Notes-6

Material No: 1

Classification is a method of separating mixtures of minerals into two or more products

on the basis of the velocity with which the particles fall through a fluid medium.

The classifier is basically when we use when the particle size becomes very fine when
practically the size separation using industrial screens become technically difficult as
well as economically not viable because as the fineness of the particles increases the
surface area requirement becomes huge. And in that case we try to separate the particles
based on their sizes using this principle of movement of solids in fluid media.

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The principles of classification are also important in mineral separations using gravity
concentrators; that means, now in case of classifier we try to promote separation based on
the sizes that is the difference in sizes. But it is almost impossible to neglect the effect of
the density of the particles also. So, you have to consider the density of the particles
whereas, the challenge is that is how do I minimize the effect of density and we try to
promote separation based on size when we are talking about classifiers. The classification
process involves the balancing of the accelerating that is your gravitational, it could be
centrifugal forces that is your downward forces and opposing that is your drag or maybe
your buoyancy forces acting upon the particles. So, that the resulting net force has a
different direction for fine and coarse particles. That means what we try to say here that is
your force balances should be such adjusted that your relatively finer particles should
have much lesser settling velocity in that fluid medium that is the water then my coarser
part relatively coarser particles to have separations between those two sizes.

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.

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Thickners-

A thickener is an equipment structure used for the continuous gravity settling

(sedimentation) of solids in suspensions. Suspension is fed into one or more basins or
chambers and, whilst it is passing through, the solids settle out. The thickened solids are
removed together with a portion of the liquid as thickened "underflow". The liquid,
ideally containing no solids, forms the "overflow" from the thickener. Thickeners vary
widely in size and configuration, but they all comprise:
a. A vessel to provide volume and area needed for thickening, with the area being large
enough to allow the solids to settle at a velocity faster than the upward velocity of the
liquid;
b. A system for introducing the feed and directing it into the flow paths that best utilize
the vessel volume and area;
c. an overflow system for collecting clarified liquid;
d. a mechanism to convey settled solids to a discharge point.

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Batch sedimentation

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Cyclone Separator
Cyclone separators provide a method of removing particulate matter from air or other gas
streams at low cost and low maintenance. Cyclones are somewhat more complicated in
design than simple gravity settling systems, and their removal efficiency is much better
than that of settling chamber. Cyclones are basically centrifugal separators, consists of an
upper cylindrical part referred to as the barrel and a lower conical part referred to as cone
(figure 5.1). They simply transform the inertia force of gas particle flows to a centrifugal
force by means of a vortex generated in the cyclone body. The particle laden air stream
enters tangentially at the top of the barrel and travels downward into the cone forming an
outer vortex. The increasing air velocity in the outer vortex results in a centrifugal force
on the particles separating them from the air stream. When the air reaches the bottom of
the cone, it begins to flow radially inwards and out the top as clean air/gas while the
particulates fall into the dust collection chamber attached to the bottom of the cyclone.
Cyclones have no moving parts and available in many shapes and sizes, for example from
the small 1 and 2 cm diameter source sampling cyclones which are used for particle size
analysis to the large 5 m diameter cyclone separators used after wet scrubbers, but the
basic separation principle remains the same. Three different types of cyclone are shown
in figure 5.2. First figure i.e. 5.2a shows a cyclone with a tangential entry. These types of
cyclones have a distinctive and easily recognized form and widely used in power and
cement plants, feed mills and many other process industries.

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