THICKENING

1
15. DEWATERING
15.1 Introduction
 Dewatering involves solid – liquid separation
 Recovery of water to reuse it in the mineral
processing plant

 Dewatering methods
 Sedimentation (thickening process)
 Filtration
 Thermal drying (dryer)

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FROM ROCKS TO METAL

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 15. DEWATERING
15.1 Brunswick Mine, Canada

55-65%w/w

80-90% w/w

95% w/w 4
15. SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATION
Thickeners

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15. SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATION

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15. SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATION
Conventional Thickener
 Cylindrical tank
 2 – 200 m in diameter
 1 – 7 m in depth
 Pulp is fed into the center via a feedwell
 Feedwell placed 1m below the surface
 Rotating arms inside the thickerner (racks)
 Direct solids to the center where the outlet is located
 Free water
 speed 8 m/min at the perimeter

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15. SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATION
Conventional Thickener

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15. SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATION
Conventional Thickener

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15. SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATION
Conventional Thickener

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15.2 GRAVITATIONAL SEDIMENTATION
Single particle terminal velocity
Application of Newton´s second law to a particle falling
in stagnant liquid

Fbuoyancy
 Terminal velocity
Fdrag

Fgravity
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 15. SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATION
Drag Coefficient

.
log CD

/
No analytical
relation

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15. SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATION
Drag Coefficient

 Single relationship for the whole range

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15. SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATION
Drag Coefficient – Non-Spherical Particles

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15. SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATION
Settling of a Suspension of Particles

 When many particles flow in a fluid in close proximity to

each other the motion of each particle is influenced by the
presence of the others.

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15. SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATION
Superficial Velocity

 Superficial velocities relative to the wall

A : cross-sectional area of the tank reactor

15. SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATION
Superficial Velocity

 Under isotropic conditions the flow areas occupied

by the fluid and the particles are

εs

εs 1-εs
15. SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATION
Slip Velocity

 Velocity relative to the liquid

εs

εs 1-εs
15. SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATION
15.2 Gravitational Sedimentation

 Richardson & Zaki (1954)

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15. SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATION
15.2 Gravitational Sedimentation

 Khan & Richardson (1989) suggested the following

expression for n over the entire Re number

d is the volume to surface diameter and D is the vessel diameter. 20

 15. SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATION
Interfases in Sedimentation
Suspension of concentration C1
containing particles settling at
a velocity Up1
INTERFASE
Suspension of concentration C2
containing particles settling at
a velocity Up2
Interfase
is falling
at a
velocity
Uint
 15. SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATION
Interfases in Sedimentation
 The gradient of the curve Jp versus C at concentration C is the
velocity of a layer of suspension of this concentration

Jp

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Solid concentration, ep
 15. SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATION
The Batch Settling Test
 Provides information for the design of a thickener

 Suspensions of particles of known concentration is prepared in

a cylinder

 The cylinder is shaken to thoroughly mix the suspension and

then placed upright to allow the suspension to settle

 The positions of the interfases which form are monitored in

time

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15. SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATION
The Batch Settling Test

Water

Solids
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15. SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATION
The Batch Settling Test

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15. SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATION
The Batch Settling Test

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15. SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATION
Design of Thickeners
 For a feed of slurry (throughput, %solids, particle size)
and recovery of water determine the thickener area

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15. SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATION
Design of Thickeners
Up = dH/dt

Setling velocity, Up (cm/s)

Solid concentration, ep
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15. SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATION
Design of Thickeners

Solid flux
Upep

Setling velocity
Up

Solid concentration, ep
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15. SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATION
Design of Thickeners

Total Solid flux (Settling + underflow)

Solid flux
(Settling)
Upep Solid flux
(bulk flow)
JpL (Q/A)ep
CL

Setling velocity
Up

Cf Solid concentration, ep Cu
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15. SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATION
Design of Thickeners
 Requiered area of thickener

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15.2 GRAVITATIONAL SEDIMENTATION
15.2.2. Particle aggregation

 Aggregation particles cluster together

 Coagulation (modifies particle surface electrical charge)
 Flocculation (long chain polymer bridges particles together)
15.2 GRAVITATIONAL SEDIMENTATION
15.2.2. Surface charge

 Z Potential

 Cations hydrate at a higher rate than anions do.

This uneven hydration process produces an
unbalance of surface electric charge.

 Z potential ranges up to 200mV

 A z potential of 20mV will tend to keep fine

particles dispersed by electrostatic repulsion
15.2 GRAVITATIONAL SEDIMENTATION
15.2.2. Surface charge

 Particles in water carry surface electric charge

15.2 GRAVITATIONAL SEDIMENTATION
15.2.2. Surface charge

 Z Potential

60
pH 6.7 IEP o PZC point
40
+ + + +
20 superficie

0
pH
2 4 6 8 10 12
-20 _ _ _ _

- 40 superficie

- 60
15.2 GRAVITATIONAL SEDIMENTATION
15.2.2. Surface charge

 If electric charge on particle surfaces are the same sign

 Mutual repulsion  slow settling

 In mineral processing most aqueous solutions are

alkaline
 Prevailing surface electric charge is negative

 Two ways to produce aggregation

 Charge neutralization
 Electrostatic coagulation
 15.2 GRAVITATIONAL SEDIMENTATION
15.2.2. Charge neutralization
 pH can be manipulated to reduce
potential (increase settling rate)
 PZC  point of zero charge

 pH is usually not a practical option (high

tonnage)
 Neutralization achieved by ions such as
Fe3+, Al3+, Ca2+

 Reagents
 Aluminum sulfate Al2(SO4)3
 Ferric sulfate Fe2(SO4)3
 Ferric Chloride FeCl3
 Lime Ca(OH)2
15.2 GRAVITATIONAL SEDIMENTATION
15.2.2. Critical Coagulation Concentration

 Concentration of ions that reduce surface electric

charge to zero (repulsion is lost)

 CCC strongly dependent on the charge of the ion

 Fe3+, Al3+ are more effective (lower CCC) than Ca2+

 Concentration well beyond CCC detrimental

 Cause re-dispersion
15.2 GRAVITATIONAL SEDIMENTATION
15.2.2. Electrostatic Coagulation

 Electrostatic coagulation achieved by adding

 Organic coagulants  polimers of low molecular
weight with cationic functional groups
15.2 GRAVITATIONAL SEDIMENTATION
15.2.2. Floculation

 Use of long-chain organic polymer of high molecular

weight
 From molecular bridges between particles

 Most used Polymer

 Polyacrylamides PAM

Cationic polymer
15. SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATION
Control of Thickeners
 Piping and Instrumentation Diagram (P&ID)

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