Patent ID: 8708152
Filing Date: 2014-04-29
Classification: B03C

Abstract:
1. A high intensity magnetic separation device for separating treatment slurry including magnetic particles and nonmagnetic particles suspended in water into a concentrate fraction and a tailings fraction, said device comprising: a first generally horizontal rotor rotatable about a first generally vertical axis, said first rotor defining a first circular channel rotatable about the first axis, said first channel defining a flow path through said first rotor and containing a matrix material therein, wherein the first channel is configured to allow passage of a downwardly moving fluid stream therethrough in contact with the matrix material; a first rigid support frame operable to support said first rotor; a first driver mounted to said first support frame, said first driver operable to rotate said first rotor at a generally constant rate; a first plurality of permanent magnet members fixedly attached to said first support frame, the first permanent magnet members positioned to straddle said first channel at a plurality of locations spaced apart along the circular path of said first channel, the first magnet members effective to apply magnetic fields across a plurality of portions of said path where said first channel is straddled by the first permanent magnet members, said portions defining a plurality of magnetic zones, said magnetic zones being separated along said circular path by nonmagnetic zones, thereby providing a repeating series of separation zones and nonmagnetic zones along said circular path; a first plurality of feed conduits for delivering a treatment slurry into the first channel at a plurality of input locations, each input location being positioned within one of the plurality of magnetic zones defined by said first plurality of permanent magnet members; a first plurality of water delivery conduits for delivering water into the first channel at a plurality of locations within, the magnetic zones and within the nonmagnetic zones defined by said first plurality of permanent magnet members; and a first plurality of tailings launders and a first plurality of concentrate launders positioned beneath said first channel; said first tailings launders positioned beneath said magnetic zones for receiving a first tailings fraction of the treatment slurry that passes through the first channel in said magnetic zones; and said first concentrate launders positioned beneath said nonmagnetic zones for receiving a first concentrate fraction of the treatment slurry that passes through the first channel in said nonmagnetic zones; wherein said first rotor further comprises a foraminous channel floor operable to allow passage of the first tailings fraction therethrough as the first tailings fraction exits said first channel, and wherein said matrix material comprises a plurality of discrete magnetically susceptible objects sized to be retained in said first channel by said channel floor; wherein said first rotor further comprises a plurality of vertical radial separating walls in said first channel, said separating walls dividing said first channel into a plurality of arc-shaped channel segments; wherein said floor of at least one of said channel segments comprises a drop-in screen sized and shaped to fit within one of said channel segments; and wherein said first rotor defines a first plurality of connected and spaced apart circular channels rotatable about the axis, each of said first plurality of channels defining a flow path through the first rotor and containing a matrix material therein, wherein each of said first plurality of channels is configured to allow passage of a downwardly moving fluid stream in contact with the matrix material contained therein.