinsky District, Kurgan Region

The digital uranium ISL management is aimed at increasing the cost-efficiency of the mining processes. The project known as the Smart ISL Polygon is implemented by engineers of ARMZ Uranium Holding Co. and scientists at the Seversk Institute of Technology within the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI as part of the Rosatom’s Common Digital Strategy and included in the Rosatom’s Digital Product Suite. Khiagda, JSC was the first enterprise of ARMZ Uranium Holding Co. to have introduced the Smart ISL Polygon in developing deposits in the Bauntovsky-Evenki District, Republic of Buryatia. Today, the project, which has proven its effectiveness in Buryatia, is being introduced at the Khokhlovskoye deposit in the Trans-Urals.

All the processes are managed from the Main Control Room, and the controller can see all the processes occurring at the local sorption unit and at the ISL site on the monitors. «We can see the site structure, that is, wells and connections, we can see amounts of the fluid that is fed into the depths or delivered to the surface. That is to say, now we are able to manage processes at a depth of 500 m and, if needed, model those occurring in the ore body,» Victor Svyatetskiy, ARMZ First Deputy General Director — Chief Operating Officer, explained.

The Smart ISL Polygon software systems also help the company reliably assess the mining and geological environment in the deposit areas under development, model production scenarios, accurately analyze completed operations and take prompt decisions in the analysis and forecast of the deposit development, geological modeling and planning. «The system helps us to create forecasts and carry out repairs and restoration at the right time, thus, reducing the maintenance costs for the production complex. We fully automate the processing of geological and geotechnical data to provide prompt access to any geotech figures and can now estimate and keep up the most effective modes for developing the operational blocks. Special software is used to perform quick calculations, and all we have to do is to verify the data. We can manage all the processes in a controlled manner and make fast decisions. This makes it possible to ensure both environmental safety and cost-efficiency, which is of great importance for the enterprise,» said Dinis Ezhurov, Director General, Dalur, JSC.

The Smart ISL Polygon project applies computer modelling capacity, which was developed by ARMZ Uranium Holding Co. and the Seversk Institute of Technology within the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, for assessing and forecasting the environmental situation at the aquifer areas exposed to direct human impact. «Today, environmental issues are global in nature. The mining industry is a strong sector of the Russian economy; however, the local communities are concerned about environmental pollution. With smart technologies, we know exactly how the fluids will behave in the subsurface environment. This guarantees safe mining processes and sustainability,» says Mikhail Noskov, Vice-Chancellor, Seversk Technological Institute of NRNU MEPHI.

In the future, the Smart ISL Polygon options will be replicated at other Trans-Urals deposits that are developed by Dalur, JSC. «ARMZ Uranium Holding Co. is one of the first-ever company in the world to introduce smart technologies at all stages of its processes from exploration to uranium production to ISL mine abandonment. Our goal is to improve the production process, increase its competitiveness and, most importantly, to make it safe for the environment with the use of state-of-the-art digital technologies,» said Roman Rudin, Project Supervisor and ARMZ Digital Director.