Spiral separator and apparatus therefor

An apparatus for a spiral separator, for provision operatively intermediate upstream and downstream spiral trough parts of said spiral separator, the apparatus comprising:

• a slurry receiving region for receiving a mineral slurry flow from said upstream spiral trough part of said spiral separator;
• one or more splitters, configured to split the mineral slurry flow into a concentrate part, a semi-concentrate part and a remainder part;
• a mixing region configured to mix a more fluid radially more outward part of the remainder part with a less fluid radially more inward part of the remainder part, to provide a mixed remainder part for feeding onto the downstream spiral trough part;
• and
• a semi-concentrate bypass channel for conveying the semi-concentrate part towards the downstream spiral trough part, such that the semi-concentrate component bypasses and is segregated from the mixing region.

A method of concentrating a desired mineral provided in a mineral slurry comprising the mineral, gangue and water, the method comprising:

• using an upstream stage of a spiral separator to concentrate the desired mineral towards a radially inner side of a spiral trough of the upstream stage,
• splitting the mineral slurry, at or adjacent a bottom region of the upstream stage, into a concentrate part, a semi-concentrate part and a remainder part, wherein the concentrate part comprises a higher proportion of desired mineral to gangue than the semi-concentrate part, and the semi-concentrate part comprises a higher proportion of desired mineral to gangue than the remainder part,
• segregating the semi-concentrate part from the remainder part;
• mixing a more fluid radially more outward part the remainder part with a less fluid radially more inward part of the remainder part, in a mixing region of the spiral separator to thereby provide a mixed remainder part, wherein the semi-concentrate part is segregated from the mixing region;
• and
• feeding the mixed remainder part and the semi concentrate part onto a downstream stage of the spiral separator.