Method for improving concentrate grade of reselection spiral chute and spiral chute concentrator

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of mineral separation, and discloses a method for improving the concentrate grade of a gravity separation spiral chute, which comprises the following steps of: separating raw materials through a roughing separation spiral chute to obtain roughing concentrate, separating roughing tailings through a scavenging separation spiral chute to obtain scavenging concentrate, and combining the roughing concentrate and the scavenging concentrate as fine separation feed ore; the method comprises the following steps: feeding fine selection feed ore into a first-time fine selection spiral chute for separation, and applying elutriation water flow on the inner edge of the groove surface of the last but one circle and / or the second but one circle of the first-time fine selection spiral chute; feeding the concentrate obtained by the first-time concentration spiral chute into a second-time concentration spiral chute for separation, and applying elutriation water flow on the inner edge of the groove surface of the last but one circle of the second-time concentration spiral chute; and collecting the concentrate in the second-time concentration spiral chute as final concentrate. According to the method, setting, parameters and operation procedures of elutriation water are optimized, the concentration frequency is effectively reduced, and the dual purposes of improving the concentrate grade and reducing the operation cost are achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of mineral processing technology, and in particular to a method for improving the grade of concentrate in a gravity separation spiral sluice and a spiral sluice mineral processing machine. Background Technology

[0002] In the gravity separation process of the mineral processing industry, spiral chutes are widely used in the roughing, scavenging, and cleaning operations of metallic minerals such as ilmenite and magnetite due to their advantages such as simple structure, low energy consumption, and large throughput. To obtain high-grade final concentrate, current mainstream processes typically rely on setting up multiple series of cleaning operations. In this multi-stage circulation process, the concentrate, middlings, and tailings produced in each stage need to be transported and circulated via slurry pumps, resulting in a large number of spiral chutes and associated pumps in the entire system. This not only significantly increases the initial investment and installation footprint of the equipment, but also leads to high electricity consumption and maintenance costs due to the continuous operation of a large number of pumps, affecting the overall economic efficiency of the mineral processing plant.

[0003] More importantly, even after multiple rounds of fine selection, improving the concentrate grade often encounters bottlenecks. During the separation process in spiral sluices, the initially enriched target minerals tend to form a concentrate layer along the inner edge of the sluice, but its surface and gaps are often covered with a large amount of fine-grained gangue minerals and slime. Existing processes lack efficient methods for removing impurities at this stage, and these impurities enter subsequent operations or the final product along with the concentrate layer, severely limiting further improvements in concentrate grade. At the same time, fluctuations in feed rate and uneven mineral distribution at the front end of the process also transmit instability to the fine selection stage, further restricting the stability and uniformity of concentrate quality.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need in the existing technology to improve the method for increasing the grade of gravity separation spiral sluice concentrate. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the purpose of this invention is to propose a method for improving the grade of concentrate in a gravity separation spiral sluice and a spiral sluice concentrator. By optimizing the setting, parameters and operation process of the washing water, the number of cleaning operations is effectively reduced, thereby achieving the dual goals of improving concentrate grade and reducing operating costs.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, embodiments of the present invention provide a method for improving the grade of concentrate from a gravity separation spiral sluice, comprising the following steps: S1 raw material is separated by a roughing spiral sluice to obtain roughing concentrate, and roughing tailings are separated by a scavenging spiral sluice to obtain scavenging concentrate. The roughing concentrate and scavenging concentrate are combined as cleaning feed. S2 feeds the selected ore into the first selection spiral sluice for separation, and applies a washing water flow along the inner edge of the trough surface of the penultimate and / or penultimate spiral sluice. S3 feeds the concentrate obtained from the first refining spiral sluice into the second refining spiral sluice for separation, and applies a washing water flow along the inner edge of the trough surface of the penultimate ring of the second refining spiral sluice. S4 collects the concentrate from the second refined spiral sluice as the final concentrate.

[0007] In some embodiments, in S1, the concentration of the refined feed is controlled at 20% to 40%, and the particle size range is 0.074 mm to 0.25 mm.

