Analysis of the Feasibility of Using Polymer Casing Pipes Made of Various Polymer Materials for Equipping Process Wells for In-Situ Leaching of Uranium

Uranium mining in the Soviet Union and in Russia was accompanied by the use of casing pipes made of various materials for the construction of technological wells: steel, plywood, stainless steel, low-density polyethylene, high-pressure polyethylene, metal-plastic, fiberglass, polyvinyl chloride. The method of borehole underground uranium is currently the most used in the world. Russia is no exception in this matter. The reliability of production technological wells is determined by the quality of the casing pipes used for fastening. The purpose of the study is to consider the applicability of pipes made of various materials for the construction of wells. The object of the study is the deposits of borehole in-situ leaching of uranium. The purpose of the study is to compare the properties of casing pipes made of different materials, to develop recommendations for the use of pipes made of modern materials. The research methods are to collect information on previously used casing pipes for the construction of technological wells, to analyze the results obtained, formulations of the tasks that must be solved when choosing pipes, determining the promising material for pipe manufacturing. The issue of choosing casing pipe material for the equipment of technological wells is little covered in modern sources, the last studies date back to the period of 1983–1987. The article summarizes the results of well-known works on the topic under consideration. The author analyzes the physical and mechanical characteristics of individual materials, provides comparative data on pipe materials, and describes the features of the technology for manufacturing polymer pipes from some of the materials under consideration generation with higher performance characteristics (pipes made of oriented polyvinyl chloride). The analysis showed that the use of polymer pipes should take into account: the period of use after manufacture; their storage period; aging of polymers; storage conditions; design characteristics for determining the strength of pipes depending on the life of wells; the temperature of the pipes when they are lowered into the well.