Method for determining flocculant selection and dosage in laterite nickel ore hydrometallurgical process

Abstract

The invention provides a method for determining the selection and dosage of flocculant in the hydrometallurgical process of laterite nickel ore, which belongs to the field of mineral processing technology. The method comprises: obtaining the first slurry parameters of the thickener, and determining the type of flocculant based on the first slurry parameters; The first slurry parameters include: the pH value of the slurry in the thickener and the potential value of the material particle surface; The second slurry parameters of the thickener are obtained, and the first sedimentation rate after adding flocculant and the second sedimentation rate without adding flocculant in the thickener are determined based on the second slurry parameters. The second slurry parameters include the feeding slurry parameters and the discharging slurry parameters of the thickener; Based on the first sedimentation rate and the second sedimentation rate, the dosage of the flocculant is determined. The method provided by the invention does not need to be determined manually through trial and error or experience, so as to solve the technical problems of low efficiency and error-prone in the existing methods of flocculant selection and dosage determination.

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] METHOD FOR DETERMINING FLOCCULANT SELECTION AND DOSAGE IN LATERITE NICKEL ORE HYDROMETALLURGICAL PROCESS

[0003] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0004] The invention relates to the field of mineral processing technology, in particular to a method for determining the selection and dosage of flocculant in the hydrometallurgical process of laterite nickel ore .

[0005] BACKGROUND

[0006] The ef ficient thickening of slurry involves many application fields such as mineral processing, hydrometallurgy, environmental treatment and so on . The core principle is that the thickener is used to settle and thicken the slurry, post-reaction slurry, wastewater mud and other materials to speed up the solid-liquid separation process . In order to accelerate the settlement and separation of materials , it is often necessary to add flocculants in the thickening process . Its main function is to agglomerate the small and di f ficult to settle particles in the material through flocculation, forming large flocculants to speed up the settlement of the material . Flocculation sedimentation process is a dynamic nonlinear process , generally including flocculation-splitting-re- flocculation-re-splitting, etc . How to determine the type , dosage of flocculant , flocculant sedimentation rate and other parameters , plays a key role in the design of thickener and the ef ficiency of material handling . Therefore , how to scienti fically and reasonably select the flocculant type and determine its dosage has become an important topic in the thickening process .

[0007] At present , flocculant selection and dosage determination are often based on trial and error or experience , and lack of ef fective prediction methods . Especially in the hydrometallurgical process of laterite nickel ore , due to its continuous production characteristics , it often includes the thickening of the original slurry, the CCD ( Counter-Current Decantation) washing and thickening separation of the slurry after leaching, and the thickening separation of the iron and aluminum slag in the stage of iron and aluminum ( impurity removal ) . Many processes , such as the thickening separation of nickel and cobalt (MHP product preparation stage ) , need to use a large thickening machine for thickening separation . Therefore , the existing methods of flocculant selection and dosage determination are inef ficient and error-prone according to trial and error or experience .

[0008] SUMMARY

[0009] In view of this , it is necessary to provide a method for determining the type and dose of flocculant in the hydrometallurgical process of laterite nickel ore , to solve the technical problems of low ef ficiency and error-prone in the existing methods for determining the type and dose of flocculant .

[0010] In order to solve the above problems , on the one hand, the invention provides a method for determining the selection and dosage of flocculant in the hydrometallurgical process of laterite nickel ore , including :

[0011] Obtaining the first slurry parameters of the thickener, and determining the type of flocculant based on the first slurry parameters ; The first slurry parameters include : the pH value of the slurry in the thickener and the potential value of the material particle surface ;

[0012] Obtaining the second slurry parameters of the thickener, and the first sedimentation rate after adding flocculant and the second sedimentation rate without adding flocculant in the thickener are determined based on the second slurry parameters . The second slurry parameters include the feeding slurry parameters and the discharging slurry parameters of the thickener ;

[0013] Based on the first sedimentation rate and the second sedimentation rate , the dosage of the flocculant is determined .

[0014] In one possible implementation, the type of flocculant is determined based on the first slurry parameters , including :

[0015] In the case that the pH value is located in the first preset pH range and the potential value is located in the first preset potential range , the type of flocculant is determined to be nonionic ; In the case that the pH value is located in the second preset pH range and the potential value is located in the second preset potential range , the type of flocculant is determined to be anionic ;

[0016] In the case that the pH value is located in the third preset pH range and the potential value is located in the third preset potential range , the type of flocculant is determined to be cationic type ;

[0017] Wherein, the pH value in the third preset pH range is greater than the pH value in the first preset pH range and the pH value in the second preset pH range ;

[0018] The potential value in the second preset potential range is greater than the potential value in the first preset potential range ;

[0019] The potential value in the first preset potential range is greater than the potential value in the third preset potential range .

[0020] In one possible implementation, the lower limit of the second preset pH range is less than the lower limit of the first preset pH range , and the upper limit of the second preset pH range is equal to the upper limit of the first preset pH range .

