Evaluation of the Four Inch Compound Water Cyclone As a Fine Gold Concentrator Using Radiotracer Tecjiniques
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MIRL REPORT NO. 70 EVALUATION OF THE FOUR INCH COMPOUND WATER CYCLONE AS A FINE GOLD CONCENTRATOR USING RADIOTRACER TECJINIQUES By DANIEL E. WALSH MINERAL INDUSTRY RESEARCH LABORATORY School of Mineral Engineering University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks, Alaska 99775-1180 September, 1985 MIRL REPORT NO. 70 EVALUATION OF THE FOUR INCH COMPOUND WATER CYCLONE AS A FINE GOLD CONCENTRATOR USING RADIOTRACER TECHNIQUES By DANIEL E. WALSH MINERAL INDUSTRY RESEARCH LABORATORY School of Mineral Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks, Alaska 99775-1180 September, 1985 ABSTRACT A 4 inch compound water cyclone, ewc, was tested to evaluate its gold recovery characteristics when processing minus 3/16 inch, run-of-pit, placer material. Neutron activated placer gold particles (841 to 37 microns) were used as radiotraCers concentratorrecovery; a procedure believed unique to this study. Theeffect on goldrecovery ofgold size and shape, feed pulp density, feed pressure, vortex fmder clearance (VFC), CWC cone type, top-size of the feed solids, presence or absence of heavy minerals in the feed, and the quantity of -400 mesh slimes in the feed was investigated in over 300 tests. ewc concentration ratio and the top-size of the underflow solids were both affected by cone type, VFC, and feed pressure. Gold recovery was significantly affected by gold size, gold shape, and concentration ratio. These effects are complex, since significant size-concentration ratio and size-shape interactions exist. Radiotraeer techniques showed gold particles had a residence time within the ewc of approximately one second, thus challenging the three stage, segregated bed theory of ewc concentration. This work suggests CWC gold recovery is a function of particle size and shape, and the water flow rate through the CWC. "Bed density" is considered important only as a thin, protective layer, which shields coarser gold particles from the entraining currents and facilitates their movement through the CWC. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT . TABLE OF CONTENTS. .......................................... iii LIST OF FIGURES. ............................................. IV LIST OF TABLES IX ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .......................................... XIll IN1RODUCTION ............................................... 1 CHAPTER 1 PROPERTIES OF PLACER GOLD INFLUENCING ITS DEPOSITION AND RECOVERY. .. ................... 2 Introduction. ................................................ 2 Settling Velocity Theory "....... 3 Measures of Gold Particle Shape 5 Effects of Gold Particle Shape on Settling Velocity. ..................... 5 Gold Recovery Considemtions. .................................... 8 CHAPTER 2 THE COMPOUND WATER CyCLONE............... .... 13 Introduction. ................................................ 13 Hydrocyclone Structure and Application . .. .. 13 Cyclone Hydrodynamics '.' ............................... 16 Compound Water Cyclone Development and Operational Theory 16 Compound Water Cyclone Research by Other Agencies. .................. 21 Preliminary Compound Water Cyclone Research by MIRL ................. 36 CHAPTER 3 RADIOTRACER APPLICATION 46 Introduction. ................................................ 46 Atomic Structure ............................................. 46 Radioactive Decay ............................................ 47 Interactions of Nuclear Radiation with Matter. ......................... 48 Radioactive Half-life. .......................................... 52 Radiotracer Production ......................................... 52 Radiotracer Detection. ......................................... 54 Radiotracers in Mineral Preparation Research. ......................... 56 11 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Radiotraeer Considerations for Compound Water Cyclone Evaluation. ......... 57 Radiological Safety. ........................................... 61 CHAPTER 4 EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN . 63 Introduction. ................................................ 63 Definition of Tenus 64 Response Variable Identification 64 Factor Identification ........................................... 65 Sample Size Planning .......................................... 65 Sampling Plan ............................................... 67 Data Analysis ... 68 CHAPTER 5 EXPERIMENTAL DESCRIPTION AND RESULTS ............ 69 Introduction. ................................................ 69 Sample Acquisition Size Analysis. ................................. 70 Gold Size and Shape Sorting Procedure. ............................. 70 Phase I. ................................................... 70 Phase 2. ................................................... 