URANIUM MINING AND MILLING COMPLEX MAYLI-SAY, USSR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: NGA Records (Formerly NIMA)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78T04751A000100010026-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 42
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 7, 2001
• Sequence Number: 26
• Publication Date: June 1, 1961
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved Fo SECRET 00010026-6
~b
P IC/J R-1024/61
une 1961
URANIUM MINING AN 'LING COMPLE
NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC INTERPRETATION CENTER
Declass Review by NIMA/DOD
RECTO PI TO ARCHIVES & RECORDS CEO Ut-,
IMMEDIATELY AFTER USE
JOB
OZ
SECRET -ooX~.~..,,
Approved Fon&&ff 00100 6,-p / A 0 25X1 C
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This material contains information affecting
the National Defense of the United States
within the meaning of the espionage laws,
Title 18, USC, Secs. 793 and 794, the trans-
mission or revelation of which in any manner
to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
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URANIUM MINING AND MILLING COMPLEX
1
' MAYLI-SAY, USSR
P I C/J R-1024/6.1
June 1961
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PREFACE
1
This joint photographic intelligence report has been prepared by the
Army, Navy, and Central Intelligence Agency. Its scope is intended to
meet the combined requirements of the intelligence community as speci-
fied by the Joint Atomic Energy Intelligence Committee (JAEIC).
This report utilizes all intelligence information available as of 1 June
1960, but it is confined to information directly related to the photographic
evidence. Supporting geological, economic, and manufacturing data remain
on file at PIC.
All measurements used in this report to define the plant at Mayli-Say
were made from oblique photography, and may be in error by as much as
plus or minus 5 percent.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
SUMMARY ....................................... 9
INTRODUCTION ................................... 11
GEOLOGY ....................................... 11
MINES .......................................... 17
URANIUM PLANT .................................. 19
Plant Layout ................................ 19
Processing ................................. 25
Waste Disposal .............................. 29
Capacity and Production ........................ 29
Reserves .................................. 32
Relationships to Other Plants .................... 33
SUPPORT FACILITIES ............................... 33
Chemical Supply ............................. 33
Water Supply ............................... 34
Electric Power .............................. 35
Coal Mining Facilities ......................... 37
Housing Facilities ............................ 38
Storage and Supply Facilities ..................... 39
Explosive Storage .. .. ... .. .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . ... 39
Andizhan II Supply Base ........................ 39
Transportation .............................. 40
Security ................................... 41
CONCLUSIONS .................................... 42
REFERENCES ..................................... 43
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Figure 1. Mayli-Say and Andizhan Region ................ 12
Figure 2. Mining Supply Base at Andizhan II RR Station ...... 13
Figure 3. Mining and Milling Complex, Mayli-Say, USSR ...... 15
Figure 4. Uranium Plant and Associated Buildings,
Mayli-Say, USSR .......................... 20
Figure S. Flow Diagram of a Carbonate Uranium Complex .... 26
Figure 6. Thermal Electric Power Plant, Mayli-Say, USSR .... 36
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
1
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SUMMARY
Photography of reveals that a large modern uranium ore
concentration plant, of approximately 1,000 tons daily ore capacity, is
producing concentrates derived from the ore of 13 satellite mines in the
vicinity of Mayli-Say. The plant is composed of an ore-crushing mill, a
chemical concentration mill believed to use the carbonate leach process,
and a dispatch facility. A tailings dump near the plant indicates that
2,373,000 metric tons of ore was processed during 1950-57. A thermal
electric power plant, adjacent to the ore concentration plant, generates
power for the entire mining and milling complex. It is estimated that the
concentration plant was producing an annual rate of 700 tons of uranium
oxide in 1957, and that the production rate was steadily increasing. The
photography also confirms the probability of a relationship of the Mayli-
Say plant with a supply base at the Andizhan II railhead. Photography of
was of such quality that nothing could be ascertained. except
that the power plant was operational at that time.
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INTRODUCTION
The Mayli-Say uranium mining and milling complex (41-15N 72-28E)
is located along the northern periphery of the Fergana valley in the Kirgiz
SSR (see location map). It is composed of a uranium ore concentration
plant, located in the valley of the Maylisu river, and 13 mines in the sur-
rounding Chaak-Tau (mountains). The Mayli-Say enterprise was little
known until the good quality, oblique photography o Figures 25X1 D
1, 2, and 3) which permits this analysis of the complex.
It is believed that the concentration plant began as a relatively small
enterprise prior to World War II at a site immediately north of the town
of Mayli-Say. Construction of the present plant apparently started imme-
diately after the war, and production probably commenced in 1950.
The purpose of this report is to identify the various components of
the plant and the supporting installations, and to analyze the flow and rate
of production.
GEOLOGY
The discovery of uranium at Mayli-Say was announced by Yu. M.
Golubkova in July 1934. 1/ It was described as occurring 400 feet above
the west bank of the Maylisu river. This description fits very well the
setting for mine No 5* (see Figure 3). Golubkova states that the vein
though hidden by vegetation which is still visible on the = photography, 25X1 D
was a bed 30 inches thick. Her description of the original deposits placed
them on the south flank of an anticline between two zones of crushed and
sheared limestones and sandstones of the Fergana group of consolidated
sediments. 1/ The uraniferous phosphates and vanadates produced by
weathering carried the unusually high grade of one to three percent ura-
* Mine numbers have been arbitrarily assigned in a clockwise direction, beginning at the 12 o'clock
position.
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ANDIZHAN II RR STATION
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I
FIGURE 2. MINING SUPPLY BASE AT ANDIZHANII RR STATION. This is believed to be the supply base for
the Mayli-Say uranium operation.
nium oxide. An investigation of nearby spring waters and oil showed that
they were radioactive.
The US Geological Survey report on this area states that the uranium
deposits are localized in an asymetrical anticline, 2/ an analysis which is
confirmed on the photography. It is felt that structure is the dominant
influence in localizing the ore bodies. Mining can be seen at varying ele-
vations indicating that there is no singular contour or bed associated with
the deposits. It is thought that the intersection of the anticline with the
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main Mayli-Say fault, which parallels the Maylisu valley, served as a
locus for the accumulation of uranium. Uranium-bearing solutions might
have migrated along and through the anticline until they reached the frac-
tured and displaced zone along the Mayli-Say fault, where the uranium
was precipitated.
