Thickener design for a copper concentrate using rheology, sedimentation and compression parameters

• Autorzy: Quiero-Gelmi Aldo , Olcay-Barreda Rubén , Mamani-Apala Paola

Identyfikatory

DOI

10.37190/msc243106

• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

This study was carried out to evaluate the operation of the thickener at mine site, in addition to increasing the geometallurgical information of the mining process. It analyzes 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 compression parameters, and is complemented with rheological parameters obtained from the calculation of the effective solid stress and the measurement of the yield stress in slurries without the addition of flocculant. Batch sedimentation tests were performed for flocculant dosage between 0–20 g/TMS and volume fraction concentrations between 0.025–0.130. The results obtained show that the sedimentation velocity tends to constant and maximum values starting at a dose of 4 g/TMS; however, the analysis of the sediment granulometry indicates that the addition of flocculant is not necessary, since there is no significant size segregation for low dosage of flocculant; 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.

Słowa kluczowe

EN

thickener; design; Adorjan; sedimentation; compression; rheology

• Wydawca: Wydział Geoinżynierii, Górnictwa i Geologii, Instytut Górnictwa Politechniki Wrocławskiej
• Czasopismo: Mining Science
• Rocznik: 2024
• Tom: Vol. 31
• Strony: 103--118
• Opis fizyczny: Bibliogr. 16 poz., rys., tab.

Twórcy

autor

Quiero-Gelmi Aldo

• School of Engineering and Architecture, Arturo Prat University, Chile

• https://orcid.org/0009-0005-1617-531X

autor

Olcay-Barreda Rubén

• School of Engineering and Architecture, Arturo Prat University, Chile

• https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2855-5054

autor

Mamani-Apala Paola

• School of Engineering and Architecture, Arturo Prat University, Chile

• https://orcid.org/0009-0002-2917-6256

Bibliografia

• ADORJAN L.A., 1976, Determination of thickener dimension from sediment compression and permeability test results, Trans. Inst. Min. Met., Sec C, 85, pp. 157–163.
• ARENAS J.A., 2024, Analysis of physicochemical and rheological properties affecting the sedimentation of mineral suspensions in cement industry thickeners, Master Thesis in Engineering-Mineral Re-sources, Universidad Nacional de Colombia-Sede Medellin.
• BAKER and HUGHES COMPANY, 2001, Deep Paste Thickener System for Tailing Disposal. III Inter-national Seminar of High Density and Paste Tailing, Pilanesberg, South Africa.
• CONCHA F. and BARRIENTOS A., 1993, A critical review of thickener design methods, Kona, No. 11, pp. 79–104.
• CONCHA F., 2001, Manual de Filtración y Separación, CETTEM, Universidad de Concepción, pp. 41–229, ISBN 956-291-042-3.
• CONCHA F. and BURGER R., 2002, A century of research in sedimentation and thickening, Kona (20).
• DSUY N. and BOGER D., 1983, Yield Stress measurement for concentrated suspensions, Journal of Rheology, Vol. 27, No. 4, pp. 321–349.
• HERNANDEZ C.A., ARAUJO A., VALADAO G., and AMARANTE S., 2005, Pasting Characteristics of Hematite/Quartz System, Mineral Engineering, Vol. 18, pp. 935–939.
• MICHAELS A.S. and BOLGER J., 1962, Settling rates and sedimentation volumes flocculated kaolin suspensions, Ind. Eng. Chem. Fund., 1 (1), pp. 24–33.
• OLCAY R.E., 2005, Calculation of the of the sedimentation and compression parameters of a C.M.D.I.C. copper concentrate slurry and design of a thickener for the treatment of this slurry using the Adorjan methods, Degree Thesis of Civil Metallurgical Engineering, Universidad Arturo Prat, 191 pp.
• QUIERO A.I., 1994, Determination of the sedimentation and compression parameters on a industrial slurry, evaluation of the thickener design and analysis of a new type of thickener, Degree Thesis of Civil Metallurgical Engineering, Universidad de Concepción, 203 pp.
• QUIERO A.I., OLCAY R.E., and TORO N., 2022, Comparative Study Between Different Mechanisms for Determining the Flocculant Dosage in the Sedimentation of Copper Concentrates. Proceedings of Fifth International Conference on Inventive Material Science Applications, Advances in Sustainability Science and Technology, Ed. Springer, pp. 33–45, DOI: 10.1007/978-981-19-4304-1.
• RICHARDSON J.F. and ZAKI W.N., 1997, Sedimentation and fluidization. Part. I, Chem. Eng. Res. Des., 75, pp. 82–100, DOI: 10.1016/S0263-8762(97)80006-8.
• ROBINSKY E., 2002, Planning for Thickened Tailing Disposal (TTD), High Density & Paste 2002 Seminar.
• SAAVEDRA G., 2019, Effect of solids concentration, pH and flocculant on yield stress of tailings produced in pellet plant, Degree Thesis of Civil Metallurgical Engineering, Universidad de Concepción.
• ZAMBRA R.M., 2005, Thickener design for the Adorjan’s methods and analysis of the sedimentation and compression parameters of a flocculated slurry, Degree Thesis of Civil Metallurgical Engineering, Universidad Arturo Prat, 2005, 157 pp.