[0021] In one possible implementation, the feed slurry parameters of thickener, including : feed slurry concentration of thickener and feed slurry density of thickener ;

[0022] The discharge slurry parameters of the thickener, including : the discharge slurry concentration of the thickener , the discharge slurry density of the thickener and the discharge volume flow of the thickener ;

[0023] The second slurry parameters also include : the settlement area of the thickener ; the first sedimentation rate after adding flocculant in the thickener is determined based on the second slurry parameters , including : the first sedimentation rate after adding flocculant in the thickener is determined based on the slurry concentration of the thickener feed, the slurry density of the thickener feed, the slurry concentration of the thickener discharge , the slurry density of the thickener discharge , the volume flow rate of the thickener discharge and the settlement area of the thickener . In one possible implementation, the parameters of the feeding slurry of the thickener, and also includes the viscosity of the feeding slurry of the thickener when the flocculant is not combined;

[0024] The second slurry parameters also include : liquid phase density, material density and material average particle si ze ;

[0025] Based on the second slurry parameters to determine the second sedimentation rate without adding flocculant , including : based on the density of the material , liquid phase density, average particle si ze of the material and thickener feed slurry without flocculant viscosity, to determine the second sedimentation rate without adding flocculant .

[0026] In one possible implementation, the dose of flocculant is determined based on the first sedimentation rate and the second sedimentation rate , including :

[0027] The dose of flocculant is determined based on the ratio of the first sedimentation rate to the second sedimentation rate and the concentration of the flocculant in the liquid phase .

[0028] In one possible implementation, the dosage of flocculant is determined based on the ratio of the first sedimentation rate to the second sedimentation rate and the concentration of the flocculant in the liquid phase , including :

[0029] Based on the ratio of the first sedimentation rate to the second sedimentation rate and the concentration of the flocculant in the liquid phase , the concentration of the liquid phase flocculant is obtained;

[0030] Based on the concentration of the liquid phase flocculant , the slurry concentration of the thickener feed and the mass flow rate of the thickener feed, the dose of the flocculant is obtained .

[0031] On the other hand, the invention also provides a device for determining the selection and dosage of flocculant in the laterite nickel ore hydrometallurgical process , including : selection module , which is used to obtain the first slurry parameters of the thickener, and determine the type of flocculant based on the first slurry parameters ; The first slurry parameters include : the pH value of the slurry in the thickener and the potential value of the material particle surface ;

[0032] The sedimentation rate calculation module , which is used to obtain the second slurry parameters of the thickener . Based on the second slurry parameters , the first sedimentation rate after adding flocculant in the thickener and the second sedimentation rate without adding flocculant are determined . The second slurry parameters include the feeding slurry parameters and the discharging slurry parameters of the thickener ;

[0033] A dose calculation module , which is used to determine the dose of the flocculant based on the first and second sedimentation rates

[0034] On the other hand, the invention also provides an electronic device comprising a memory and a processor wherein,

[0035] The memory is used for storing programs ;

[0036] The processor, coupled to the memory, is used to execute the program stored in the memory to implement the steps of a method for determining the selection and dosage of flocculant in a hydrometallurgical process of latte nickel ore as described in any one of Claims 1 to 7 .

[0037] On the other hand, the invention also provides a non-transient computer readable storage medium on which a computer program is stored which, when executed by the processor, implements the steps of a method for determining the selection and dosage of flocculant in a laterite nickel ore hydrometallurgical process as described in any of the above .

[0038] The beneficial ef fects of the above implementation are : The method, device , electronic equipment and medium for determining the selection and dosage of flocculant in the laterite nickel ore hydrometallurgical process provided by the invention . When the surface of the material particles is charged, di f ferent particles cannot get close to each other due to electrostatic repulsion and hydration, resulting in slow sedimentation of particles in the process of sedimentation separation, and di f ficult to compress , and low underflow concentration . Meanwhile , the turbidity of the supernatant was high . At this time , adding the flocculant with dissimilar charges with the material makes the strong charge attraction and agglomeration between the flocculant molecules and particles occur . When the charge on the surface of the material particles is completely neutrali zed, the electrostatic repulsion between the particles gradually decreases to tend to disappear, which is conducive to the aggregation of the material particles and accelerates the settlement of the material . Therefore , according to the pH value of the slurry in the thickener and the potential value of the material particle surface , the appropriate type of flocculant can be selected .

[0039] In addition, the purpose of adding flocculation is to improve the sedimentation rate of the material , and in the thickener, the material is to achieve the target discharge concentration and flow rate , with the addition of flocculation agent , the sedimentation rate of the material changes , at this time , there is a proportional relationship between the sedimentation rate of the material and the sedimentation rate without adding flocculation agent , therefore , the dose of the flocculation agent can be determined by the first sedimentation rate and the second sedimentation rate .

[0040] The method provided by the invention only needs to collect the first slurry parameters and the second slurry parameters to determine the selection and dosage of the flocculant , and does not need to be determined manually through trial and error or experience , so as to solve the existing technical problems of low ef ficiency and error-prone in the selection and dosage determination of the flocculant .