[0008] In some implementations, the pressure of the rinsing water flow in S2 and S3 is 0.1 MPa to 0.3 MPa.

[0009] In some implementations, the washing water flow rate is 1 m³ / s in S2 and S3. 3 / h~6m 3 / h.

[0010] In some embodiments, in S2 and S3, the washing water flow is applied vertically downward along the inner edge of the spiral chute surface in a tangential direction.

[0011] In some implementations, in S2 and S3, the rinsing water stream is clean water with a suspended solids content ≤100 mg / L and a pH value of 6~8.5.

[0012] Another aspect of the present invention provides a spiral chute mineral processing machine for implementing the above method, comprising: The spiral chute body includes multiple spiral chute rings along the material flow direction. The washing water system includes a main water pipe and a first branch pipe and a second branch pipe connected to the main water pipe. The first branch pipe is located above the penultimate ring of the spiral chute body to apply washing water flow along the inner edge of the chute surface, and the second branch pipe is located above the penultimate ring of the spiral chute body to apply washing water flow along the inner edge of the chute surface.

[0013] In some implementations, both the first branch pipe and the second branch pipe are equipped with water flow regulating valves.

[0014] In some embodiments, the diameter of the spiral chute body is 600mm to 2000mm, the pitch is 150mm to 800mm, and the inclination angle of the chute body is 10° to 16°.

[0015] In some implementations, the single-head dry ore processing capacity of the spiral chute is 0.5-2.0 t / h, and the single-head slurry volume is 1-8 m³. 3 / h.

[0016] The present invention has at least the following beneficial technical effects: This invention reduces the number of refining processes by 1-3 times, directly decreasing the number of spiral chutes and associated slurry pumps, thus reducing the installation footprint and lowering equipment and civil engineering investment by 25%-60%. Simultaneously, operating energy consumption and maintenance costs are reduced by 20%-30%, demonstrating significant economic advantages. Secondly, while streamlining the process, it achieves a steady increase in concentrate grade of 3-6 percentage points, with the target mineral recovery rate consistently maintained above 85%, significantly improving product quality stability and achieving the dual goals of quality improvement and cost reduction. Furthermore, this solution has good compatibility and scalability, directly adapting to the technical upgrades of existing conventional spiral chute systems (such as φ900mm, φ1200mm, etc.). The washing water system is easy to install, and the operation process is compatible with existing job procedures, requiring no additional training for personnel, making it easy to promote and apply within the industry. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other embodiments can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an embodiment of the method for improving the grade of gravity separation spiral sluice concentrate provided by the present invention; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an embodiment of the mineral processing machine provided by the present invention; Figure 3 Provided by the present invention Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the A-axis and BB-axis sections of the ore beneficiation machine.

[0019] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 10. Spiral chute body; 11. Spiral feeder; 20. Washing water system; 21. Main water pipe; 22. First branch pipe; 23. Second branch pipe; 24. First regulating valve; 25. Second regulating valve. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific examples and accompanying drawings.

[0021] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. For example, terms such as “length,” “width,” “upper,” “lower,” “left,” “right,” “front,” “rear,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” “inner,” and “outer” indicate orientations or positions based on the orientations or positions shown in the accompanying drawings and are for ease of description only, and should not be construed as limiting the technical solution.

[0022] The terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, used in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this invention are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion; the terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings are used to distinguish different objects, not to describe a particular order. "A plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0023] In the description and claims of this invention and the foregoing drawings, when an element is referred to as "fixed to," "mounted to," "disposed on," or "connected to" another element, it can be located directly or indirectly on that other element. For example, when an element is referred to as "connected to" another element, it can be directly or indirectly connected to that other element.