According to the US Geological Survey study, the uraniferous min-
erals occur in a limestone of Tertiary age. The uraniferous limestone is
classed as a high-lime ore, and therefore is treated by a carbonate leach
process, rather than by the customary acid leach method. The uranium
ore has been identified mineralogically by V. G. Melkov as composed of
tyuyamunite torbernite, and autunite. 3/ The grade of the secondary ore
near the surface has been reported but no assessment is available for
the primary ore which is probably the main source. However, to justify
a large operation of the type seen at Mayli-Say, a grade of 0.2 to 0.3 per-
cent uranium oxide must be assumed as a minimum.
It is probable that the Mayli-Say region has been thoroughly pros-
pected. However, the usual surface indications, such as pitting and trench-
ing are missing. Two shallow prospecting pits are found in the middle
course of the Abdyy river. One deep-well drilling rig, probably conduct-
ing a deep stratigraphic test, is located not far from- the west bank of the
Maylisu river below the prominent ridge on which mine No 6 is located
(see Figure 3). The small amount of surface prospecting is probably due
to the steeply dipping uranium-bearing beds, which descend too abruptly
to make surface prospecting worth the cost and effort. Prospecting must
accordingly be conducted underground from the mine workings themselves.
The US Geological Survey report also states that there are radio-
active oilfield brines and springs in the Maylisu valley near Mayli-Say. 2/
There is no photographic evidence that these waters are being exploited
for their mineral contents.
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COAL MINE 16
MINE 1 -~? -"t 'MINE
*,-AA SITE
COAL MINE
COAL MINE 15
SARY-BIYA VALLEY
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MINE B
MINE 12.
MINE 10
LABOR CAMP
TAILINGS DUMP
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The prewar uranium mines and facilities at Mayli-Say are still partly
visible, but their exact nature and number cannot be determined because
of their semidefilade position in the Maylisu defile near mine No 5 (see
Figure 3). The mining of the richer secondary ores probably began about
1938, accompanied by hand-sorting of the richer ore and the dumping of
lean ore and mine waste. Possibly at this time the terraced dump was
started in a deep ravine, descending into the defile directly across from
the original mine.
Sixteen mines have been identified from aerial photography of the
Mayli-Say district. Of these 13 are uranium mines and 3 are coal mines.
All of the mines in the Mayli-Say area are underground operations. No
open-cut mines have been discovered, except for the early mining of
secondary deposits at mines No 1 and 6.
Five of the 13 uranium mines operate by vertical shafts and 8 by
means of adits or tunnels. The shafts are surmounted by characteristic
steel headframes. Hoist houses, small personnel buildings, and tempo-
rary storage buildings for ore and supplies are found near each head-
frame.
The structures at the mines are given in Table 1, which is keyed to
Figure 3.
In addition to the structures closely associated with the mines, two
storage or maintenance buildings are located midway up on a ropeway
trace or route (see Figure 3). A combined powerhouse and storage build-
ing is located at the junction of the mountain road to mines No 2, 3 and 4
with the main road from the Mayli-Say uranium complex to the town of
Mayli-Say.
There are no barracks visible at any of the mines. The miners and
workers probably travel by truck or bus from the housing areas or the
city to the mines.
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Mine Houses
Production
Bldgs.
Storage
Bldgs.
Admin &
Security
Bldgs.
Access
Dumps Remarks
1 -
-
-
-
3 Adits
3 -
2 4
5
4
2
2 Shafts
* -
3 -
8
1
2
Shaft
* -
4 -
4
2
4
Shaft &
Adit
3
5 3
4
3
2
Shaft**
3 -
6 -
-
-
-
3 Adits
2 May be part
7 -
-
-
-
2 Adits
of mine No 5
2 -
8 -
-
-
-
Adit* *
1 -
9 -
-
-
-
Adit
1 May have va-
10 -
-
-
-
Adit
rious levels
1 -
11 -
-
-
-
Shaft
1 -
12 -
-
-
-
3,Adits
3 -
13 -
-
-
-
Adit
1 May use supply
14
bldg west of
new mill
Totals 7
21
10
10
* Dump has been leveled to provide for a better mine site.
Adit/shaft is in partial defilade position and all access ways may not be visible.
No storage tanks can be seen at any of the mines. Any processing
of the ores probably is confined to mechanical concentration methods.
Electric power for the mining probably is supplied by the centrally
located power station, supplemented by a tie-in line to the Uzbek regional
grid. The power lines to the mines cannot be completely traced. To
provide the mines with emergency power, it seems probable that genera-
ting facilities capable of producing sufficient power for hoists, pumps,
ventilators, and illumination must be available at each mine.
All the mines probably are served by trucks. Most of the roads of
the mines appear to be well traveled, and sufficiently wide for two trucks
to pass. The faint trace of a ropeway, or overhead tramway, from the
escarpment on which mine No 4 is located to the Maylisu valley floor,
suggests the movement of some ore and supplies by this means.
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A pipeline is visible between mine No 2 and the valley floor, but its
function has not been determined. A pumphouse in the Maylisu defile
serves this pipeline.
The uranium plant is located on the west bank of the Maylisu river
above its junction with the Abdyy river, 2 statute miles north of the town
of Mayli-Say.
Plant Layout
The mill site is roughly a rectangular area about 800 feet long and
varying from 440 to 585 feet wide (the south side of the mill area has no
fence and its perimeter can only be approximate).
The three main processing buildings are located on a terrace which
slopes both downstream (south) and riverward (east), or with a general
or vector slope towards the southeast (see Figure 4).
A court, 200 by- 140 feet and open at the west, is formed between the
north and south wings and the north-south connecting axis of the mill
buildings. The courtyard is filled with several piles of dark-toned uniden-
tified materials, possibly piles of ore or supplies.
The buildings were constructed some years ago, and there was no
evidence of any recent construction, remodeling, or. repair at the time
of the photography. * The construction of the crushing and grinding build-
ings on a slope enables heavy ores to be moved with the aid of gravity.