[0041] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] In order to more clearly explain the technical scheme in the embodiments of the invention, the supplementary drawings needed in the description of the embodiments will be brief ly introduced in the following . Obviously, the supplementary drawings described below are only some embodiments of the invention . For the technicians in the field, other supplementary drawings can be obtained according to the supplementary drawings without paying creative labor .

[0043] FIG . 1 shows the flow chart of an example of a method for determining the selection and dosage of flocculant in the laterite nickel ore hydrometallurgical process provided by the invention;

[0044] FIG . 2 shows the flow chart of determining the type of flocculant based on the first slurry parameters provided by the invention;

[0045] FIG . 3 shows the principle block diagram of an example of a device for determining the selection and dosage of flocculant in the hydrometallurgical process of laterite nickel ore provided by the invention;

[0046] FIG . 4 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the electronic device provided by the invention .

[0047] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0048] In the following, the technical scheme in the embodiment of the invention is described clearly and completely in combination with the attached drawings in the embodiment of the invention . Obviously, the described embodiment is only a partial embodiment of the invention, but not the whole embodiment . Based on the embodiments of the invention, all other embodiments obtained by persons skilled in the art without creative labor shall fall within the scope of the protection of the invention .

[0049] In the description of an embodiment of this application, "more than" means two or more unless otherwise stated .

[0050] The terms " including" and "having" in embodiments of the present invention, as well as any variations thereof , are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, for example , a process , method, device , product or device comprising a sequence of steps or modules need not be limited to those steps or modules clearly listed . Rather, it may include other steps or modules that are not clearly listed or inherent to such processes , methods , products or equipment .

[0051] The naming or numbering of the steps in an embodiment of the invention does not mean that the steps in the process of the method must be executed in the time / logical sequence indicated by the naming or numbering . The execution order of the named or numbered process steps may be changed according to the technical purpose to be reali zed, as long as the same or similar technical ef fect can be achieved .

[0052] The reference to " embodiment" in this article means that a particular characteristic, structure or characteristic described in conj unction with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the invention . The occurrence of the phrase in various places in the speci fication does not necessarily mean the same embodiment , nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive with other embodiments . What is understood explicitly and implicitly by those skilled in the art is that the embodiment described herein can be combined with other embodiments .

[0053] The invention provides a method for determining the selection and dosage of flocculant in the hydrometallurgical process of laterite nickel ore , which is described in the following .

[0054] As shown in Figure 1 , the present invention provides a method for determining the selection and dosage of flocculant in the hydrometallurgical process of laterite nickel ore , including :

[0055] 5101 . Obtaining the first slurry parameters of the thickener, and determining the type of flocculant based on the first slurry parameters ; The first slurry parameters include : the pH value of the slurry in the thickener and the potential value of the material particle surface ;

[0056] 5102 . Obtaining the second slurry parameters of the thickener, and determining the first sedimentation rate after adding flocculant in the thickener and the second sedimentation rate without adding flocculant based on the second slurry parameters ; The second slurry parameters include the feeding slurry parameters and the discharging slurry parameters of the thickener ;

[0057] 5103 . Determining the dosage of flocculation agent based on the first sedimentation rate and the second sedimentation rate ; The first sinking rate and the second sinking rate both refer to the sinking rate of the material .

[0058] It is understandable that the present invention provides a method for determining the selection and dosage of flocculant in the laterite nickel ore hydrometallurgical process , which can be applied to the laterite nickel ore hydrometallurgical process . When there are charges on the surface of the material particles , di f ferent particles cannot get close to each other due to electrostatic repulsion and hydration, which leads to slow sedimentation of particles and di f ficult compression, low underflow concentration and high turbidity of the supernatant in the process of sedimentation and separation . At this time , adding the flocculant with dissimilar charges with the material makes the strong charge attraction and agglomeration between the flocculant molecules and particles occur . When the charge on the surface of the material particles is completely neutrali zed, the electrostatic repulsion between the particles gradually decreases to tend to disappear, which is conducive to the aggregation of the material particles and accelerates the settlement o f the material . According to the material characteristics , choose the appropriate type of flocculant . It should be pointed out that the discharge slurry parameters in this example refer to the discharge slurry parameters that are expected to be achieved by the thickener after the set flocculant dosage is added . In other words , the discharge slurry parameters in this example are the target parameters to be achieved by the discharge slurry .

[0059] In some embodiings , as shown in Figure 2 , the type of flocculant is determined based on the first slurry parameters , including :

[0060] 5201 . Upon the pH value being within the first predetermined pH range and the potential value being within the first predetermined potential range , the type of flocculant is identi fied as non-ionic .

[0061] 5202 . Upon the pH value being within the second predetermined pH range and the potential value being within the second predetermined potential range , the type of flocculant is identi fied as anionic .

[0062] 5203 . Upon the pH value being within the third predetermined pH range and the potential value being within the third predetermined potential range , the type of flocculant is identi fied as cationic .

