uranium and thorium exploration in india

7/25/2019 Uranium and Thorium Exploration in India

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Pratap Singh PariharDirector

Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and ResearchDepartment of Atomic Energy

Government of India

Resurgent India Vision 2020 in Metals and Minerals Sector, September 28, 2012, New Delhi


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Outline



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Indias three stage nuclear power programme

Stage I Natural uranium used as fuel in

Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR)

Fissile isotope U-235 (0.7% of natural U)

will sustain a chain reaction Fertile isotope U-238 on absorbing a

neutron yields fissile Pu-239 The spent fuel is reprocessed to get Pu-239

Stage II

Setting up of Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs) FBRs produce more fuel than they


consume Increases fuel utilization by about 60 times

of what is possible with PHWRs

Pu-U (produced in stage-I) Mixed Oxide isused as fuel with Thorium blanket

FBRs generate electricity and build up fuelinventory

Stage III

Setting up of Advanced Heavy WaterReactors (AHWRs). Use U-233 from stage-II

Convert Th into nuclear fuel i.e., Uranium-233

Fuel inventory further increased many fold

along with production of power


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Exploration methodology



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Major uranium provinces in India

,

,

,


,

,

,

,


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Singhbhum Shear Zone, Jharkhand



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Cuddapah basin, Andhra Pradesh

Delhi

Hyderabad

0 200 400 km

Cuddapah Basin

Kaladgi Basin

Bhima Basin

Pakhal Basin

Vindhyan Basin

Chhattisgarh Basin

Khairargarh Basin

Ampani Basin

Abhujhmar Basin

Indravati Basin

Sukma Basin

Shillong Basin

Kunjar Basin

Gwalior Basin


>50%


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Bhima basin, Karnataka

F F

F

F

F17

0

'

GEOLOGICAL MAP OF BHIMA BASIN5 0 5 10 15Km

Kagna river

F

F

F FF

F

N

EW

S

170

'15


FF

F

F

F

76 150

'

LATERITE

DECCAN TRAP

CHERT BEDS (INTER - TRAPPEANS)

PURPLE SHALE(HARWAL Fm.)

LIMESTONE( KATAMDEVARHALLI Fm.)

SAND STONE/ SHALE(HALKAL Fm.)

LIMESTONE(SHAHABAD Fm)

SHALE

DYKE

YOUNGER GRANITE

YOUNGER SCHIST BELT

PENINSULAR GNEISS

OLDER SCHIST BELT (SARGUR)

ARENITE

FAULTF F

INDEX

SURFACE RADIOACTIVITY

Fracture zone

(RABANPALLI Fm)

F F

FF

76 300

' 76 450

' 770

77 150

' 77 300

'

160

'15

160

'30

160

'45


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North Delhi Fold Belt, Rajasthan & Haryana

ROHIL PROSPECT DISTT. SIKAR , RAJASTHAN

T.S.of BH.NO.GTR-166,81,100, 120,18,19,39 & RHL-16,19,18(p) & 44

Section N-2


3a

GTR-81495.30m

GTR-18

486.90m

GTR-19

486.70m

GTR-39486.20m

RHL-16486.60m

RHL-19

487.10m

RHL-18(P)

489.35m RHL-44

486.82m

50m 0 50 100m

DD.189.75mDD.284.50m

DD.437.35m

DD.619.60m

DD.715.10m

DD.92

5.85m

DD.736.20m

DD.53

8.40m

0.023X2.21m0.126X1.51m

0.055X4.85m

0.077X15.50m

0.030X1.21m

0.041X9.27m

0.039x6.55m

0.057x6.82m

B

0.066x1.16m

WESTEAST

1

41

1

4

1

1a

1

41+73

14

1

4

1

1a

13

3+73

0.041X5.55m

1

1a

1+7

3+73

1+1a4

1+1a

4

1+7

3

1

1+7

1a1+71a1

+73

11a

1+1a

1+7

31

3

1+71a

3a

3

AMPHIBOLITE / BASIC INTRUSIVES

CALC SILICATE /IMPURE MARBLE

QUARTZITE / AMPHIBOLE QUARTZITE a: GRAPHITIC

QBS WITH QUARTZITE INTERCALATIONS a: GRAPHITIC

U - MINERALISATIONS AT 0.020%eU3O8CUT-OFFGRADE

& TRUE THICKNESS

Additional Lodes

1a1

2

3

4

5 ALBITITE /ACID INTRUSIES

ZONE OF ALTERATION7

6

INDEX

QUARTZ VIEN /REEF

OVER BURDEN

GTR-100

DD

402

.40m

100

400

A

BB1

0.041X1.63m

A

B2

4

GTR-120488.22m

0.025X2.15m

0.043X2.22m

DD251.05m

800m

0.035x4.65m

0.064X1.34m

0.037X2.21m

0.103x1.32m0.024x1.15m

0.030x4.59m

0.075x1.58m

0.024x1.16m0.050x1.58m

0.036x1.17*m

0.063X1.53m 0.059X4.17m

0.049x1.08m0.107x1.01m

0.039X4.94m

B3

0.043X3.07m

0.033x4.06m

0.028X1.39m

0.024X1.73m*

0.058X1.34m

A1

0.050x1.49m

B4

0.081x 6.32m

GTR-166

495.01m500m

450

400

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

00

-50

-100DD

.793

.95m

0.064 x 7.02m

0.058 x 6.09m

0.078 x 12.79m


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Mahadek basin, Meghalaya


10%

(


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Promising uranium provinces



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Distribution of uranium deposits


1,84,446 t U3O8(As on June 2012)

7.42 million tonne U3O8(Red Book-2009)


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Future exploration strategy

:


( / ) ,

/


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Thorium mineralisation

Heavy Mineral Placer Sand deposits

Shoreline Placer

Alluvial Placer Inland aeolian Placer

Late-stage Igneous rocks


Carbonatite Alkali granite/Pegmatite

Pegmatite

Hydrothermal veins Quaternary sediments

High grade Metamorphic rocks


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Thorium mineralisation

Source for Th and REE

Discovery in the year 1909 from beach sands from

Manavalakurichi, Tamil Nadu. Occurs in placer sands along with ilmenite, rutile,

leucoxene, garnet, zircon & sillimanite.


Monazite-bearing placer sands found along the coast-lineand also inland in aeolian and riverine environments.

Recovered as by-product at:

Chavara, Kerala

Manavalakurichi, Tamil Nadu

Chattarpur, Odisha


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Monazite

Grade in different environments

Beach sands : upto 1%(up to 5% in some places in Kerala,

Tamil Nadu)Teri Sands Tamil Nadu :Upto 0.10%

Siri River, Chhattisgarh: Upto 0.8% (Riverine Placer)


ThO2 : up to 9-10% (av.)

U3O8 : 0.3%

REO : 60%

P2O5 : 27%


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Beach and inland placer deposits



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Beach placer resources in India

Heavy Mineral Total Resource (March 2012)(million tonnes)

Ilmenite 520.38

Rutile 29.11


Monazite 10.70Zircon 32.28

Garnet 154.26

Sillimanite 195.85

Total 942.58


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Chavara Deposit, KeralaBerm-line, Pudukottai, TN


Red sediments, Sattankulam, TN Tandava-Varaha coast, Visakhapatnam, A. P.


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Exploration strategy for thorium

exploration will be continued for inland placers in

areas of paleo-strandlines along the coast. Known beach placer deposits are explored only up

to a depth of 10m. Resources below 10m will be


exop ore

Exploration for Non-placer resources, particularlyhard rock terrains.

Geophysical techniques for surveying deeperdeposits.


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uranium and thorium exploration in india

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