* Across the Maylysu river from the north end of the tailings dump is a fenced area with three parallel
streets connected by two end streets. Along the streets are about 25 abandoned tent or rough dwelling
sites and 2 common buildings, believed to be an old construction workers camp. Access to the mill
site was gained by a portable bridge which still lies drawn up on the east bank of the Maylysu river
across the Mayli-Say highway from the old abandoned construction workers camp site. A POW interned
at Chauma, south of Isbaskent (41-03N 72-12E) observed trucks carrying an estimated 240 men (said to
have been Russian soldiers who were former POWs of the German Army) headed north during 1946-47
toward an unknown construction project.
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s-
4 TANKS
NOTE: Dimensions are only
-Average height.
UPPER TAILINGS TERRACE
975' X 50'- 180'
1250' X 110'- 165'
Dimensions Area
(ft) (sq ft)
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Storage bldg.
Supply bldg.
Supply bldg.
Weighmaster
& Radiation
Checking point
Crushing bldg.
Fine Grinding
Mixing bldg.
Agitation bldg.
Filtration hall
Product
Preparation
Dispatch bldg.
Pass Motor Pool
Office,
Guardhouse
Reagent Supply
Storage
& Supply
3,200
2,400
4,550
7,140
7,300
TO
MAY LY-SAY
21
5
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Production Buildings
The seven production buildings are described below (see also Figure
4), in the order of the flow of ore and concentrates through the plant:
Building 5 - Crushing Building. The building stands at the northwest
corner of the U-shaped mill complex, adjoining the fine grinding hall.
The upper part of its westward-pitching roof has a large dormer-type
ventilator over the crushers. An ore storage bin 25 feet square rises
above the center of the building. The bin is served by two conveyers
from the north and south. It is not possible to determine the bin's height.
However, its apparent size and height suggests a capacity of 18,000 cubic
feet, capable of holding about 1,000 metric tons of uranium-bearing lime-
stone ore, or one day's supply for the mill.
Building 6 - Fine-Grinding Hall. The roof of this three story, rec-
tangular building has three full-length longitudinal monitors. The moni-
tors are separated near their east ends by two higher square structures
which may house tanks or hoisting engines. A narrow conveyer located
at the northwest corner of the crushing building is used to introduce rea-
gents to the fine-grinding hall from a supply shed.
Buildings 7 and 8 - Mixing and Agitation. The mixing and agitation
buildings adjoin the fine-grinding and filtration buildings. The smaller
northern building, No 7, possibly houses additional agitation and leaching
tanks from which slurries are drawn for processing by the nearby thick-
eners. The larger southern building, No 8, probably houses most of the
leaching tanks of the latter. Filter equipment may also be housed here
for treating the underflow product of the thickeners.
At the southwest corner of building 8 are four elevated tanks occu-
pying an area 40 by 35 feet. The tanks probably contain liquid reagents,
possibly acids for neutralizing the spent liquids in the filtration hall of
the south.
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Building 9 - Filtration Hall. The filtration hall is a long, relatively
low building with two dark, rectangular parapets at each end connected
by a wide longitudinal monitor. These parapets may conceivably function
as supporting members for a device to open the monitors particularly
wide to release heat and noxious fumes, especially during the hot sum-
mers of the semiarid Fergana valley.
A large overhead pipe emerges from the
center of the south side of the filtration hall and empties into the north
side of the slurry pond, 485 feet away. The slurry pond indicates that the
pipe's discharge is a whitish slime or slurry, resembling the light-toned,
fine-grained product visible on certain mine dumps in the area.
Building 10 - Product Preparation Building. This warehouse-type
building probably contains a dryer for the yellow cake, and a storage room
for product storage. It may also contain facilities for upgrading low-
grade concentrates received from other mines. In addition, small amounts
of ores of different mineralogical character may be received and pre-
pared for treatment by a second or much smaller acid circuit of the mill,
as is done by carbonate mills at Beaverlodge, Saskatchewan; and Blue-
water, New Mexico.
Building 11 - Dispatch Building. This building is served by a loading
and unloading dock where the upgraded product is loaded for shipment to
a solvent extraction plant or a metals plant and where some ore is prob-
ably received. The building has a rectangular monitor for ventilation and
the release of dust.
Conveyers
On the middle of the north side of the crushing building, No 5, is a
100-foot-long conveyer rising 50 feet from a small dark structure which
may serve as a combined dump and weighhouse. The conveyer is inclined
at an angle of 25 degrees. This greatly exceeds the 18-degree angle rec-
ommended for crushed stone and exceeds the 23-degree angle suggested
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for dry clay to be carried on belt conveyers. 4/ Thus, it seems likely
that this is not a belt conveyer but a pan conveyer for transporting block
materials. The conveyer structure is estimated to be 5 feet wide and to
have a lift capacity of about 50 tons of ore per hour, or 1,200 tons per
day (not far from the estimated 1,000-ton, ore-processing capacity of the
mill itself). The first flight rises to the roof of the crushing mill (build-
ing 5) where a nearly horizontal 50-foot-long conveyer carries the ore
to a tower which probably serves as an ore storage bin for the coarse
crusher.
On the opposite side of the crushing building is another horizontal
conveyer flight, also 50 feet long, which conveys ore and possibly recycled
material from the product preparation building to the ore bin with the aid
of a 140-foot conveyer inclined at an -angle of 20 degrees. On the basis
of the extremes of angles recommended, 4/ this could be a belt conveyer
suitable for moving a variety of materials in addition to the uranium ore,
which in this case is comparable to crushed stone.
A third and smaller conveyer also rises by two flights, 65 feet and
85 feet long, to a place 25 feet from the northwest corner of the crushing
building. The upper or second flight of 85 feet rises to a height of 45
feet. The first flight of 65 feet rises from the ground to a height of 25
feet, passing over a heavily traveled plant road. The angle of 25X1 D
inclination is within the limits recommended 4/ for raising claylike ma-
terials on a belt conveyer. The first flight originates 100 feet from a
long rectangular building, which is identified as a reagent supply shed.