[0063] In which, the pH values within the third preset pH range are greater than the pH values within the first preset pH range and the second preset pH range ;

[0064] The potential values within the second preset potential range are greater than the potential values within the first preset potential range ;

[0065] The potential values within the first preset potential range are greater than the potential values within the third preset potential range .

[0066] In some embodiments , the lower limit of the second preset pH range is less than the lower limit of the first preset pH range , and the upper limit of the second preset pH range is equal to the upper limit of the first preset pH range . It is understood that the pH values within the first preset pH range are near-neutral , which can be 6 to 8 , and the surface of the material particles within the first preset charge range is nearly uncharged ( Zeta potential -5mV to 5mV) . Non-ionic PAM ( Polyacrylamide , polyacrylamide ) is selected as the flocculant , primarily applied in the thickening of mineral slurries in mineral processing operations .

[0067] The second preset pH range can be 2 to 8 , and the surface of the material particles within the second preset charge range carries a positive charge ( Zeta potential > 5mV) . Anionic PAM is selected .

[0068] The pH value within the third preset pH range is greater than 8 , and the surface of the material particles within the third preset charge range carries a negative charge ( Zeta potential < - 5mV) . Cationic PAM is selected .

[0069] In some embodiments , the feed slurry parameters of the thickener include : the feed slurry concentration and the feed slurry density of the thickener ;

[0070] The discharge slurry parameters of the thickener include : the discharge slurry concentration, the discharge slurry density, and the discharge volume flow rate of the thickener ;

[0071] The second slurry parameters also include : the sedimentation area of the thickener ;

[0072] Based on the second slurry parameters , the first sedimentation velocity within the thickener after the addition of the flocculant is determined, including :

[0073] Determining the first sedimentation velocity within the thickener after the addition of the flocculant based on the feed slurry concentration, the feed slurry density, the discharge slurry concentration, the discharge slurry density, the discharge volume flow rate , and the sedimentation area of the thickener .

[0074] It is understood that after the appropriate type of flocculant is selected, determining the optimal dosage o f flocculant to achieve the best results becomes an important i ssue . The core purpose of adding a flocculant is to increase the sedimentation velocity of the material , and within a given thickener, in order for the material to achieve the target discharge concentration and flow rate , the sedimentation rate must satis fy the following relationship :

[0075] In which, vmjnrepresents the first sedimentation velocity, Cl represents the feed slurry concentration of the thickener, pi represents the feed slurry density of the thickener, C2 represents the discharge slurry concentration, P2 represents the discharge slurry density, S represents the sedimentation area of the thickener, and G represents the discharge volume flow rate .

[0076] In some embodiments , the feed slurry parameters of the thickener also include : the viscosity of the thickener feed slurry without the addition of flocculants ;

[0077] The second slurry parameters also include : the liquid phase density, the material density, and the average particle si ze of the material ;

[0078] Based on the second slurry parameters , the second sedimentation velocity without the addition of flocculants is determined, including :

[0079] Determining the second sedimentation velocity without the addition of flocculants based on the material density, the liquid phase density, the average particle si ze of the material , and the viscosity of the thickener feed slurry without the addition of flocculants .

[0080] It is understood that for a given material , without the addition of flocculants , its initial sedimentation velocity ( i . e . , the second sedimentation velocity) is : va= / (13.95^)2+ 1.09(p3~Po)gd — 13.95^ ( 2 ) d' Po d

[0081] In which, varepresents the second sedimentation velocity, ps represents the material density, po represents the liquid phase density, g represents the acceleration due to gravity, d represents the average particle si ze of the material , and 7] represents the initial viscosity of the thickener feed slurry (without the addition of flocculants ) .

[0082] In some embodiments , the dosage of the flocculant is determined based on the first sedimentation velocity and the second sedimentation velocity, including :

[0083] Determining the dosage of the flocculant based on the ratio of the first sedimentation velocity to the second sedimentation velocity, as well as the concentration of the flocculant in the liquid phase .

[0084] In some embodiments , the dosage of the flocculant is determined based on the ratio of the first sedimentation velocity to the second sedimentation velocity, as well as the concentration of the flocculant in the liquid phase , including :

[0085] Obtaining the concentration of the flocculant in the liquid phase based on the ratio of the first sedimentation velocity to the second sedimentation velocity, as well as the concentration of the flocculant in the liquid phase ;

[0086] Obtaining the dosage of the flocculant based on the concentration of the flocculant in the liquid phase , the feed slurry concentration of the thickener, and the mass flow rate of the thickener feed slurry .

[0087] It is understood that as the flocculant is added, the sedimentation velocity of the material changes , and there is a proportional relationship between the sedimentation velocity of the material at this time and the sedimentation velocity without the addition of the flocculant , k = vmjn / va, where vmjnis the sedimentation velocity of the material after the addition of the flocculant ( i . e . , the first sedimentation velocity) , vais the initial sedimentation velocity ( i . e . , the second sedimentation velocity) , and the value of k satis fies the following relationship with the concentration of the flocculant in the liquid phase :

[0088] In which, C represents the concentration of the flocculant in the liquid phase , ai~a3is a constant that can be determined through experimentation, and k is the ratio of the sedimentation velocity after the addition of the flocculant to the sedimentation velocity without the addition of the flocculant . Therefore , by knowing the concentration in the liquid phase , one can calculate the required dosage of the flocculant to be added .

