Recently, fluorite prices have been steadily rising, making it a highly sought-after mineral. Fluorite ore beneficiation and processing involve the removal of impurities from raw fluorite ore to produce either fluorite (fluorspar) concentrates or fluorite powder. In this process, beneficiation and processing equipment are crucial, as they constitute a complete fluorite ore beneficiation production line, collectively carrying out the processing procedures. Here, we introduce the complete equipment for fluorite ore beneficiation.
Currently, common fluorite ore beneficiation methods in China include manual selection, gravity separation, and flotation. The selection of the beneficiation method depends on the nature and mineral composition of the raw fluorite ore. Different beneficiation methods use different equipment.
Equipment for Manual Selection of Fluorite Ore
Manual selection is used for fluorite ores with clear boundaries between fluorite and gangue, where waste rock is easily separated, and different ore grades are distinguishable by the naked eye. However, such clearly delineated ore is relatively rare, so manual selection is typically used as an auxiliary method.
The manual selection process usually involves stages such as washing, screening, and hand sorting. The equipment used in this process includes vibrating screens and conveyor belts. Circular vibrating screens are commonly used, and conveyor belts are mainly responsible for transporting minerals from one stage to the next.
Equipment for Gravity Separation of Fluorite Ore
For gravity separation of fluorite ore, jig machines are commonly used, especially jigging machines. Jigging machines are mainly used to process coarser-grained fluorite ores within a particle size range of 30(20) to 0.5mm.
Gravity separation is suitable for fluorite ores with particle sizes ranging from 6 to 20mm and relatively high grades. After reducing the ore to a size below 25-30mm, it enters the classification stage, and the ore particles that meet the particle size requirements are subjected to gravity separation.
Compared to the previous two beneficiation methods, flotation is the more widely used process for fluorite ore beneficiation. A variety of equipment is used for flotation, and it can be considered as a complete set of equipment. Commonly used equipment includes:
Crushers: Used to crush fluorite ore into smaller chunks, with jaw crushers for coarse crushing and cone crushers for fine crushing.
Screening machines: Used to screen crushed ore. If the particle size does not meet the expected requirements, it is returned to the crusher for re-crushing. Circular vibrating screens are commonly used for this purpose.
Feeder machines: There are several options, such as slot-type feeders, electromagnetic vibrating feeders, and pendulum feeders, depending on the process design.
Electronic iron removers: Generally placed after the first-stage crushing and during the belt transportation to remove any iron impurities.
Ball mills: Used to further grind small ore particles into granules or powder. Depending on the required fineness, there may be one-stage or two-stage grinding processes. Grid-type ball mills are typically used for primary grinding, while overflow-type ball mills are commonly used for secondary grinding.
Flotation machines: The core equipment for fluorite flotation. Flotation typically involves roughing, scavenging, and 5-6 stages of cleaning. Therefore, the choice of flotation machine model is essential. SF-type flotation machines are used for roughing and scavenging, BF-type flotation machines are used for roughing and cleaning, and KYF and XCF-type flotation machines are frequently employed in fluorite flotation.
High-efficiency concentrators: Suitable for dewatering the concentrate. Multiple dewatering stages are usually applied to achieve a concentrate water content of approximately 60-70%.
High-frequency dewatering screens: Commonly used for dewatering tailings, ensuring a final water content of 12-15%.
The above information provides an overview of the complete equipment used in fluorite ore beneficiation. It is important to note that processing raw fluorite ore into fluorite concentrates or fluorite powder is not achieved with a single type of equipment. The compatibility and adaptability between each piece of equipment is essential. Therefore, it is generally recommended to acquire a complete set of equipment rather than purchasing equipment from different manufacturers. This ensures the compatibility and integrity of the entire production line.
