Abstract: A method and apparatus for completing an in situ leach well to prevent production of sand and to insure minimum permeability damage to the ore bearing zone during casing and cementing operations. A hole for the casing is drilled to and terminated at a point (e.g. onefoot) just above the ore zone. If a pilot hole has been drilled to locate the ore zone, it is reamed to provide the hole for the casing with the cuttings from the reaming operations dropping into lower portion of the pilot hole which extends through the ore zone, thereby protecting the ore zone from permeability damage normally cause by contact with cement. The hole is then cased and cemented. Next, a hole is drilled from the lower end of the casing into the ore zone and an interval thereof is underreamed. A perforated liner is lowered on a drill stem which has a stinger pipe thereon which extends through the lower end of the liner.

Abstract: A method for the in situ leaching of a subterranean mineral (e.g. uranium) deposit which permits the use of downflow ion exchange columns without requiring expensive filtration equipment to remove particulate material and/or sediment from the leach solution. The injection and production wells are gravel packed so that all of the heavier particulate material will be filtered from the leach solution as it flows into the production well. The bed of ion exchange resin in the downflow column is then used to filter the finer sediment from the leach solution as the resin adsorbs the uranium from the leach solution. The barren leach solution from the ion exchange column can be used to makeup fresh leach solution without any further filtration. The loaded resin is removed from the ion exchange columns and is screened to remove the fine sediment. The resin is then eluted and screened again to remove any sediment that may accumulate during elution.