[0089] It is easily understood that the experimental calibration method in this embodiment can employ existing conventional methods , and this embodiment does not limit the speci fic approach . For example , take 4 equal portions of the material to be settled, add no flocculant to one portion, and add di f ferent dosages of the flocculant to the other three portions. Measure the sedimentation velocity of the four portions of the material to be settled, calculate the k values corresponding to the three portions with added flocculants, and simultaneously calculate the concentrations of the flocculants in the three portions. Based on the three k values, the three flocculant concentration values obtained from the calculations, and the aforementioned formula (3) , establish a system of three linear equations, and solve it to obtain the value of ax~a3.

[0090] The feed flow rate and solid content are known, and the required flocculant dosage can be calculated based on the liquid volume, for example: m = C x (1 — Cx) x v0(4)

[0091] In which, m represents the amount of flocculant added, i.e., the dosage, C represents the concentration of the flocculant in the liquid phase, Ci represents the feed slurry concentration of the thickener, and v0represents the mass flow rate of the feed.

[0092] In some embodiments, the method provided by the present invention includes:

[0093] Obtaining the first slurry parameters of the thickener (pH and charge) and determining the type of flocculant based on preset conditions ;

[0094] Obtaining the second slurry parameters of the thickener (feed slurry concentration, feed slurry density, target discharge slurry concentration / density, etc.) , and based on these parameters and formulas (1) to (3) , determining the value that the flocculant concentration in the thickener needs to reach (i.e., the flocculant concentration required to achieve the target discharge requirements) ;

[0095] Adjusting the amount of flocculant added to the thickener based on the flocculant concentration, the feed slurry concentration, and the mass concentration of the feed.

[0096] The following experimental validation was conducted for the method according to the embodiments described above:

[0097] Example 1 :

[0098] The feed slurry entering the thickener after beneficiation of lateritic nickel ore was tested, with a measured feed concentration of 11.8%, pH of 6.8, and Zeta potential of 2.36 mV. In this case, non-ionic PAM (in this experiment, non-ionic PAM from the Chinese mainland brand Aisen was used) was selected.

[0099] The relevant parameters of the feed slurry, discharge slurry, and thickener were determined and substituted into the aforementioned formula (1) to obtain vmjn; where, Ci=0.118, pi=1.092*103kg / m3, C2=0.4, p2=1.400*103kg / m3, S=25 nT, G=400m3 / h. According to formula (1) , vmjn»8.04 mm / s was calculated to be approximately 8.04 mm / s . It is worth noting that C2=0.4 and p2=1.400*103kg / m3represent the target discharge slurry concentration and density that the thickener's discharge slurry needs to achieve.

[0100] The obtained vmjnwas combined with formulas (2) and (3) to determine the concentration of the flocculant in the slurry required to meet the target discharge requirements; where, po=l.O*lO3kg / m3, p3=3.5*103kg / m3, d=10um, 7] = 0.035 Pa*s. After calculation, vawas approximately 2.8 mm / s; using k=2.8525, C was calculated to be approximately 0.00001 kg / m3.

[0101] In the calculation of C, ai=-0.0516, a2=l .724*10~6, a3=2.297*10~11. The aforementioned ai to as were calculated using the exemplary method described above, that is, by testing four equal portions of the lateritic nickel ore beneficiation slurry, with one portion not added with the aforementioned brand of flocculant, and the other three portions added with flocculants at concentrations of 0.000015 kg / m3, 0.00002 kg / m3, and 0.000025 kg / m3, respectively. The sedimentation velocities of the four portions of the slurry were tested, and the calculated k values were 6.045, 10.867, and 18.48, respectively. By substituting the aforementioned flocculant concentration values and k values into formula (3) , ai=-0.0516, a2=l .724*10~6, as=2.297*10-11were obtained.

[0102] The obtained C value was substituted into formula (4) , resulting in m=16.74 kg / h, which translates to a specific flocculant consumption of 74.75 g / 1. Here, vo=2O44.5 m3 / h, which was obtained from real-time testing of the feed slurry.

[0103] By adding the selection and dosage of flocculant determined by the aforementioned steps to the thickener and controlling the bottom discharge of the thickener at a discharge volume flow rate G=400m3 / h, the bottom discharge concentration was tested. The actual bottom discharge concentration of the thickener was found to be 39.7%, and the density was 1.396 x 10A3 kg / m3. Comparison revealed that the actual bottom discharge concentration and density of the thickener were essentially consistent with the target discharge slurry concentration and density (i.e., the aforementioned C2=0.4, p2=1.400 *103kg / m3) , indicating that the selection and dosage of the flocculant determined by this application can meet and achieve the predetermined discharge requirements of the thickener's bottom flow slurry.

