Spiral Separator Lab Report

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Spiral Separator Lab 4

Materials:

The equipment and materials used are as follows:

Scale
PPE
Spiral Separator
Magnetite/Silica samples

Introduction:

Wet spiral separators are devices utilized to separate solid components in slurry. The slurry must contain constituents based upon a combination of a solid’s particle density and the particle's hydrodynamic properties. The device consists of a spiral tower with a sluice wrapped around from which slots or channels are placed in the base of the sluice to extract solid particles that have come out of suspension.

The larger and heavier a particle, attains for it to sink to the bottom of the sluice faster. This allows the particle to experience more drag from the bottom, and so it moves toward …show more content…

Recorded the volume of water used.
Filled the collection tank until the red float rose and added at least 200 mL more.
Plugged the unit in and pump turned on.
Adjusted the black 4-headed knob until the water flow was below the lip of the spiral funnel.
Prepared a 500 gram sample and two 1000 gram samples of 10% magnetite and 90% sand.
Used a graduated cylinder, determined the specific gravity of both magnetite and sand.
Added one of the 1000 gram dry samples to the top of spiral where water is coming out of the distributor.
Allowed the sample to circulate until steady state was reached.
Once achieved steady state, adjusted the yellow gate at the bottom of the spiral to get efficient separation from the two outlets.
Collected a sample from each of the outlets and separated the denser material (heads) from the lighter material (tails). Then quantitatively transferred the heads and tails to a pan and measured the mass of solids plus …show more content…

This is most likely due to a sampling error caused by the pump delivery fluctuations. Therefore the pump never did achieve a steady state condition. Grade recovery would show up mainly in the magnetite specific gravity. All it would have taken was a minor fluctuation in the flow regime to homogenize the sample because the collection time required for the sample was longer than for the silica.

The spiral concentrator had several variables involved with the control of ore grade. First begins with the percent of solids, compared to the water flow. The effects of this were seen in the first and second samples, in which the pump was fluctuated by placing a clamp on the hose from the pump on top of the spiral separator. As the water was pumped, the first sample was added and it appeared to develop a clog at the bottom. The water was unable to carry the lighter particles as far up the outer radius. This caused the silica to be more centered and the stream of the magnetite to be thinner and more

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