72 Phase 3. ................................................... 94 Phase 4. ................................................. .. 101 Phase 5. ................................................. .. 105 Phase 6. ................................................. .. 128 Phase 7. ................................................. .. 129 SUMMARY " 129 REFERENCES " 130 iii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page I-I Schematic of MIRL's two-stage CWC pilot plant (Cyclone Engineering Sales Ltd., 1978) ........................... 2 1-1 Drag coefficient (CO> for spheres and circular discs as a function of the Reynolds Number. (Streeter and Wylie, 1975) .................. 6 1-2 Relationship between particle nominal (sieve) diameter and fall diameter. (Wasp, 1977) 6 1-3 Mass of gold particles (a) and their settling velocity (b) versus their flatness factor. (Shilo and Shumilov, 1970) ........................ 7 1-4 Settling velocity of natural gold particles versus their flatness factor. Gold from six placers in the northeastern Kolyma region. (Shilo and Shumilov, 1970) ................................... 9 1-5 Gold recovery on a concentrating table by size for (1) laminar, lumpy grains and (2) porous, needle-shaped grains. (Zarnyatin, 1970) 10 1-6 Gold (or tin) recovery versus particle size for four gravity concentrators. (Nio, 1984) 12 2-1 Simplified perspective view of the hydrocyclone showing the "spiral within a spiral" flow pattern. (Svarovsky, 1984) ............... 13 2-2 Comparison of design features between the compound water cyclone and the classifying cyclone. (Rao, 1982). ................... 15 2-3 Types of compound cones used in the compound water cyclone. (Bath, 1973) ............................................. 17 2-4 Flow patterns in the upper regions of the hydrocyclone. (Bradley, 1959) 18 2-5 The locus of zero vertical velocity in a hydrocyclone. (Bradley, 1959) ........................................... 18 2-6 The three velocity components in a hydrocyclone. (Kelsall, 1952). ........ 19 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 2-7 Separating process in the compound water cyclone. (Visman, 1963) .. .......................................... 20 2-8 Two-stage CWC concentration with automatic control. (Cyclone Engineering Sales Ltd., 1978) .......................... 23 2-9 20 ton/hour, two-stage CWC pilot plant. (Urlich, December, 1983). ....... 28 2-103 Sand yield vs. sand ratio. (Lopatin, 1977) ................... 30 2-10b Sand yield vs. overflow pipe insertion position. (Lopatin, 1977). ......... 30 2-11 Sand yield vs. cone taper angle for a 350 mm diameter cyclone. (Lopatin, 1977) ........................................... 31 2-12 Effect of sand yield on -200 mesh gold recovery (A) and cut point, d$O quartz, (B). (Lopatin, 1977) ............................... 32 2-13 Change in the effectiveness (E) of free gold recovery versus the insertion position of the overflow pipe in a 500 mm diameter concentrating cyclone. (Lopatin, 1977) ........................................... 34 2-14 Design of pyrex concentrating cyclone used by Rao. (1982) 38 2-15 Flowsheet for CWC single-stage test of -16 mesh Yakataga beach sands. (Rao, 1983) ............................. 40 2-16 Flowsheet for CWC single-stage test of -16 mesh synthesized feed. (Rao, 1983) ........... 42 2-17 Flowsheet for CWC field test at GrID, Inc., Circle mining district, Alaska. (Rao, 1983) ........................................ 43 2-18 Flowsheet for CWC field test at Northwest Exploration Company's Fish Creek placer mine, Fairbanks mining district, Alaska. (Walsh, 1984)........................ ................... 44 2-19 Flowsheet for in lab processing of CWC field test products from Fish Creek, Fairbanks mining district, Alaska. (Walsh, 1984) 45 3-1 Decay scheme of 198 Au, showing type, energy and frequency of radiation.. ... 48 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 3-2 The photoelectric process. The gamma ray is completely absorbed. An electron is ejected with the gamma ray's energy minus the electron's binding energy. (Kohl, 1961) ................................. 50 3-3 The Compton effect. A gamma ray of lower energy proceeds in a new direction. An electron is deflected with the energy difference. (Kohl, 1961) ............................................. 50 3-4 Arrangement for measuring narrow beam attenuation coefficient. (Kohl, 1961) ............................................. 50 3-5 Gamma spectrum of 198Au. (Heath, 1964) 51 3-6 MIRL's CWC test loop schematic showing radiotracer detection chambers and measurement electronics. .......................... 55 3-7 Photomultiplier tube coupled to a scintillator. (Kohl, 1961) ....... 55 3-8 Conventional closed circuit ewc test loop used by MIRL. .............. 57 3-9 CWC overflow detection chamber _'. 59 3-10 CWC underflow detection chamber. ............................. 59 3-11 MIRL's radiotracer detection system's chart recorder output. Each