This conveyer is probably used to convey a powdery chemical reagent
into the crushing and grinding building for admixture with the ores. The
open-ended arrangement of the lower part of the conveyer indicates that 25X1 D
it might also be used for the introduction of rich ores or even for pilot
plant purposes on special test ore parcels. At an overall width of_
the two-flight conveyer can raise above 100 tons of materials per hour.
From the foregoing data it is estimated that the three conveyers are
able to raise and to maintain supplies of reagents and ores to the mill at
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the rate of 250 tons per hour, substantially in excess of the operating
capacity of the mill. Presumably, if the mill were ever enlarged it could
be served by the existing conveyers.
Thickeners and Tanks
Six thickeners or tanks are visible at the plant. Data regarding the
thickeners and tanks are shown in Table 2.
Estimated Capacity*
Diameter (metric tons of
(ft) pulp per day)
70
40
M
75
550
75
550
Prob storage
Prob water treat-
ment
Prob water treat-
ment
Prob storage or
substitution
* Capacity of the thickeners is calculated at the rate of one ton per day per 8 square feet of
cross section.
The two 70-foot-diameter thickeners are available for intermediate
plant storage, for recycling of fines, or for substitution in case of shut-
down of the larger diameter (75 feet) thickeners for repairs. All thickener
tanks are semiburied so that their exact depths are unknown, but they are
probably 10 to 15 feet deep.
Storage and Supply Facilities
Seven buildings comprise the storage and supply facilities at the
Mayli-Say uranium plant (see Figure 4). Three (No 1, 2, and 3) are situ-
ated east of the mill along an artificial terrace above the Maylisu river.
They have a total roof cover of . The other four build-
ings (No 12-15) are located west of the mill along the main service road.
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These four buildings have a total roof cover of 13,950 square feet. Two
of the buildings west of the mill (No 14 and 15) have light roofs, perhaps
to reflect the heat.
Processing
t
The plant layout appears to be that of a conventional carbonate leach
plant and follows a flow scheme that has been used in the US and Canada.
The process involves crushing, fine grinding, and agitation leaching with
sodium carbonate solutions. This is followed by thickening of the ground
product and either returning the thickener underflow to additional leach
tanks or, alternatively, filtering the thickened material in two stages of
rotary filters or possibly five stages of disc filters.
The sodium carbonate process probably is used. for the Mayli-Say
limestone ores because it is cheaper than any other process. Other ad-
vantages of the sodium carbonate process are: there is less corrosion;
the carbonate solutions are easy to regenerate; the lime remains inert;
and there is a reduced need for oxidizers.
The flow pattern illustrated in Figure 5 and described below is sug-
gested for the Mayli-Say uranium mill:
1. The crude uranium-bearing ore is trucked inside the mill area
where it may be dumped temporarily on bare ground north of the mill, or
trucked through the radiation intensity shed (building 4), where the aver-
age radiation value of the ore is determined. After the ore has been
checked for its radiation intensity it is unloaded at the bottom of the large
conveyer north of the crusher building.
Judging from the few small piles of ore on the ground at the time of
photography the mill was able to process all of the ore which was being
trucked to it. If the mill is forced to shut down for some reason, large
piles of ore might accumulate on the bare ground area. The bare ground
seems to indicate that large piles of ore have been stored there in the
past.
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AGITATION TANKS
(THICKENERS)
WASHING
MACHINE
THIRD STAGE:
DISPOSAL
SPENT LIQUOR
FIGURE 5. FLOW DIAGRAM OF A CARBONATE URANIUM COMPLEX. The processing at Mayli-Say is be-
lieved to follow a pattern similar to this.
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2. Two conveyers elevate the ore either from a truck or from the
bare ground area, or from a retreatment fraction from the recycling,
packing, and mill product storage building (building 10) to a temporary
storage bin, 25 feet square, in the center of the crushing building (building
5). The bin is estimated to be able to hold a day's supply, 1,000 tons of
ore. If concentrates or rich ore are brought to the mill it is possible that
they may be specially introduced into the mill circuit through the small
conveyer at the northwest corner of the crusher building.
3. The ore descends from the tall storage bin into primary or coarse
crushers in the crushing building.
4. The ore moves downward by gravity from the secondary screen
bin into the adjoining ball mill area or fine grinding hall (building 6). Here
the ore probably is mixed with sodium carbonate and other reagents to
promote thorough contact of the finest ore particles with the solvents.
5. The finely ground ore is agitated in tanks at the east end of the
fine grinding hall, in building 7, or in one of the northernmost outside
thickener tanks.
6. The finely ground and leached ore moves directly from storage
or from the, leaching tank to the thickeners. The eluate is drawn off from
the rim of the thickeners and piped into the southern mixing and agitation
building (building 8), where it is strained and clarified. The coarser
fraction is pumped from the center of the thickener and, together with any
coarse material which might be in the eluate, possibly cycled through a
disc filter. The two 75-foot diameter thickeners probably are used for
ore settlement. Capacity of these thickeners is estimated to be 880 to
1,100 tons daily. This thickener capacity checks fairly closely with the
1,000 metric tons per day estimated to be treated by the mill on the basis
of the size of the tailings pile (see section on capacity and production).
7. Solid caustic soda to precipitate the uranium is probably added to
the eluate at the east end of the filtration house (building 9). The eluate
is clarified and filtered and the pregnant solution is dried in the filter to
form uranium-bearing yellow cake (sodium diuranate). The barren solu-
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tion possibly is treated in part for the regeneration of the sodium carbo-
nate reagent.
8. The barren solution and the finely ground limestone are discharged
through a pipe into the slurry pond at the top of the tailings area.
9. The yellow cake (sodium diuranate). is taken from the filtration
hall into the large product preparation building (building 10). Here it is
dried, packed, and stored for shipment by truck to a plant located outside
the Maylisu valley for purification and advanced processing.*
The recovery of uranium oxide from the Mayli-Say mill should be
from 80 to 85 percent of the uranium oxide equivalent contained in the
ore. There is an absence of steam in the plant from stacks or from other
sources, but on autunitic ores of the type described in the geology section
this would not be necessary, as the ores dissolve very readily in warm
carbonate solutions. There is no need for extensive oxidation and, con-
sequently, autoclaves or Pachuca tanks would be unnecessary for treating
an autunitic ore.
