Flaws in the Flows?

Dominique FRANCOIS-BONGARCON
dfbgn2@gmail.com

D.Francois-Bongarcon, AICI, Vancouver, Canada

FOREWORD

D.Francois-Bongarcon, AICI, Vancouver, Canada

The Two Main Types of Plant Sampling Points
and Samplers
• Process control points: aimed at detecting trends, they DO NOT
REQUIRE very accurate/precise samplers

• Mass balance points: accuracy and precision are PARAMOUNT lest

the balance loses its objectivity

• BEWARE: the two related types of samplers correspond to different

markets and manufacturers

D.Francois-Bongarcon, AICI, Vancouver, Canada

A Bit of Warning!
• Claims by process control sampler manufacturers that some of their
devices are adequate for mass balance are almost always
misguided

• When in doubt, consult your sampling expert

• Failure to recognize this could result in huge, unseen economic losses

D.Francois-Bongarcon, AICI, Vancouver, Canada

THE ENLIGHTENING CASE
OF DYNAMIC CUTTERS

D.Francois-Bongarcon, AICI, Vancouver, Canada

A Highly Unfavorable Observation
• Any flow cutter system is INCORRECT in the sense of TOS, i.e. it does
not offer the expected guarantee of non-bias !!
• Indeed, the cutter HAS TO become an OBSTACLE in the flow to be
sampled. As a result, a large variety of potentially biasing
mechanisms take place at the interface:
• Re-organization of solid and liquid flows, even when a turbulence has been
purposely established upstream from the cutter
• Appearance of differential speeds (loss of iso-kinetics)
• Bouncing of solids on cutter blades
• etc.

D.Francois-Bongarcon, AICI, Vancouver, Canada

The Fix
• Pierre Gy semi-empirically found the quite famous conditions to
comply with, in the simpler case of a cutter sampling a vertical, free-
fall stream (X-stream and Vezin samplers). These conditions on
speed and opening will make the sampler work as a CORRECT one.
• They were verified on simulations at CSIRO. Later, the underlying
theory was established (symmetry principle). All was published in
textbooks and conferences.
• However, in more complicated cases, the conditions have not or
cannot be established easily.

D.Francois-Bongarcon, AICI, Vancouver, Canada

 Mass Balance Process Control

Quantitative,
correct Take
sampling... some...
(if installed and maintained properly)

D.Francois-Bongarcon, AICI, Vancouver, Canada

 STATIC CUTTERS
[ through a few examples and only
‘scratching the surface’ ]

D.Francois-Bongarcon, AICI, Vancouver, Canada

Process Control
• The aim is to ‘take some’, usually to send to some on-line analyzers,
to monitor trends in concentration or size distribution, which is
perfectly alright to do

• Most Process Control samplers are based on static cutters

• These are almost never adequate for quantitative purposes, such as

mass balance

• Let us see WHY

D.Francois-Bongarcon, AICI, Vancouver, Canada

 A Good Static Cutter:The Riffle Splitter (Jones)
• Provides a random, correct sample protected to a large degree from
the devastating effects of existing segregation in the input (if well
used and enough chutes: at least 6 on each side)
• Full symmetry (complies with principle)
• Iso-kinetic

• Works with dry solids or slurries

• BUT: only gives a 50%-50% split,

so it is not usually used for process control
D.Francois-Bongarcon, AICI, Vancouver, Canada
IN CONTRAST.....

D.Francois-Bongarcon, AICI, Vancouver, Canada

Classic #1: Shark Fin in Tube
• Partial flow sampling

• Speed differentials affect

solids

• Likely biased

D.Francois-Bongarcon, AICI, Vancouver, Canada

Classic #2: False riffle
• Multi-stage, in series with reduction rates
much higher than 50%
• Usually not iso-kinetic (many reasons)
• Any segregated input will be mis-handled
(unlike with a true riffle) - e.g.:

D.Francois-Bongarcon, AICI, Vancouver, Canada

Classic #3: Moving Hose Sampler
• Conditions of use (bouncing) are not
determined

• The angle of the main axis of the flow with the

opening lips plan varies during the cutting,
precluding equi-probability (i.e. correctness)

• Cannot be tested, as usually installed as primary

D.Francois-Bongarcon, AICI, Vancouver, Canada

Classic #4: Pre-Sampling Tanks (agitated or not)
• Particularly disastrous for coarse gold,
heavy minerals and native copper
• There is no good way to prevent these
minerals from settling at the bottom of the
tank instead of reporting to the sample
• Most agitation systems that have been
seen are not working or doing the opposite
of what is expected
• Best is designing without the tanks

D.Francois-Bongarcon, AICI, Vancouver, Canada

 Final Words:
• Avoid trying to make a faulty designs work by means of some
creative modifications, it rarely works well
• Use balance samplers from the proper manufacturers for mass
balance, and keep reserving the use of process control samplers for
process control only
• Make good, correct sampling non-negotiable with management!
• Indeed, incorrect sampling is risky, and the price could be much
higher than is usually thought, in unseen losses and missed profits

D.Francois-Bongarcon, AICI, Vancouver, Canada

 To thank you for your great patience and
attention, a little house of horrors
Creative
fixed cutter:

D.Francois-Bongarcon, AICI, Vancouver, Canada

a little house of horrors (cont’d)
Creative
sample size
diminution:

D.Francois-Bongarcon, AICI, Vancouver, Canada

 THE END
THANK YOU!
D.Francois-Bongarcon, AICI, Vancouver, Canada