Thickener design for a copper concentrate using rheology, sedimentation and compression parameters
1
Arturo Prat University, Chile
These authors had equal contribution to this work
Mining Science 2024;31:103-118
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
This study presents the results of the sizing of a thickener that treats copper concentrate ore slurry from the flotation process. For this purpose, discontinuous sedimentation tests were carried out to determine: the effect of the flocculant dosage on the sedimentation velocity, on the sediment in compression, and on the thickener design by Adorjan's method, which uses sedimentation parameters and the compression parameters, and is complemented with rheological parameters.
Batch sedimentation tests performed for flocculant dosage between 0 and 20 (g/TMS) and volume fraction concentrations between 0.025 and 0.130. The results obtained show that the sedimentation velocity tends to constant and maximum values starting at a dose of 4 (g/TMS); on the other hand, the analysis of the sediment granulometry indicates that the addition of flocculant is not necessary; and finally, the design of the thickener by Adorjan's method indicates that the optimum value would be 20 (g/TMS). When evaluating the rheological parameters for the concentrate without the addition of flocculant, it is observed that the behavior of the effective solids stress and yield stress have a marked increase in their values for volumetric fractions of 0.45 (79. 60% of solids by mass), which would indicate a change in the fluidity of the concentrate, so it is correct to design the thickener for a discharge volumetric concentration of 0.239, which corresponds to the range used in the industrial operation, and it is expected that the fluidity of the concentrate thickener discharge will have an adequate rheological behavior.
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| eISSN: | 2353-5423 |
| ISSN: | 2300-9586 |
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