The grades of ore cited in mineral literature and by the US Geologi-
cal Survey, derived from big channel samples, probably do not apply to
what the Soviet Union presently is mining and milling. The mine produc-
tion is of considerable magnitude, approximately 1,000 tons of ore per
day. One can estimate that the grade of the ore runs 0.2 to 0.3 percent
uranium oxide, or similar to what has been most economical in the United
States for good production. Lower grade ore can be upgraded to the de-
sired uranium oxide content at the mines and production from that grade
of material is worth the capital expenditure. Soviet uranium mills are
expensive to construct, and costs would be roughly comparable to mill
costs in the United States and the mills would also be comparable in size
to US mills. The Soviet mills are of permanent construction and are
intended to last a long time with high output. The towns around the plant
indicate that the USSR expects a long-term mining operation at Mayli-Say.
* Concentrates from the 1llayli-Say mill are such high grade that they would be shipped directly to a
metal refinery, rather than to another plant for upgrading.
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Waste Disposal
Waste from the plant consists of a small fraction of solids in the form
of finely ground rock and a larger proportion of very finely ground rock,
reagent, and water in the form of a slurry. The solids are trucked from
the southeast corner of the mill over a steep grade down to the lower ter-
race of the tailings pile where they are dumped. The slurry is discharged
through the effluent pipe described above into a slurry pond.
The waste dump is composed of three terraces surmounted by a
slurry pond which will eventually form a fourth terrace. The slurry pond
is retained by the mountainside on the west and by a retaining wall or
dike of tailings material on the east. It occupies 51,000 square feet, and
is estimated to average 20 feet in depth and to contain 1,020,000 cubic
feet of tailings.
Intentions to continue stacking the tailings on around the mountain
spur are indicated by the leveling and ditching (for drainage into a sump)
of a new tailings area. The new tailings area measures 300 by 575 feet,
or 172,500 square feet.
Capacity and Production
Capacity
Two methods are available for estimating the capacity of the Mayli-
Say uranium mill. One method is based on the size of the thickeners and
the other on the volume of material processed as represented by the tail-
ings. The two 75-foot-diameter thickeners are estimated to have a capa-
city of 880 to 1,100 metric tons per day, based on one ton per day for each
square feet of thickener cross-section (see Table 2).
25X1 D The dump area is 763,400 square feet and is estimated to contain
41, 339, 000 cubic feet of solids (see Table 3). On a volume basis of 17 cu-
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TABLE 3. DIMENSIONS AND ESTIMATED CAPACITY OF THE TAILINGS DUMP AND UNFILLED DUMP AREAS.
Esti- Esti- Esti-
Esti- Esti- Esti- mated Esti mated Esti- mated
mated mated mated Quantity Time mated Future mated Quantity Time
Area Height Volume (metric to Fill Area Height Volume (metric) to Fill
Area (sgIit) (ft) (cu ft) tons)(- 1) (in 0) (sq ft) (ft) (cu ft) tons)(* 1) (mo)
TAILINGS DUMP
UNFILLED AREAS
Lower
Terrace 171,800 25 19,085,000 1,116,735 33 1,300 25 167,500 9,801
Middle 0.7
Terrace 347,500 30 17,748,000 1,038,320 42 5,400 30 162,000 9,479
Upper
Terrace 193,100 20 3,486,000(*2) 203,943 8 - 20 - - -
Slurry
Pond 51,000 20 1,020,000(*3) 14,918(*3) - 51,000 20 765,000(*5) 38.155(*3) 1.3
New Tail-
ings Area - - - - - 172,500 95(*4) 9,470,250 552,054(*3) 18.4
Totals 763,400 - 41,339,000 2,373,200 83 235,200 - 10,564,750 609,489 20.4
(* 1) Computed on the basis of 17.09 cubic feet/metric ton or 129 pounds per cubic foot.
(*2) An east-west "valley" traversing the north end of the upper terrace occupies 18,800 square feet of area, which has been filled
to an average estimated possible height of 5 feet.
(*3) Computed on the basis of an accumulation of solids to a depth of 20 feet. Estimated weight of the solids is 110 lbs/cubic
foot or 20.05 cubic feet per metric ton.
(*4) Total height formed by extension of preceding four areas (three terraces and slurry pond areas).
(*5) Calculated by reducing volume of 1,020,000 cubic feet by 25 percent for estimated content of already suspended solids.
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bic feet of tailings per metric ton (129 pounds per cubic foot) the dump is
computed to contain 2,373,006 metric tons of waste. Allowing 3-4 years
for design, manufacture, assembly, and try-out of the mill from 1946, the
plant is assumed to have been between 7 and 8 years old at the time of the
photography. Under pressure of high-operating priority the mill may have
operated 360 days per year. Assuming 7 years of operation, an average
of 941 metric tons of ore per day -- falling within the range of 880 to
1,100 metric tons computed by the first method -- would have been pro-
cessed.
Uranium mills have a history of rapidly climbing production rates.
Thus the actual 1957 production rate at Mayli-Say should be higher than
the 7-year average. Initial production probably began with one thickener
sometime in 1950, with partially assembled inside equipment, and incom-
pletely developed mines. No recent expansion of the mill can be seen and,
if 2 years are allowed for bringing the plant to full operation, it may be
assumed that by 1957, production had leveled off to 1,000 metric tons of
ore processed daily.
There is little information available concerning the grade of the
Mayli-Say ore. Samples cited in the literature on the area are selective
and might not represent the average ore grade. Therefore, Table 4 shows
estimated annual production of uranium oxide equivalent based on ore
grades of 0.2 and 0.3 percent.
The US Geological Survey report, published in 1954, estimated that
the Mayli-Say ores might have furnished as much as 500 tons of uranium,
but were then probably exhausted. 2/ Data developed in Table 4 indicates
production through 1953 ranged from 1,800 to 2,700 metric tons. The
'25X1D
photography of
and the
shows that the mines were not then exhausted,
photography, although unsuitable for detailed interpre-
I
tation, does indicate that the mines are still in operation.