[0104] Example 2 :

[0105] The feed slurry entering the thickener after nickel-cobalt precipitation was tested, with a measured feed concentration of 6.8%, pH of 7.0, and Zeta potential of 9.86 mV. In this case, anionic PAM (in this experiment, anionic PAM from the Chinese mainland brand Aisen was used) was selected.

[0106] The relevant parameters of the feed slurry, discharge slurry, and thickener were determined and substituted into the aforementioned formula (1) to obtain vmjn; where, Ci=0.068, pi=l .046*103kg / m3, C2=0.3, p2=l .239*103kg / m3, S=31.4 m2, G=400m3 / h. According to formula (1) , vmjnwas calculated to be approximately 6.19 mm / s . It is worth noting that Cz=0.3 and p2=l .239*103kg / m3represent the target discharge slurry concentration and density that the thickener's discharge slurry needs to achieve.

[0107] The obtained vmjnwas combined with formulas (2) and (3) to determine the concentration of the flocculant in the slurry required to meet the target discharge requirements; where, po=l • 0*103kg / m3, ps=2.8*103kg / m3, d=5.8um, rj =0.028Pa*s. After calculation, vawas approximately 0.83 mm / s; using k=7.46, C was calculated to be approximately 0.000011 kg / m3.

[0108] In the calculation of C, ai=0.0965, a2=-2.893* 10~6, a3=3.636*10~11. The aforementioned ai to aa were calculated using the exemplary method described above, that is, by testing four equal portions of the feed slurry after nickel-cobalt precipitation, with one portion not added with the aforementioned brand of flocculant, and the other three portions added with flocculants at concentrations of 0.00001 kg / m3, 0.000015 kg / m3, and 0.00002 kg / m3, respectively. The sedimentation velocities of the four portions of the slurry were tested, and the calculated k values were 5.855, 15.334, and 25.683, respectively. By substituting the aforementioned flocculant concentration values and k values into formula (3) , ai=0.0965, a2=-2.893* 10~6, as=3.636* 10-11were obtained.

[0109] The obtained C value was substituted into formula (4) , resulting in m=21.4 kg / h, which translates to a specific flocculant consumption of 150.8 g / 1. Here, vo=2184 m3 / h, which was obtained from real-time testing of the feed slurry.

[0110] By adding the selection and dosage of flocculant determined by the aforementioned steps to the thickener and controlling the bottom discharge of the thickener at a discharge volume flow rate G=400 m3 / h, the bottom discharge concentration was tested. The actual bottom discharge concentration of the thickener was found to be 29.5%, and the density was 1.234*103kg / m3. Comparison revealed that the actual bottom discharge concentration and density of the thickener were essentially consistent with the target discharge slurry concentration and density (i.e., the aforementioned C2=0.3, p2=1.239*103kg / m3) , indicating that the selection and dosage of the flocculant determined by this application can meet and achieve the predetermined discharge requirements of the thickener's bottom flow slurry.

[0111] As shown in Figure 3, the present invention also provides an apparatus 300 for determining the selection and dosage of flocculants in the hydrometallurgical process of lateritic nickel ore, which includes:

[0112] A type selection module 301, which is used to obtain the first slurry parameters of the thickener and determine the type of flocculant based on the first slurry parameters; the first slurry parameters include the pH value of the slurry in the thickener and the potential value on the surface of the material particles;

[0113] A sedimentation velocity calculation module 302, which is used to obtain the second slurry parameters of the thickener and determine the first sedimentation velocity in the thickener after the addition of the flocculant and the second sedimentation velocity without the addition of the flocculant; the second slurry parameters include the feed slurry parameters and the discharge slurry parameters of the thickener;

[0114] A dosage calculation module 303, which is used to determine the dosage of the flocculant based on the first sedimentation velocity and the second sedimentation velocity. The apparatus for determining the selection and dosage of flocculants in the hydrometallurgical process of lateritic nickel ore provided in the above embodiment can implement the technical solutions described in the method embodiments for determining the selection and dosage of flocculants in the hydrometallurgical process of lateritic nickel ore . The speci fic principles of the implementation of the above modules or units can be referred to the corresponding contents in the method embodiments for determining the selection and dosage of flocculants in the hydrometallurgical process of lateritic nickel ore , and will not be repeated here .

[0115] As shown in Figure 4 , the present invention also provides a corresponding electronic device 400 . The electronic device 400 includes a processor 401 , a memory 402 , and a display 403 . Figure 4 only shows some components of the electronic device 400 , but it should be understood that it is not necessary to implement all the shown components , and it is possible to implement more or fewer components as alternatives .

[0116] The memory 402 , in some embodiments , can be an internal storage unit of the electronic device 400 , such as a hard disk or memory of the electronic device 400 . In other embodiments , the memory 402 can also be an external storage device of the electronic device 400 , such as a plug-in hard disk equipped on the electronic device 400 , a Smart Media Card ( SMC ) , a Secure Digital ( SD) card, a Flash Card, etc .

