Apparatus for mineral matter separation
OwnerRabinder S. Dattainventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A combination of raw coal and water is introduced as a slurry into a vessel. Chemicals are introduced at a feed inlet. The mixture is reduced by interaction with a bed of agitated grinding balls. Air is introduced into the lower portion of the vessel and forced upwardly through the circuitous passages among and between the grinding balls. The rising air bubbles carry the more hydropholic product upwardly into a froth compartment of the vessel and through a discharge outlet of the vessel. Wash water is introduced into the upper portion of the vessel and descends through the froth and the ball passages carrying entrained and less hydrophobic particles into the grinding chamber. The non-floatable material flows downwardly from the grinding chamber to a refuse zone for discharge as refuse from the vessel.
Claims14
Apparatus for producing a beneficiated mineral product comprising,
- an elongated vessel having an upper end portion with an opening and a lower end portion with an opening,
- a reducing zone provided in said vessel lower end portion,
- an inlet in said vessel positioned intermediate said upper and lower end portions for introducing into said vessel a downward flow of slurry of mineral product,
- means positioned in said vessel for agitating the mineral product to reduce the particle size of the mineral product into a desired constituent and an undesired constituent,
- said agitating means including a grinding medium dispersed throughout said reducing zone to form a plurality of flow passages extending in a circuitous pattern throughout said grinding medium,
- means for injecting said fluid under pressure in said reducing zone into contact with said grinding medium to form a plurality of bubbles passing upwardly through said circuitous flow passages,
- said desired constituent being less dense than said undesired constituent,
- said desired constituent being separated from said undesired constituent by upward flow of said desired constituent with said fluid and downward flow of said undesired constituent in said vessel,
- an outlet in said opening of said vessel upper end portion for discharging the upward flow of said desired constituent out of said vessel, and
- an outlet in said opening of said vessel lower end portion for discharging said undesired constituent from said vessel.
A mill for the simultaneous size reduction of particulate mineral product and separation of the desired mineral constituent from the gangue comprising,
- an elongated vessel having an inlet for receiving a slurry feed of particulate mineral product, an upper outlet for discharging the desired mineral constituent, and a lower outlet for discharging the gangue,
- agitating means positioned in said vessel and extending upwardly from adjacent said lower outlet for fracturing said particulate mineral product into a desired mineral constituent and a gangue,
- said agitating means including a bed of grinding balls in said vessel,
- an inlet for introducing fluid under pressure into said mixture with said desired mineral constituent to form a froth,
- said fluid under pressure being injected upwardly in said bed of grinding balls and said slurry feed being injected downwardly in said bed of grinding balls to form a plurality of flow passages interspersed in a circuitous pattern throughout said bed of grinding balls to facilitate said separation of the desired mineral constituent from the slurry feed and forming a rising column of froth,
- said desired mineral constituent being entrained in said froth and rising upwardly in said vessel out of mixture with said gangue for discharge through said upper outlet, and
- said gangue being entrained in said slurry feed and descending downwardly in said vessel for separation for said desired mineral constituent and removal from said vessel through said lower outlet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.