Gravity Concentration

Hand Panning, Falcon Concentrator, Shaking Table

Pre-Laboratory Questions

1. What are the factors that would have the greatest effect on the operation of gravity
concentration circuits?

2. Evaluate these techniques for concentrating minerals by evaluating its advantages and
disadvantages.

Objectives

The experiment aims to familiarize the student with the operation and control of different laboratory
sized gravity concentration techniques such as a vanning pan, Wilfley shaking table and Falcon
concentrator. It also aims to study the effect of different factors on the recovery of the valuable
minerals using different methods.

Equipment and Materials

Vanning Pan Mineral Sample

Laboratory Ball Mill Pails
Falcon Concentrator Scoops
Wilfley Shaking Table Sample Containers
Weighing Balance Sieves
Pressure Filter Filter Paper

Procedure

A. Sample Preparation
1. Crush and grind the ore to produce at least 8 kilos each of -140 mesh and -200 mesh particle
sizes.
2. Obtain 500 grams representative sample for each size fraction.
3. Assay the samples using either of the techniques learned in MetE 13.

B. Hand Panning
1. Obtain 1 kilogram of the sample for each run. Use appropriate sampling techniques in
obtaining materials from the bulk sample.
2. Grab a handful of the sample and place it in a vanning pan with slight indentation in the
center. Add a little water and mix thoroughly with your hands.
3. Slowly rotate the pan clockwise and at the same time tap the sides every five seconds.
4. Add some more water and repeat step 4. Use the same pail for the collection of the tailings
material. Repeat this step until the water which comes out is already clear.
5. At this stage, add more water and pan the sample slowly, while tilting the pan slightly to let
the concentrate flow to the side. Collect the concentrate.
6. Repeat the process until all the concentrates has been collected
7. Weigh the products after filtering and drying.
 8. Take the specific gravity of the products.
9. Assay the products using either of the techniques used in MetE 13.

C. Wilfley Shaking Table

Shaking Table Experiment Parameters

Run Particle Size Deck Angle
1 -150 mesh Low
2 -150 mesh High
3 -200 mesh Low
4 -200 mesh High

1. Obtain 1 kilogram of the sample for each run. Use appropriate sampling techniques in
obtaining materials from the bulk sample.
2. Using only flowing water, determine the nature of the table motion.
3. Adjust the deck angle at the assigned setting.
4. Take your sample and feed to the table at a constant feed rate.
5. Obtain the products containing the tailings, middlings and concentrate.
6. Filter the products and dry them.
7. Weigh the products after filtering and drying.
8. Take the specific gravity of the products.
9. Assay the products using either of the techniques used in MetE 13.

D. Falcon Concentration
Falcon Concentrator Experiment Parameters
Run Particle Size Frequency (Hertz)
1 -150 mesh Low
2 -150 mesh High
3 -200 mesh Low
4 -200 mesh High

1. Obtain 1 kilogram of the sample for each run. Use appropriate sampling techniques in
obtaining materials from the bulk sample.
2. Place the ore in a plastic pail and add water to obtain a mixture with 10 % solids.
3. Prepare the falcon concentrator. Adjust the frequency and adjust the water pressure.
4. Take your sample and feed to the falcon concentrator at a constant feed rate.
5. Obtain the concentrate and tailings after the run.
6. Filter the products and dry them.
7. Weigh the products after filtering and drying.
8. Take the specific gravity of the products.
9. Assay the products using either of the techniques used in MetE 13.