Copper tailings are waste residues produced during the copper ore dressing process. Although they are called waste residues, there are still valuable elements in copper tailings that are worth using. In the process of copper tailings treatment, hydrocyclones play an important role as an efficient separation equipment. Hydrocyclones are mainly used in the desludging, classification and concentration processes in the copper tailings treatment process.
The hydrocyclone is mainly composed of a feed pipe, a hydrocyclone cylinder, an overflow port, a sand settling port, a cone, an overflow pipe, a sand settling pipe and a hydrocyclone bottom. During operation, the slurry is introduced into the cylindrical part of the hydrocyclone at a certain pressure and flow rate, and rotates at a high speed inside the hydrocyclone, generating a strong centrifugal force. Under the action of the centrifugal force, the solid particles with higher density are pushed to the outer wall of the hydrocyclone to form sand settling, while the particles with lower density remain in the central area to form an overflow. By adjusting the structural parameters and operating conditions of the hydrocyclone, effective separation of particles of different densities or particle sizes can be achieved.
Hydrocyclones can be divided into the following types according to their structure and application:
(1) Conical cyclone Conical cyclone is a common type of cyclone, which is characterized by a large sand settling area and a small overflow area, and is suitable for the separation of coarse-grained materials.
(2) Cylindrical-conical cyclone Cylindrical-conical cyclone combines the characteristics of cylinder and cone, and is suitable for the separation of medium-sized materials.
(3) Double-conical cyclone Double-conical cyclone has two conical parts, which can improve the separation efficiency and is suitable for the separation of fine-grained materials.
(4) Forced vortex cyclone Forced vortex cyclone enhances the vortex effect by adding internal structure, improves the separation efficiency, and is suitable for occasions requiring high separation accuracy.
(1) Desludging
The muddy minerals in copper tailings will affect the subsequent processing process. For example, hydrocyclones can effectively remove fine mud from copper tailings and improve the efficiency of subsequent processes. By adjusting the operating parameters of the hydrocyclone, effective removal of muddy minerals of different particle sizes can be achieved.
(2) Classification
Hydrocyclones also play an important role in the classification process of copper tailings. By classifying copper tailings, materials of different particle sizes can be separated to provide suitable feed particle sizes for subsequent mineral processing.
(3) Concentration
During the concentration process of copper tailings, hydrocyclones can effectively increase the concentration of slurry and reduce water and energy consumption in subsequent processing processes. Through the separation of sand settling and overflow of the cyclone, the slurry can be concentrated and dehydrated.
(4) Recovery of valuable minerals
Copper tailings often contain some valuable minerals that are not fully utilized. For example, hydrocyclones can assist in the recovery of these valuable minerals and improve resource utilization.
In the actual application process, in order to improve the separation efficiency and effect of the hydrocyclone, the operating parameters of the hydrocyclone need to be optimized. These parameters include:
(1) Feeding pressure and flow rate
Feeding pressure and flow rate directly affect the flow field distribution and centrifugal force inside the hydrocyclone, and need to be adjusted according to the specific material properties and separation requirements.
(2) Structural parameters of the hydrocyclone
The structural parameters of the hydrocyclone, such as diameter, height, and cone angle, have an important influence on the separation effect and need to be optimized according to the density and particle size distribution of the material.
(3) Size of the grit port and overflow port
The size of the grit port and overflow port determines the separation efficiency of grit and overflow and needs to be adjusted according to the separation requirements.
Enhancing the utilization of copper tailings can improve resource utilization and reduce environmental pollution, which is of great significance to the environment and economy. The hydrocyclone is small in size and has very high classification and desludging efficiency, playing an important role in the treatment of copper tailings. The hydrocyclones produced by Xinhai Mining adopt the involute feeding method, which is beneficial to increase the centrifugal force of the material, improve the classification effect, and reduce the wear of the feed box.
