In situ solution mining technique

Claim 2

Method of establishing a secondary production pattern for in situ leaching of mineral values from a formation wherein a primary leaching process has been conducted through an array of contiguous 5-spot leaching patterns of production wells and injection wells, comprising converting all the production wells in alternate rows diagonal to the original pattern to injection wells.

Claim 3

Method of claim 1 including the step of shutting down all the injection wells of the primary leaching process.

Claim 4

Method of in situ leaching of mineral values to exhaustion from a formation wherein a primary leaching process has been conducted through an array of contiguous 5-spot leaching patterns of production wells and injection wells, comprising converting all the production wells in alternate rows diagonal to the original pattern to injection wells, and injecting a leaching solution through the new injection wells.

Claim 5

Method of in situ leaching of mineral values to exhaustion from a formation wherein a primary leaching process has been conducted through an array of contiguous 5-spot leaching patterns of production wells and injection wells, comprising converting all the production wells in alternate rows diagonal to the original pattern to injection wells, and injecting a leaching solution through the new injection wells.

Claim 6

Mehtod of claim 3 including the step of shutting down all the injection wells of the primary leaching process.

Claim 7

Method of establishing a secondary production pattern for in situ leaching of mineral values from a formation wherein a primary leaching process has been conducted through an array of contiguous 5-spot leaching patterns of production wells and injection wells, comprising closing all of the injection wells of the primary leaching process and converting production wells to injection wells in a contiguous hexagonal leaching pattern.

Claim 8

Method of establishing a secondary production pattern for in situ leaching of mineral values from a formation wherein a primary leaching process has been conducted through an array of contiguous 5-spot leaching patterns of production wells and injection wells, comprising closing all of the injection wells of the primary leaching process and converting production wells to injection wells in a contiguous hexagonal leaching pattern.

Claim 9

Method of establishing a secondary production pattern for in situ leaching of U 3 O 8 values from a formation wherein a primary leaching process has been conducted through an array of contiguous 5-spot leaching patterns of production wells and injection wells until the U 3 O 8 recovery is at a rate about 50% of the initial recovery rate, comprising converting all the production wells in alternate rows diagonal to the original pattern to injection wells.

Claim 10

Method of establishing a secondary production pattern for in situ leaching of U 3 O 8 values from a formation wherein a primary leaching process has been conducted through an array of contiguous 5-spot leaching patterns of production wells and injection wells until the U 3 O 8 recovery is at a rate about 50% of the initial recovery rate, comprising converting all the production wells in alternate rows diagonal to the original pattern to injection wells.

Claim 11

Method of in situ leaching of U 3 O 8 values to exhaustion from a formation wherein a primary leaching process has been conducted through an array of contiguous 5-spot leaching patterns of production wells and injection wells until the U 3 O 8 recovery is at a rate about 50% of the initial recovery rate, comprising converting all the production wells in alternate rows diagonal to the original pattern to injection wells, and injecting a leaching solution through the new injection wells.

Claim 12

Method of in situ leaching of U 3 O 8 values to exhaustion from a formation wherein a primary leaching process has been conducted through an array of contiguous 5-spot leaching patterns of production wells and injection wells until the U 3 O 8 recovery is at a rate about 50% of the initial recovery rate, comprising converting all the production wells in alternate rows diagonal to the original pattern to injection wells, and injecting a leaching solution through the new injection wells.