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Date submitted2023-12-15
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Date accepted2024-06-13
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Date published2025-02-25
Development of equipment and improvement of technology for inertial thickening of backfill hydraulic mixtures at the final stages of transportation
The results of the study of the functioning of the developed thickening equipment as part of the stowing complex for the formation of a flow of high-concentration hydromixture are presented. To explain the operation of the hydrotransport system of the stowing complex, equipped with a thickener of the developed design, its basic diagram is presented. A mathematical model has been created that describes the mechanism of inertial sedimentation of a solid component of a hydraulic mixture in a working chamber equipped with hydrodynamic profiles. Interaction with the profile leads to flow stratification due to a change in the trajectory of movement and a decrease in speed. The interval of rational velocity of primary pulp entering the input of the working chamber of the inertial thickener is substantiated. The synthesis of solutions of the thickening process model is performed in the COMSOL Multiphysics and Ansys Fluent programs. This made it possible to eliminate physical contradictions in the operation of the equipment and justify the overall dimensions of its main elements, ensuring the implementation of the mechanism of inertial sedimentation of the slurry. It was found that the concentration of the thickened flow at the outlet branch pipe of the thickener working chamber is determined by the level of the primary hydraulic fluid velocity, the characteristic length of the section of interaction with the deflecting profile, and the ratio of the flow and attack angles. A nomogram of the dynamics of the change in the hydraulic fluid concentration in the section of the outlet branch pipe depending on the ratios of the overall dimensions of the deflecting profile of the working chamber was compiled. The results of the study allowed formulating recommendations for selecting the dimensions of the thickener's deflecting hydrodynamic profile to form a flow of hydraulic mixture with a concentration of about 50 % by weight. The developed equipment can be used in a stowage complex and will increase the range of supply of the stowage mixture. This is due to the fact that a flow of primary slurry with a low concentration, due to lower pressure losses, can be moved in a pipeline system over a greater distance than a flow with a high filler content. The use of a thickener at the final stage of transportation is intended to increase the concentration of the hydraulic mixture immediately before production.
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Date submitted2021-12-15
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Date accepted2022-09-12
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Date published2023-08-28
Substantiation and selection of the design parameters of the hydroficated equipment complex for obtaining backfill mixtures from current enrichment tailings
The issue of the influence of the concentration of the solid phase on the reduction of energy costs and specific energy consumption during pulp transportation is considered. The procedure for preparing slurry from the current enrichment tailings is shown. A scheme is given and the operation of a hydroficated unit for thickening and hydraulic transport of backfill mixtures is described. A diagram of the movement of solid particles in one of the units of the complex – a lamellar thickener is shown. The summary table shows the main design parameters and characteristics of the lamellar thickener. A general view of the laboratory setup used for experimental studies with slurry at various concentrations is given. An example of calculating productivity, density and specific load is presented. The dependence of the shear stress on the velocity gradient was determined for various pulp concentrations. Experimental studies of the process of thickening the production of slurry from the current enrichment tailings have been carried out. It was found that the geometric dimensions of the thickener depend on the concentration of the solid phase in the transported mixture. It is concluded that the flow rate of the slurry and the head loss are functions of the rheological characteristics of the viscoplastic slurry and can be calculated from the derived calculated dependencies.
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Date submitted2022-06-20
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Date accepted2022-09-06
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Date published2022-11-03
Adaptive approach formation using machine vision technology to determine the parameters of enrichment products deposition
In this paper, an adaptive approach has been developed for automatic initialization of the thickening curve using machine vision technology, which makes it possible to determine with high accuracy the material parameters necessary for the design of thickening and clarification apparatuses. Software has been developed that made it possible to search for the coordinates of the condensation critical point in automatic mode. Studies on two samples of materials (tailings of apatite-containing ores and gold-bearing concentrate) were carried out and made it possible to statistically prove the reproducibility of the results obtained using the parametric criteria of Fisher and Bartlett. It has been established that the deposition curves are approximated with high accuracy by the Weibull model, which, together with the piecewise linear approximation, makes it possible to formalize the method for determining the critical point coordinates. The empirical coefficients of the Weibull model for two samples are found, and the final liquefaction and settling rates of the studied materials are determined.