[0024] Furthermore, the reference to "embodiment" herein means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearance of this phrase in various places throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a separate or alternative embodiment mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It will be explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0025] like Figure 1 The method for improving the grade of gravity separation spiral sluice concentrate provided by the present invention includes the following steps: S1 raw material is separated by a roughing spiral sluice to obtain roughing concentrate, and roughing tailings are separated by a scavenging spiral sluice to obtain scavenging concentrate. The roughing concentrate and scavenging concentrate are combined as cleaning feed. S2 feeds the selected ore into the first selection spiral sluice for separation, and applies a washing water flow along the inner edge of the trough surface of the penultimate and / or penultimate spiral sluice. S3 feeds the concentrate obtained from the first refining spiral sluice into the second refining spiral sluice for separation, and applies a washing water flow along the inner edge of the trough surface of the penultimate ring of the second refining spiral sluice. S4 collects the concentrate from the second refined spiral sluice as the final concentrate.

[0026] Furthermore, in S1, the concentration of the fine feed is controlled at 20%~40%, and the particle size range is 0.074 mm~0.25 mm.

[0027] Furthermore, in S2 and S3, the rinsing water is clean water with a suspended solids content ≤100 mg / L, a pH value of 6~8.5, a rinsing water pressure of 0.1MPa~0.3MPa, and a rinsing water flow rate of 1m³ / min. 3 / h~6m 3 / h, the washing water flow is applied vertically downward along the tangent of the spiral chute surface to the inner edge of the chute surface.

[0028] Specifically, the complete process flow of the present invention is as follows: The first stage is raw material preparation: after crushing, grinding, and classification pretreatment, the raw materials are formed into graded products suitable for gravity separation. The optimal separation particle size range for this gravity separation raw material is 0.074mm to 0.25mm, with a degree of liberation of not less than 90%, and the optimal feed concentration upon entering the system is controlled between 20% and 40%. To ensure the stability of the basic separation conditions, 3 to 5 stages of ore separation devices are installed before each stage of operation to achieve automatic and uniform ore separation in each spiral chute, ensuring a stable slurry volume for each unit.

[0029] The process then proceeds to the roughing and scavenging stages: The raw material is fed into a roughing spiral sluice for roughing, where most gangue impurities are removed to obtain a roughing concentrate. The roughing tailings are then fed into a scavenging spiral sluice for further scavenging to recover the target minerals, yielding a scavenging concentrate. The roughing concentrate and scavenging concentrate are combined to form the subsequent cleaning feed.

[0030] The next stage is the refining process: the refined ore is fed into the first refining spiral sluice, and clean washing water (suspended solids ≤100mg / L, pH 6-8.5) with a pressure of 0.10 to 0.3MPa and a flow rate of 1 to 6m³ / h is introduced along the inner edge of the penultimate and penultimate revolves (counting from bottom to top). This water flow gently washes away the fine mud and gangue adhering to the surface of the concentrate layer, effectively removing impurities and obtaining the first refined concentrate. The first refined concentrate is then fed into the second refining spiral sluice for final refining. Clean washing water with the same parameters is introduced along the inner edge of the penultimate revolves for a second wash, further removing residual impurities and ultimately obtaining a high-quality concentrate product.

[0031] Finally, there is the tailings return and process control: To improve resource recovery rate, tailings from the first cleaning stage are returned to the roughing operation, tailings from the second cleaning stage are returned to the first cleaning stage, and tailings from the scavenging stage are returned sequentially to the previous stage. Simultaneously, to achieve stable separation, the concentrate and middlings cut-off widths of all spiral chutes within the same operating section are uniformly set and dynamically adjusted based on real-time chute surface zoning and periodic sampling and testing results, thereby ensuring the efficient and stable operation of the entire process.

[0032] The penultimate and penultimate turns of the spiral sluice are crucial areas for the final separation of target minerals from gangue minerals and other impurities. At this point, the target minerals have accumulated to form a dense concentrate layer, while impurities are mostly attached to the surface or gaps of the concentrate layer in the form of fine mud or loose inclusions. This invention specifically incorporates surface washing water in these areas. Utilizing the gentle rinsing and dispersing effect of the water flow, impurities are efficiently removed without damaging the concentrate layer structure or causing the loss of target minerals. Simultaneously, by matching the spiral sluice's operating parameters (specifications, pitch, flow rate) with the washing water parameters (pressure, flow rate, replenishment location), and combining these with operational requirements such as uniform mineral distribution and stable cut-off width, stable separation results are ensured, achieving a technological breakthrough by replacing "3-5 times of separation" with "2-stage fine selection."

