PEPT studies of heavy particle flow within a spiral concentrator

Abstract Future improvements of gravity concentrators require an increased knowledge of the mechanics behind the separation, including the motion of the particles. This work details the investigation of particle motion through a spiral concentrator. The results of tracking the motion of individual particles using the positron emission particle tracking (PEPT) technique are described. Tracer particles of different sizes and density were tracked along the trough of a laboratory scale spiral. Multiple passes of one tracer through the spiral are combined to represent the bulk of flow of this particle type and size, with the position and time recorded to allow for the particle trajectory and speed to be determined. Finally, the use of PEPT will be shown to be a powerful method to visualise the behaviour of particles during the concentration process, providing data that will be used for the validation of new models of spiral concentrator performance.

[1]  A. B. Holland-Batt.  A method for the prediction of the primary flow on large diameter spiral troughs , 2009 .

[2]  Jing-Wu Wang,et al.  Numerical simulations of liquid flow on spiral concentrators , 1994 .

[3]  J. Cilliers,et al.  Positron emission particle tracking measurements with 50 micron tracers , 2012 .

[4]  Thomas Leadbeater,et al.  The development of positron imaging systems for applications in industrial process tomography , 2009 .

[5]  Brahmeshwar Mishra,et al.  A preliminary study of particle separation in spiral concentrators using DEM , 2010 .

[6]  A. B. Holland-Batt.  The dynamics of sluice and spiral separations , 1995 .

[7]  Serafim Bakalis,et al.  Using positron emission particle tracking (PEPT) to study the turbulent flow in a baffled vessel agitated by a Rushton turbine: Improving data treatment and validation , 2011 .

[8]  A. B. Holland-Batt,et al.  Particle and fluid motion on spiral separators , 1991 .

[9]  David Parker,et al.  Positron emission particle tracking in a mechanically agitated solid–liquid suspension of coarse particles , 2009 .

[10]  Peter Antony Eabry Stewart,et al.  A positron camera for industrial application , 1986 .

[11]  J. J. Cilliers,et al.  Fluid flow modelling on spiral concentrators , 1994 .

[12]  Thomas P. Meloy,et al.  Industrial modeling of spirals for optimal configuration and design: spiral geometry, fluid flow and forces on particles , 1999 .

[13]  Runyu Yang,et al.  CFD–DEM modelling of particle flow in IsaMills – Comparison between simulations and PEPT measurements , 2011 .

[14]  R. G. Richards,et al.  Gravity separation of ultra-fine (−0.1mm) minerals using spiral separators , 2000 .

[15]  Xianfeng Fan,et al.  Positron emission particle tracking as a method to map the movement of particles in the pulp and froth phases , 2008 .

[16]  David Parker,et al.  Enhancing 18F uptake in a single particle for positron emission particle tracking through modification of solid surface chemistry , 2006 .

[17]  P. Fowles,et al.  Positron emission particle tracking using the new Birmingham positron camera , 2002 .

[18]  Xianfeng Fan,et al.  Labelling a single particle for positron emission particle tracking using direct activation and ion-exchange techniques , 2006 .

[19]  M. Doheim,et al.  Numerical simulation of particulate-flow in spiral separators: Part I. Low solids concentration (0.3% & 3% solids) , 2013 .

[20]  J. Cilliers,et al.  Following the path of hydrophobic and hydrophilic particles in a Denver Cell using positron emission particle tracking , 2009 .

[21]  D. Parker,et al.  A modular positron camera for the study of industrial processes , 2011 .

[22]  P. Holtham.  Particle transport in gravity concentrators and the Bagnold effect , 1992 .

[23]  Thomas Leadbeater,et al.  Positron imaging systems for studying particulate, granular and multiphase flows , 2012 .

[24]  M. R. Hawkesworth,et al.  Positron emission particle tracking - a technique for studying flow within engineering equipment , 1993 .

[25]  Jpk Seville,et al.  Experimental study on the influence of bed material on the scaling of solids circulation patterns in 3D bubbling gas–solid fluidized beds of glass and polyethylene using positron emission particle tracking , 2012 .

[26]  P. N. Holtham.  Flow visualisation of secondary currents on spiral separators , 1990 .

[27]  C.A.J. Fletcher,et al.  Computational simulation of fluid and dilute particulate flows on spiral concentrators , 1998 .

[28]  Alex C. Hoffmann,et al.  Particle flow in a hydrocyclone investigated by positron emission particle tracking , 2011 .