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TABLE 4. ESTIMATED ANNUAL PRODUCTION OF URANIUM OXIDE EQUIVALENT
AT MAYLI-SAY.
Year
Quantity
treated
(metric
tons)
Estimated
recovery
efficiency
(percent)*
Uranium oxide
equivalent
recovered
0.2 Grade
(metric tons)
0.3% Grade
(metric tons)
1950
250,000
75
375
567
1951
270,000
80
432
648
1952
300,000
80
480
720
1953
320,000
80
511
768
1954
330,000
85
561
841
1955
340,000
85
578
885
1956
350,000
85
600
890
1957**
210,000
85
357
535
Total
2,370,000
3,894
5,854
Annual average recovery (for 71'2 years) 520
790
* This estimate assumes that high government priority, technological improvements, and
greater operating experience have brought about a gradual increase in the efficiency of
uranium oxide extraction from 75 to 85 percent. The increased recovery efficiency by the
operators of the Mayli-Say mill is assumed to parallel roughly US extraction experience.
The possibilitythat theMayli-Say mill operators are not utilizing the resin-in-pulp recovery
process or are not experienced in its use precludes assigning them a 90 percent or better
efficiency rating reached in the US.
One indication of the size of the Mayli-Say district's ore reserves
is the preparation of a new tailings area southwest of the tailings area
south of the mill. The new tailings area measures 300 by 575 feet, and
contains 172,500 square feet. The new areas undergoing preparation pre-
sumably will be filled by continuing the three terraces and the slurry
pond, as has been indicated in Table 3. At the present rate of tailings
accumulation (360,000 metric tons per year), the new tailings areas would
be filled in about 20 months from the date of the photography. There is
some evidence -- such as the cutting away of a mountain spur still farther
south and near the level of the upper tailings terrace, and the leveling
of a mountain spur west of the tailings dump -- that the Soviet engineers
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are beginning to prepare still newer ground for tailings. This suggests
that reserves at Mayli-Say are sufficient to last at least 3 years.
Relationships to Other Plants
There is a possibility of the existence of a uranium mill at Andizhan
but thus far no such installation has been located. A careful search was
conducted of other surrounding towns but no mineral processing mill was
discovered. The Mayli-Say ores, after some preliminary concentration,
might have been shipped to the mill at Ispisar for upgrading. After the
Mayli-Say mill was built about 1950, a high-grade concentrate was pro-
duced that probably was shipped directly to a metal refinery rather than
to Ispisar for upgrading.
For the most part, support facilities are located near the mill area
and in Mayli-Say, although there are other facilities near the Andizhan
railroad station. Housing in the area would accommodate an estimated
4,350 people. Water and electric power are available at the site although
the supply of power probably has to be supplemented by the regional grid.
Chemical Supply
For a mill the size of Mayli-Say a variety of chemicals would be re-
quired. Only two chemical groups can be identified from aerial photos.
Powder Reagent
A powder, possibly sodium carbonate, is seen spilled on all sides of
a storage building (building 14, Figure 4) located 150 feet north of the
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northwest corner of the mill. This building, with a volume of 92,750 cubic
feet, can store a maximum of approximately 2,500 tons of powdery chem-
icals such as sodium carbonate. The comb of its gable roof has seven
ventilators, probably to remove dust and to cool the building's contents.
The powder is probably trucked from the storage building to the small
conveyer at the northwest corner of the crushing and grinding building.
At Andizhan II Railroad Station, on the north side of the city (see Fig-
ure 2), there is a large supply dump. Alongside the railroad tracks is a
rectangular building, served by two spurs having much spillage of a whi-
tish powder similar to that seen near the mill at Mayli-Say.
Liquid Reagent
The second chemical group, or liquid reagents, are stored in four
tanks located in the southeast corner of the court adjoining the mixing
and agitation building (building 8). The tanks occupy an area 40 by 35
feet, and have a combined volume of 11,000 cubic feet or a capacity of
82,250 gallons.
At Andizhan II, no tanks for liquid reagents are seen, although they
may be inside the rectangular building. The liquid reagents could also
be procured from the tanks of a general chemical supply dump located in
another part of Andizhan.
Water Supply
There is an abundance of water at Mayli-Say, derived from 1) ground
water from the great cliff above the mill and 2) stream water from the
runoff of high mountains north of the uranium district. A probable water
pipeline passes from building 7, to the corner of the mill area, 700 feet
away, where the water is distributed to the fine grinding hall, mixing and
agitation building, and filtration hall as well as to the thickeners.
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Considering various uses of water within the mill, the amount of
water in the slurry pond, and the amount of water required to treat the
ore (estimated at 662 gallons per ton) the mill would require about 700,000
gallons of water per day. This requirement is probably not greater be-
cause of frequent recycling of the mill product within the circuit to raise
the concentration of uranium.
A pipeline to supply mine No 2 travels 1.5 miles up the steep slopes
of Gora Kol'men from a surge tank and a pumping station along the May-
lisu river. The pumping station is located about halfway between the
Mayli-Say town site and the uranium mill site. The pipeline probably has
a diameter of a foot or more, since it is clearly visible where it crosses
draws or ravines.
Electric Power
I
A thermal power plant (building 2, Figure 6) is located 1,500 feet
north of the uranium mill. The power plant is estimated to have a gene-
rating capacity of 15,000 to 24,000 kilowatt-hours, depending on whether
there are four or five new generator units.* The power plant can thus
generate the ordinary power requirements of the Mayli-Say uranium com-
plex as estimated in Table 5. If an interruption should occur to the re-
gional grid supply of electricity, the local plant, supplemented by small
facilities at the more distant mines, could supply the minimal power
requirements. Supplemental power requirements are probably furnished
by a more distant source of power, generated for the regional grid by oil
and gas in the Maylisu valley or by hydroelectric power from dam sites
of the still more distant river installations of the Fergana valley. A
series of steel pylons, 100 or more feet high, are barely visible in the
Maylisu valley below the mill, indicating a possible tieline to the Uzbek
regional grid, via the town of Mayli-Say.