[0117] Furthermore , the memory 402 can also include both an internal storage unit and an external storage device of the electronic device 400 . The memory 402 is used to store application software and various data installed on the electronic device 400 .

[0118] The processor 401 , in some embodiments , can be a Central Processing Unit ( CPU) , a microprocessor, or other data processing chips , used to run program code stored in the memory 402 or to process data, such as the method for determining the selection and dosage of flocculants in the hydrometallurgical process of lateritic nickel ore in this invention .

[0119] The display 403 , in some embodiments , can be an LED display, a liquid crystal display, a touch liquid crystal display, and an OLED ( Organic Light-Emitting Diode ) touch panel , etc . The display 403 is used to display information on the electronic device 400 and to display a visual user interface . Components 401-403 of the electronic device 400 communicate with each other through a system bus .

[0120] In some embodiments of the present invention, when the processor 401 executes the program for determining the selection and dosage of flocculants in the hydrometallurgical process of lateritic nickel ore stored in the memory 402 , the following steps can be achieved :

[0121] Obtaining the first slurry parameters of the thickener and determine the type of flocculant based on the first slurry parameters ; the first slurry parameters include the pH value of the slurry in the thickener and the potential value on the surface of the material particles .

[0122] Obtaining the second slurry parameters of the thickener and determining the first sedimentation velocity in the thickener after the addition of the flocculant and the second sedimentation velocity without the addition of the flocculant based on the second slurry parameters ; the second slurry parameters include the feed slurry parameters and the discharge slurry parameters of the thickener .

[0123] Determining the dosage of the flocculant based on the first sedimentation velocity and the second sedimentation velocity .

[0124] It should be understood that : in addition to the above functions , the processor 401 , when executing the program for determining the selection and dosage of flocculants in the hydrometallurgical process of lateritic nickel ore stored in the memory 402 , can also achieve other functions , which can be referred to the description of the corresponding method embodiments mentioned earlier .

[0125] Furthermore , the present invention does not speci fically limit the type of the mentioned electronic device 400 . The electronic device 400 can be a smartphone , tablet computer, personal digital assistant ( PDA) , wearable device , laptop, or other portable electronic devices . Examples of portable electronic devices include but are not limited to those equipped with iOS , Android, Microsoft , or other operating systems . The aforementioned portable electronic devices can also be other portable electronic devices , such as laptops with touch-sensitive surfaces ( e . g . , touch panels ) . It should also be understood that in some other embodiments of the present invention, the electronic device 400 may not be a portable electronic device but a desktop computer with a touch-sensitive surface ( e . g . , a touch panel ) .

[0126] On the other hand, the invention also provides a non-transient computer readable storage medium on which a computer program is stored . The computer program, when executed by the processor, is implemented to execute the method for determining the selection and dosage of flocculant in the laterite nickel ore hydrometallurgical process provided by the above methods . The method comprises :

[0127] The first slurry parameters of the thickener are obtained, and the type of flocculant is determined based on the first slurry parameters . The first slurry parameters include : the pH value of the slurry in the thickener and the potential value of the material particle surface ;

[0128] The second slurry parameters of the thickener are obtained, and the first sedimentation rate after adding flocculant and the second sedimentation rate without adding flocculant in the thickener are determined based on the second slurry parameters . The second slurry parameters include the feeding slurry parameters and the discharging slurry parameters of the thickener ;

[0129] Based on the first sedimentation rate and the second sedimentation rate , the dosage of the flocculant is determined .

[0130] It is understood by those skilled in the art that all or part of the procedures for implementing the method of the embodiment may be accomplished by instructing the relevant hardware by a computer program, which may be stored in a computer readable storage medium . Among them, the computer readable storage medium is disk, optical disk, read-only storage memory or random storage memory .

[0131] The above method, device , electronic equipment and medium for determining the selection and dosage of flocculant in the laterite nickel ore hydrometallurgical process provided by the present invention are introduced in detail . In this paper, a speci fic example is used to describe the principle and implementation of the present invention . The above embodiment is only used to help understand the method and the core idea of the present invention . At the same time , for the technical personnel in the field, according to the idea of the invention, there wi ll be changes in the speci fic implementation method and the scope of application . In summary, the contents of the speci fication should not be construed as limitations of the invention .

