Method for beneficiating coal ore
AssigneeBethlehem Steel Corporation
InventorStanton D. Irons
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A new heavy liquid parting medium comprising an emulsion of water and a substantially water immiscible heavy parting liquid for use in beneficiating ores by gravity separations such as sink-float processes. The specific gravity of the emulsion parting medium can be adjusted by proportioning the relative amounts of water and the substantially water immiscible heavy liquid. As-mined coal is beneficiated using a water-trichlorofluoromethane emulsion as the parting medium in a sink-float separation process.
Claims6
A float and sink method for separating coarse coal particles from gangue in a coal ore wherein the coarse coal particles report as a float product and the gangue reports as a sink product in a separating device containing a heavy medium liquid, comprising:
- (a) comminuting the coal ore to provide coarse and fine particles therein to a size consist of -1/2 inch by 0,
- (b) separating the comminuted particles into coarse particles having a size consist of -1/2 inch by +48 m from the fine particles having a size consist of -48 m by 0 in a screening step,
- (c) charging the coarse particles into the separating device containing a heavy medium liquid consisting of a water-trichlorofluoromethane emulsion having a specific gravity intermediate the specific gravities of the coal particles and gangue,
- (d) separating the coarse coal particles as a float product and the gangue as a sink product,
- (e) recovering the coarse coal particles and
- (f) passing the gangue to further processing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.