* One 5-megawatt generator is estimated to occupy 22 linear meters (71 feet) of the generator hall.
The 290-foot-long generator hall is of sufficient length to accomodate four generators.
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Dimensions*
No Description (ft)
1
Coal crusher
25 x 20
2
Powerhouse
290 x 155 x 70
3
Supply bldg.
35 x 25 x 20
4
Tower**
25x 25x 20
5
Control house
30x 20 x 25
6
Guardhouse &
office
7
Storage bldg.
80x 50x 15
8
Storage bldg.
70 x 60 x 20
*Dimensions are approximate.
**Tower is possibly for regeneration of carbo-
nate solutions.
UPPER:;
RESERVOIR
I
LOWER
RESERVOIR
BARRIER
LINE
COOLING
BASIN
FIGURE 6. THERMAL ELECTRIC POWER PLANT, MAYLI-SAY, USSR. Plant is located just north of the
uranium plant.
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Coal Mining Facilities
Brown coal is dumped into a ring-shaped pile surrounding a possible
concrete platform at the power plant. The pile is retained, on the Mayli-
su river side, by a retaining wall. The brown coal pile is estimated to
contain about 1,000 tons, or an 8-day supply. The larger darkened area
surrounding the brown coal pile probably indicates that the pile was once
much larger.
Power Require-
ments (KWH)
Source
Coal mines
200
ORR estimate
Coal processing plant
200
ORR estimate
Coal supply base
200
Author's estimate
Communal facilities:
Dwellings
Estimated to use .04
Other*
Uranium facilities:
Mill
kwh each, plus auxil-
iary lights and pumps
Hannay, R.L., in Ca-
nadian Mining Jour-
nal. vol 77, Jun 56,
p 135
Supply base
200
J.A. Mining Engineers'
Handbook 50, Sec-
tion 40, p 3
Author's estimate
Water pumping station
100
Peele and Church,
17,700
op. cit. Section 21
* Includes several garages, numerous supply buildings, headquarters, laboratories, a theater,
street, floodlights, etc.
TABLE 6. ESTIMATED HOUSING OF THE MAYLI-SAY COMPLEX,
Mining, milling, and support personnel
Probable family housing
Quarters for single persons
Subtotal
Other personnel
93
57
150
Isolated dwellings 190
Native villages and areas (3) 67
Undistributed 30
Subtotal 287
I
Grand Total
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1,226
2,646
1,140
400
200
1,740
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Housing Facilities
Housing facilities are available for an estimated 4,350 people (inclu-
ding dependents and natives) in the Mayli-Say uranium mining district.
The proportion of people engaged in the extraction of uranium is unknown,
and probably varies from season to season. Possibly 80 to 90 percent
of all persons in the district obtain their livelihood directly or indirectly
from uranium mining or milling. The remainder probably are engaged
in agriculture and road building and maintenance. Table 6 illustrates the
disposition and numbers of the main population groups. The table is
based on the assumption that the family dwellings and quarters house
families of five. It is further assumed that each of the native quarters
would be occupied by an average of six persons.
On the basis of the foregoing considerations a plausible work-category
distribution of the housing facilities and their tenants and of other build-
ings in the complex is shown in Table 7.
Mayli-Say town located 2 miles south (downstream) of the mining
complex, is probably only indirectly concerned with uranium. The city
acts as a rayon administrative center, a maintenance base, and a housing
area for some workers in the uranium complex.
TABLE 7. DISTRIBUTION OF PERSONNEL, HOUSING, AND OTHER FACILITIES,
MAYLI-SAY AREA.
Super-
visors
Apart- Auxil- or
Dwell- ment iary Techni-
Work Category ings Bldgs Bldgs cians Workers Total
Coal mining 8 19 9 24 344 368
Coal preparation
and supplies - 8 7 12 84 96
Subtotal 8 27 16 36 428 464
Uranium mining and
milling 43 21 27 94 336 430
Powerhouse - 10 - 16 200 216
Supply base and transport 6 11 7 22 56 78
Security or control - 2 3 2 24 26
Administration, planning
and technical personnel - 22 1 82 214 296
Total 57 93 54 252 1,258 1,510
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Storage and Supply Facilities
On the east side of the Maylisu river, across from the powerhouse,
is a relatively large and generally bare area which serves as an imme-
diate or forward supply base for the uranium mines, mill, and powerhouse.
Two long and low rectangular storage buildings dominate the unfenced
supply base. Some equipment is scattered about the area near the main
highway. A small enclosed area between the two rectangular storage
buildings may serve as a POL base. Along the north side of the storage
base there is a corral for horses or mules which probably are used to
move supplies in otherwise inaccessible mountain regions. Near the May-
lisu river and south of the two rectangular storage buildings is a high,
L-shaped pile of possible mine timbers or pit props. Despite the large
volume of material excavated in the uranium mines, the quantity of pit
props is not as large as the long rows of possible pit props seen in the
coal mine supply base.
Explosive Storage
For a mining district the size of the Mayli-Say there are surprisingly
few enclosed areas or fenced-in compounds capable of storing explosives.
Two small, enclosed areas are located near mines 2 and 15 but they lack
the characteristic bunkers used by the Russians for storing mining ex-
plosives.
The blasting of well-consolidated limestone requires about one pound
of explosive per ton of limestone. 5/ At a daily mining rate of ore and
rock of 1,100 to 1,200 tons approximately 1,100 to 1,200 pounds of explo-
sives are required per day. At this rate of consumption it is likely that
an explosives magazine and enclosure exists somewhere in the Mayli-Say
uranium complex to supply adequate mining explosives without delay.
Andizhan II Supply Base
West of the Andizhan II railway station, on the north side of the city
of Andizhan, there is a large dump believed to be for the use of the Mayli-
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Say uranium operation. Two railway spurs serve the rectangular building
mentioned above. North of the rectangular building are numerous rows
of stacked supplies, one group of which appears to be poles or pit props.
