Electrostatic separation control system
AssigneeSeparation Technologies, Inc.
InventorsBruce E. MacKay, Bulent Sert
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Abstract
A process control system, more particularly, a process control system for controlling electrostatic separation for the separation of particulate materials is provided.
Claims70
A method for controlling processing of particulate materials using an electrostatic separation system, the method comprising:
- processing particulate material in a triboelectric counter-current belt-type electrostatic separation system to recover a first stream that is diluted in at least one component of an incoming feed, and a second stream that is concentrated in at least one component of the incoming feed;
- determining at least one input variable of the electrostatic separation process and at least one output variable indicative of at least one property of the first stream to be controlled in the electrostatic separation system;
- on-line measuring at time spaced intervals the at least one output variable from the electrostatic separation system using an on-line analyzer;
- selecting a target range for the at least one output variable;
- comparing the measured output variable with the target range to generate an output signal;
- and
- automatically adjusting by a control system the at least one input variable in response to a process based at least in part on the output signal.
An apparatus for separating particulate mixtures comprising:
- a feed point configured to receive particulate material;
- a triboelectric counter-current belt-type electrostatic separation system;
- an on-line sensor in fluid communication with the particulate material and configured to measure an output variable of the particulate material;
- and
- a controller operatively coupled to receive an output signal from the on-line sensor based at least in part on the measured output variable and control at least one input variable of the electrostatic separation system based at least in part on the output signal.
A computer readable medium including computer readable signals stored thereon defining instructions that, as a result of being executed by a controller, instruct the controller to perform a method of controlling processing of particulate materials using a triboelectric counter-current belt-type electrostatic separation system comprising:
- on-line measuring an output variable using an on-line analyzer;
- comparing the output variable to a target range;
- generating an output signal based on the at least one output variable and the target range;
- and
- adjusting at least one input variable based at least in part on the output.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.