US 4,279,741 AGranted

Method and apparatus for centrifugally separating a heavy fraction from a light weight fraction within a pulp material

AssigneeIntercontinental Development Corporation

InventorThomas P. Campbell

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Abstract

A centrifugal jig receives a pulp material within a rotating cylindrical jig bed for the purpose of separating the pulp into a selected heavy fraction and a lightweight fraction. The jig bed is cylindrical. It is rotated to produce an outward centrifugal force on the pulp material that is substantially greater than the force of gravity. A liquid is pulsed inwardly to produce a fluidic bed within the rotating jig bed to permit settling and separation of the heavy fraction from the lightweight fraction. The heavy fraction is screened and passed radially outward to be collected outside the bed. The lightweight fraction or tailings are moved over a discharge edge of the jig bed and are collected at a station remote from the heavy fraction collection area.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A centrifugal jig for separating a heavy fraction from a lightweight fraction of a pulp material, comprising:

a casing;
a hollow rotor mounted to the casing about a rotor axis;
a cylindrical jig screen mounted coaxially to the rotor for rotation therewith about the rotor axis for receiving pulp material to form a cylindrical jig bed;
means for rotating the rotor and cylindrical jig screen about the rotor axis at sufficient velocity to cause centrifugal loading on the cylindrical jig screen at least equal to ten times the force of gravity;
feed means for directing pulp material onto the cylindrical jig screen;
means for simultaneously directing positive fluid pulsations radially inward through the total circumference of the jig screen to form a uniform layered cylindrical pulsating fluidic bed of the pulp material on the cylindrical jig screen as it is rotated about the rotor axis;
discharge means adjacent the cylindrical jig screen adapted to receive a lightweight fraction of the pulp material;
and
receiver means in communication with the exterior of the jig screen for receiving fluid and the heavy fraction of the pulp material from the jig screen during rotation of the rotor means.

6 more elements

A method for separating a heavy fraction from a lightweight fraction contained in a pulp material, comprising the steps of:

(a) placing the slurry of pulp material in a cylindrical jig bed;
(b) rotating the cylindrical jig bed about its central axis at sufficient velocity to cause centrifugal loading on the cylindrical jig bed at least equal to ten times the force of gravity so as to force the slurry of pulp material radially outward by centrifugal force;
(c) simultaneously jigging the pulp material within the rotating cylindrical jig bed by positively pulsing a fluid radially inward simultaneously through the total circumference of the rotating cylindrical jig bed to form a uniform, layered cylindrical pulsating fluidic bed through which the heavy fraction will settle radially outward and the lightweight fraction will migrate toward a discharge;
(d) collecting the heavy fraction;
and
(e) separately discharging the lightweight fraction.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.