A source states that on entering Andizhan II railway station an indus-
trial plant was noted on the left about 100 yards from the tracks. 6/ The
plant consisted of a square building with one stack, and two rectangular
buildings, each 150 by 100 feet. Each of the rectangular buildings had
five vertical, narrow ventilators extending several feet above the roof.
On the left side of the tracks is a storage area in which =diameter
piping, lumber, and liameter gears are stored. 25X1 D
Transportation
The Mayli-Say uranium district is served by a blacktop road from
Andizhan to Mayli-Say. The two-lane road follows a generally straight
course and goes up the valley by an easy grade along the Maylisu. Above
Mayli-Say the road to the mill and mines is a two-lane highway which has
a whitish tone probably produced by mill tailings.
Secondary roads generally have a metaled appearance produced by a
gravel or sandy surface. The steep grades of the mountain roads necessi-
tate their winding back and forth with very sharp turns.
The Mayli-Say uranium complex is distinguished for its lack of high-
way traffic, particularly considering the tonnage of coal, ore, and supplies
which must be moved. Most of the traffic observed (16 vehicles) is on
the main road to the town of Mayli-Say, and appears to be rapidly moving
passenger cars. In the center of the Mayli-Say uranium complex across
the highway from the uranium supply base are four low garagelike struc-
tures, which could house an estimated 28 vehicles. Heavy-duty trucks
are probably parked outside in the supply base itself when not in use.
Well-worn roads lead to special loading facilities at the mines, to piles
of pit-props, warehouses, and unloading facilities at the mill and the
powerhouse.
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Security
Military Security
As indicated on Figure 3, three antiaircraft batteries are located on
prominent mountainside positions around the Mayli-Say uranium district.
Each battery has eight positions, all of which appear to be unoccupied. In
addition to the foregoing batteries, there are three abandoned positions
located near the Maylisu defile. The batteries were possibly moved out-
ward to higher positions as the uranium complex expanded.
In the city of Mayli-Say are a number of large buildings, which might
serve as barracks, with a nearby parade ground. Soldiers from the Mayli-
Say barracks and those occupying positions on the mountain tops west of
the city can control any movement into the mining area from the south.
Soldiers in a number of barrackslike structures on the steep slopes of
the mountain situated to the west of the mill could also command traffic
to and from Tashkumyr to the west.
Police Security
Few roads run in and out of the Mayli-Say uranium mining district.
On a mountain road a control house can be seen to the east of and high
above the city of Mayli-Say. Traffic into the Mayli-Say Complex appears
to be controlled by a checkpoint building and fenced enclosure located at
the south end or outlet of the Maylisu river defile. Traffic from the com-
plex is less closely controlled but is believed to be scrutinized from a
two-story building within a wall-type enclosure located in the defile of the
Maylisu river.
Plant Security
The mill area is secured on the west, north, and east sides by a pro-
tective fence. A second and lower fence can be seen at places outside the
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security fence. The south side of the mill area has no security fence, but
it would be difficult to enter or to escape observation while crossing the
mill dump or the banks of the Maylisu.
A guardhouse or office building (building 6, Figure 6) stands at the
main bridge for the purpose of traffic control. A second guardhouse
(building 13) is located at the northwest corner of the plant, and controls
traffic into the mill court and farther south into the tailing dump area.
CONCLUSIONS
The foregoing analysis of the photography of the Mayli-Say complex
makes it possible to draw the following conclusions:
1. At least 13 mines are supplying ore for the uranium concentra-
tion plant two miles north (above) of the city of Mayli-Say.
2. The concentration plant has an estimated capacity for processing
11000 tons of ore daily.
3. The plant is a large modern installation, probably using the car-
6. A supply base at Andizhan II is probably related to the Mayli-Say
25X1 D bonate leach process of uranium ore concentration. I
4. Total output of uranium oxide equivalent by the Mayli-Say plant,
is estimated to fall within a range of 3,900 to
5,850 metric tons.
5. It is estimated that 700 tons of uranium oxide concentrate were
25X1 D produced in _ by this plant.
operation. 25X1 D i
it is impossible to estimate production subsequent to
t
7. On the basis of the examination of the 0 and
_ it is clear that the mines were still in operation in although 25X1 D
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ACIC. WAC 328 (Chat-kal'skiy Range), 56, scale 1:1,000,000 (U)
ACIC. US Pilotage Chart, 328C (Andizhan), Mar 51, scale 1:500,000 (C)
ACIC. US Air Target Chart, Series 25, Sheet No 0328-9997-0-25
(Andizhan), May 56, scale 1:25,000 (C)
AMS. Series N502, Sheet NK 43-7 (Tashkumyr, USSR), Nov 55, scale
1:250,000 (U)
USSR. General Staff, Military-Topographic Division, Map K-43-XIII
(West) (Andizhan Map Sheet), 35, scale 1:200,000 (U)
USSR. Geological and Prospecting Service Pub. No 9, Plate 1 (Insert)
(Geological map of the Coal Deposit Along Maylisu River), 1927,
scale 1:25,000 (U). This map shows contours for the Sary-biya
valley, which were incorporated in the USSR General Staff Map
cited above.
USSR. Comite Geologique, (Map), Sheets VI-7, VII-7 (East Fergana),
28, scale 1:420,000 (U)
- 43 -
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DOCUMENTS
1. Golubkova, Yu. M. "Uranium Ore in Central Asia," Razvedka
Nedr (Mineral Prospecting), No 16, 1934, pp 27-28 (U)
2. US Geological Survey. Uranium and Thorium Resources of the
Communist Countries, 16 Aug 54, Pt. II, Rept, Binder 1, pp 331,
332, and 335 (S)
3. Melkov, V. G. "The Urano-vanadate from the Maylisu Deposit
in Kirgizia," Soc. Russe Mineralogie, Memoire, Vol 74, pp 41-
47, 1945 (U)
4. Taggart, A. F. Handbook of Mineral Dressing, New York, J.
Wiley, 1956, pp 18-30 (U)
5. Peele, Robert and Church, John A. Mining Engineers' Handbook,
New York, J. Wiley, 1950, 3d ed, Section 10, p 41 (U)
6. PIR EP 937 (Wringer Report No 1233), 9 Jun 1950, F-6 (S)
t
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