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Date submitted2021-06-24
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Date accepted2021-11-30
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Date published2021-12-27
Development of a methodology to assess the hydrocyclone process with account of the rheological properties of the mineral slurry
- Authors:
- Tatiana N. Aleksandrova
- Vadim A. Potemkin
The paper studies the possibility of assessing the separation of mineral raw materials, taking into account the rheology of the mineral slurry. The ores of the Mayskoye deposit were chosen as the object of the study, characterized by a thin impregnation of the valuable component – gold in the host minerals, which determines the use of fine and ultrafine milling. This fact is essential because the presence of a fine grade seriously affects the rheology of the mineral slurry used in subsequent mineral processing stages. This predetermines the necessity to take into account rheological parameters. The research performed provides the development of a methodology for assessing the separation of minerals in the hydrocyclone based on the interpretation of numerical and mathematical modeling data. using the object-oriented programming language Python, a program for calculating empirical coefficients of the rheological equation, theoretically describing the dynamics of internal transformations of the mineral slurry, was developed. Taking into account the process parameters of the laboratory unit with hydrocyclone and ore properties, three concentrations of solids in the mineral slurry were selected, conditionally corresponding to the minimum, average and maximum values. Rheological equations successively composed for three concentrations, i.e., 400, 500, and 700 g/l, made it possible to calculate the critical shear rates corresponding to the maximum dispersion of the mineral slurry in the hydrocyclone flow. Subsequent numerical simulation using Ansys Fluent software, as well as statistical evaluation of the shear rates at different levels of solids content showed that the shear rate profile in the cross-section of the hydrocyclone corresponding to the maximum dispersion of the mineral slurry is obtained at the content of 400 g/l.
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Date submitted2019-06-27
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Date accepted2019-09-07
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Date published2019-12-24
Optimization of geometrical parameters of the hydro-cyclone inertial Venturi separator
- Authors:
- V. N. Makarov
- A. V. Ugolnikov
- N. V. Makarov
The usage of nanosized particles as modifying agents opens new possibilities in the creation of materials with unique properties. The effective qualitative improvement of Russia's GDP structure is based on the recycling of technogenic mineral formations (TMF) and the production of high-tech products. Numerous studies have shown that the efficiency of this process is limited by high requirements to the fractional composition, median size, and dispersion of TMF particles, as well as imperfection of equipment and technology and their classification. The strict classification requirements must be taken into account, when developing separation methods for the dispersion of the median sizes of TMF microparticles under the conditions of the probabilistic distribution of the physical and mechanical parameters of the feed. The studies covered in the article are based on the provision on a significantly greater influence of inertial forces on the trajectory of a hydrodynamically unsteady motion of the dispersed «a microparticle – a drop of liquid» system during the hydro-cyclone separation with respect to the aerodynamic forces of their movement in a fluidized bed. The paper shows that within the range of kinetic energy of the translational motion of liquid droplets, which overcomes the aerodynamic barrier of coagulation of hydrophobic TMF particles, the minimum diameter of absorbed microparticles during hydro-cyclone coagulation depends only on the magnitude of the angular velocity of rotation of the liquid droplets. We obtained the equations for the Euler and Reynolds criteria, their average values, and the relaxation time of liquid droplets with integrated micro and nanoparticles of TMF, depending on their median size during hydro-cyclone separation. The developed mathematical model of inertial hydro-cyclone separation of finely dispersed TMF allows determining the optimal geometric parameters and energy characteristics of the Venturi separator, its aerator, and the position of the receiving tanks. The experimental results confirmed the possibility of classifying finely dispersed wastes of mining and metallurgical production in the range of median sizes (0.5-5)∙10 –6 m by fractions with a dispersion of not more than 20 %.