[0033] In another aspect, the present invention also provides a spiral chute mineral processing machine, such as... Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, it includes: The spiral chute body 10 includes multiple spiral chute rings along the material flow direction. The washing water system 20 includes a main water pipe 21 and a first branch pipe 22 and a second branch pipe 23 connected to the main water pipe 21. The first branch pipe 22 is located above the penultimate ring of the spiral chute body 10 to apply washing water flow along the inner edge of the chute surface, and the second branch pipe 23 is located above the penultimate ring of the spiral chute body 10 to apply washing water flow along the inner edge of the chute surface.

[0034] Furthermore, both the first branch pipe 22 and the second branch pipe 23 are equipped with water flow regulating valves. (See attached diagram) Figure 2 As shown, the first regulating valve 24 is installed on the first branch pipe 22 to control the flow rate of the first branch pipe 22, and the second regulating valve 25 is installed on the second branch pipe 23 to control the flow rate of the second branch pipe 23.

[0035] Furthermore, the diameter of the spiral chute body is 600mm~2000mm, the pitch is 150mm~800mm, and the inclination angle of the chute body is 10° to 16°.

[0036] Furthermore, the single-head dry ore processing capacity of the spiral chute is 0.5-2.0 t / h, and the single-head slurry volume is 1-8 m³. 3 / h. Those skilled in the art should understand that the single-head dry ore processing capacity refers to the range of raw ore solid weight (dry ore quantity) that a single spiral chute can process per hour, and the single-head slurry volume refers to the range of slurry volume flow rate that a single spiral chute can process per hour.

[0037] The present invention will be further explained and illustrated below with reference to specific embodiments.

[0038] Raw material: Iron tailings from a vanadium-titanium magnetite mine (titanium raw material), TiO2 grade 9.5%, particle size 0.074mm-0.25mm accounting for 81%, and monomer liberation degree 88%; Traditional process: The gravity separation adopts a process of "one roughing + two scavenging + four cleaning". The system is equipped with 560 φ1200mm spiral sluices and 14 sets of slurry pumps. No surface washing water is set in each section of the spiral sluice. The final concentrate TiO2 grade is 21.5% and the recovery rate of the gravity separation spiral sluice system is 85%.

[0039] The process method of the present invention includes: (1) The rougher concentrate and scavenger concentrate are combined and fed into the first cleaning process, with a cleaning feed concentration of 28%; (2) First selection: φ1200mm spiral, pitch 400mm, trough surface inclination angle 14°; increase trough surface rinsing water on the penultimate turn and the first turn, rinsing water pressure 0.2MPa, single-head spiral single-layer branch pipe rinsing water flow rate 2m 3 / h; (3) Second selection: The spiral parameters are the same as the first time. The water flow rate of the single spiral is 3m³ / h. (4) The final spiral concentrate TiO2 grade was 25.8%, and the recovery rate of the gravity separation spiral sluice system was 86%; (5) Operational indicators: The number of beneficiation processes was reduced by 2, 72 φ1200mm spiral chutes were reduced, and 4 sets of slurry pumps were reduced. Equipment investment was reduced by 32%, operating costs were reduced, and the TiO2 grade of concentrate was increased by 4.3 percentage points compared with the traditional process.

[0040] In summary, this invention, by precisely setting the washing water area and parameters and optimizing the operation process, significantly improves the grade of concentrate while reducing the number of refining operations, reduces equipment investment and operating costs, is compatible with gravity separation processes for various minerals, and is suitable for the technical transformation of existing spiral chute systems, demonstrating outstanding practicality and promotional value.