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS1 . A method for determining the selection and dosage of flocculant in the hydrometallurgical process of laterite nickel ore is characteri zed in that it includes :Obtaining the first slurry parameters of the thickener, and determining the type of flocculant based on the first slurry parameters ; The first slurry parameters include : the pH value of the slurry in the thickener and the potential value of the material particle surface ;Obtaining the second slurry parameters of the thickener, and the first sedimentation rate after adding flocculant and the second sedimentation rate without adding flocculant in the thickener are determined based on the second slurry parameters . The second slurry parameters include the feeding slurry parameters and the discharging slurry parameters of the thickener ;Based on the first sedimentation rate and the second sedimentation rate , the dosage of the flocculant is determined .2 . According to claim 1 , the method for determining the selection and dosage of flocculant in the hydrometallurgical process of laterite nickel ore is characteri zed in that the type of flocculant is determined based on the first slurry parameters , including :In the case that the pH value is located in the first preset pH range and the potential value is located in the first preset potential range , the type of flocculant is determined to be nonionic ;In the case that the pH value is located in the second preset pH range and the potential value is located in the second preset potential range , the type of flocculant is determined to be anionic ;In the case that the pH value is located in the third preset pH range and the potential value is located in the third preset potential range , the type of flocculant is determined to be cationic type ;Wherein, the pH value in the third preset pH range is greater than the pH value in the first preset pH range and the pH value in the second preset pH range ;The potential value in the second preset potential range is greater than the potential value in the first preset potential range ;The potential value in the first preset potential range is greater than the potential value in the third preset potential range .3 . According to claim 2 , the method for determining the selection and dosage of flocculant in the hydrometallurgical process of laterite nickel ore is characteri zed in that the lower limit of the second preset pH range is less than the lower limit of the first preset pH range , and the upper limit of the second preset pH range is equal to the upper limit of the first preset pH range .4 . According to claim 1 , the method for determining the selection and dosage of flocculant in the hydrometallurgical process of laterite nickel ore is characteri zed in that the feed slurry parameters of thickener, including : feed slurry concentration of thickener and feed slurry density of thickener ;The discharge slurry parameters of the thickener, including : the discharge slurry concentration of the thickener , the discharge slurry density of the thickener and the discharge volume flow of the thickener ;The second slurry parameters also include : the settlement area of the thickener ; the first sedimentation rate after adding flocculant in the thickener is determined based on the second slurry parameters , including : the first sedimentation rate after adding flocculant in the thickener is determined based on the slurry concentration of the thickener feed, the slurry density of the thickener feed, the slurry concentration of the thickener discharge , the slurry density of the thickener discharge , the volume flow rate of the thickener discharge and the settlement area of the thickener .5 . According to claim 4 , the method for determining the selection and dosage of flocculant in the hydrometallurgical process of laterite nickel ore is characteri zed in that the parameters of thefeeding slurry of the thickener, and also includes the viscosity of the feeding slurry of the thickener when the flocculant is not combined;The second slurry parameters also include : liquid phase density, material density and material average particle si ze ;Based on the second slurry parameters to determine the second sedimentation rate without adding flocculant , including : based on the density of the material , liquid phase density, average particle si ze of the material and thickener feed slurry without flocculant viscosity, to determine the second sedimentation rate without adding flocculant .6 . According to any one of claims 1-5 , the method for determining the type selection and dosage of flocculant in the hydrometallurgical process of laterite nickel ore is characteri zed in that the dose of flocculant is determined based on the first sedimentation rate and the second sedimentation rate , including : the dose of flocculant is determined based on the ratio of the first sedimentation rate to the second sedimentation rate and the concentration of the flocculant in the liquid phase .7 . According to claim 6 , the method for determining the type selection and dosage of flocculant in the hydrometallurgical process of laterite nickel ore is characteri zed in that the dosage of flocculant is determined based on the ratio of the first sedimentation rate to the second sedimentation rate and the concentration of the flocculant in the liquid phase , including :Based on the ratio of the first sedimentation rate to the second sedimentation rate and the concentration of the flocculant in the liquid phase , the concentration of the liquid phase flocculant is obtained;Based on the concentration of the liquid phase flocculant , the slurry concentration of the thickener feed and the mass flow rate of the thickener feed, the dose of the flocculant is obtained .8 . A device for determining the selection and dosage of flocculant in the hydrometallurgical process of laterite nickel ore is characteri zed in that :Selection module , which is used to obtain the first slurry parameters of the thickener, and determining the type of flocculant based on the first slurry parameters ; The first slurry parameters include : the pH value of the slurry in the thickener and the potential value of the material particle surface ;The sedimentation rate calculation module is used to obtain the second slurry parameters of the thickener . Based on the second slurry parameters , the first sedimentation rate after adding flocculant in the thickener and the second sedimentation rate without adding flocculant are determined . The second slurry parameters include the feeding slurry parameters and the discharging slurry parameters of the thickener ;A dose calculation module is used to determine the dose of the flocculant based on the first and second sedimentation rates .9 . An electronic device is characteri zed in that it comprises a memory and a processor, among them,The memory is used for storing programs ;The processor, coupled to the memory, is used to execute the program stored in the memory to implement the steps of a method for determining the selection and dosage of flocculant in a hydrometallurgical process of latte nickel ore as described in any one of Claims 1 to 7 .10 . A non-transient computer readable storage medium on which a computer program is stored, characteri zed in that the computer program, when executed by the processor, reali zes the steps of the method for determining the selection and dosage of flocculant in the laterite nickel ore hydrometal lurgical process as described in either of Claims 1 to 7 .

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