Carry-over of water and suspension of fines by coarser particulate solids — Its influence on the design of DMS regeneration circuits

Abstract

In dense medium separation (DMS) systems, a particulate (ore or coal) is treated in a suspension of fine particles in water having a density intermediate between the densities of the mineral phases to be separated. During the process the water and the fine particles constituting the medium adhere to the coarse particles and are carried over from the draining to the washing screen, so that they are extracted from the medium circuit. This extraction is selective, i.e., it is different for water and solids particles; it depends on the size of the particulate and on the viscosity and density of the medium stream considered. For a correct design of the medium regeneration circuit it is important to know all the above mentioned data. Therefore laboratory research was performed in order to determine the carry-over of fine particles and water due to a particulate. The paper reports the results of this research and gives information useful for the analysis and the design of medium circuits of dense medium separation plants.