[0041] The above are exemplary embodiments disclosed in this invention. However, it should be noted that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the embodiments of this invention as defined by the claims. The functions, steps, and / or actions of the methods according to the disclosed embodiments described herein do not need to be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, although the elements disclosed in the embodiments of this invention may be described or claimed individually, they may be understood as multiple unless explicitly limited to a singular number.

[0042] It should be understood that, as used herein, unless the context clearly supports an exception. It should also be understood that, as used herein, "and / or" means any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0043] The embodiment numbers disclosed in the above embodiments of the present invention are for descriptive purposes only and do not represent the superiority or inferiority of the embodiments.

[0044] Those skilled in the art should understand that the discussion of any of the above embodiments is merely exemplary and is not intended to imply that the scope of the invention (including the claims) is limited to these examples. Within the framework of the invention, technical features of the above embodiments or different embodiments can be combined, and many other variations of different aspects of the invention exist, which are not provided in the details for the sake of brevity. Therefore, any omissions, modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the invention should be included within the protection scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A method for improving the grade of concentrate from a gravity separation spiral sluice, characterized in that, include: S1 raw material is separated by a roughing spiral sluice to obtain roughing concentrate, and roughing tailings are separated by a scavenging spiral sluice to obtain scavenging concentrate. The roughing concentrate and scavenging concentrate are combined as cleaning feed. S2 feeds the selected ore into the first selection spiral sluice for separation, and applies a washing water flow along the inner edge of the trough surface of the penultimate and / or penultimate turns of the first selection spiral sluice. S3 feeds the concentrate obtained from the first fine spiral sluice into the second fine spiral sluice for sorting, and applies a washing water flow along the inner edge of the trough surface of the penultimate turn of the second fine spiral sluice. S4 collects the concentrate from the second refined spiral sluice as the final concentrate.

2. The method for improving the grade of gravity separation spiral sluice concentrate according to claim 1, characterized in that, In S1, the concentration of the refined feed is controlled at 20% to 40%, and the particle size range is 0.074 mm to 0.25 mm.

3. The method for improving the grade of gravity separation spiral sluice concentrate according to claim 1, characterized in that, In S2 and S3, the pressure of the washing water flow is 0.1 MPa to 0.3 MPa.

4. The method for improving the grade of gravity separation spiral sluice concentrate according to claim 1, characterized in that, In S2 and S3, the washing water flow rate is 1 m³ / s. 3 / h~6m 3 / h.

5. The method for improving the grade of gravity separation spiral sluice concentrate according to claim 1, characterized in that, In S2 and S3, the washing water flow is applied vertically downward along the inner edge of the spiral chute surface in the tangential direction.

6. The method for improving the grade of gravity separation spiral sluice concentrate according to claim 1, characterized in that, In S2 and S3, the rinsing water is clean water with a suspended solids content ≤100 mg / L and a pH value of 6~8.

5.

7. A spiral chute mineral processing machine, used to implement the method as described in claims 1-6, characterized in that, include: The spiral chute body includes multiple spiral chute rings along the material flow direction. A rinsing water system, comprising a main water pipe and a first branch pipe and a second branch pipe connected to the main water pipe; The first branch pipe is located above the penultimate ring of the spiral chute body to apply a washing water flow along the inner edge of the chute surface, and the second branch pipe is located above the penultimate ring of the spiral chute body to apply a washing water flow along the inner edge of the chute surface.

8. The spiral chute concentrator according to claim 7, characterized in that, Both the first branch pipe and the second branch pipe are equipped with water flow regulating valves.

9. The spiral chute concentrator according to claim 7, characterized in that, The spiral chute body has a chute diameter of 600mm to 2000mm, a pitch of 150mm to 800mm, and a chute inclination angle of 10° to 16°.

10. The spiral chute concentrator according to claim 9, characterized in that, The single-head dry ore processing capacity of the spiral chute is 0.5-2.0 t / h, and the single-head slurry volume is 1-8 m³. 3 / h.

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