Pt Pirie Treatment Plant - 1952 to 1962
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The original Radium Hill project included the establishment; operation and decommissioning of the Radium Hill underground uranium mine and the Port Pirie uranium treatment plant. This project was commissioned and operated by the South Australian Government to satisfy a contract signed by the Commonwealth and State government with the UK–USA Combined Development Agency for delivery of uranium over a seven-year period.
Investigations into selecting a suitable site for the treatment of the Radium Hill ore commenced in 1952, and construction of the Port Pirie uranium Treatment Plant was completed in August 1955.
The chemical treatment plant at Port Pirie consisted of three parts:
- Leaching of uranium concentrate to dissolve the uranium-bearing mineral. This process was a batch process, with 98% sulphuric acid used in the digesters.
- Separation of the liquid carrying the uranium from spent ore after leaching (counter current decantation plant). In this process, the uranium-rich liquid was separated from the solids by passing through thickeners. The washed, spent ore was mixed with waste liquid from the plant and pumped to the tailings dams.
- Recovery of the uranium by precipitation of the uranium salt. This material was dried using a hot blast type unit. The outgoing air passed through an electrostatic precipitation unit to remove uranium dust before discharging to the atmosphere.
- Page URL: http://outernode.pir.sa.gov.au/minerals/mines__and__developing_projects/former_mines/port_pirie_treatment_plant/pt_pirie_52_62
- Page Last Modified: November 8, 2011