6/25/2020 Mining Weekly - Understanding of overall DMS process important

https://www.miningweekly.com/article/understanding-of-overall-dms-process-important-
2015-05-29

Understanding of overall DMS process important

29TH MAY 2015

T
he

most
common
process
factors that
affect the

SEPERATING PARTICLES In a cyclone, dense medium separation takes

place where particles of differing density fractions are separated through a
medium that has a density between two fractions

performance of dense-medium cyclone (DMC) equipment can be

managed by understanding how a hydrocyclone operates, together
with an understanding of the overall dense-medium separation
(DMS) process, says equipment supplier to the minerals processing
industry Multotec.

DMS refers to the separation of particles with differing density

fractions using a medium with a density between that of the two
fractions, explains Multotec cyclone product specialist Ernst
Bekker.

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6/25/2020 Mining Weekly - Understanding of overall DMS process important

“Particles with a lower density will float, while particles with a

higher density will sink. “The aim is to reduce the quantity of non-
valuable material in the targeted fraction while increasing the
recovery of the valuable fraction,” he adds.

He further explains that the feed in a hydrocyclone used in the DMS

process consists of water and solids, which enter the cyclone
tangentially to produce a spiralling motion.

Owing to centrifugal forces, the coarser particles migrate to the

outside wall of the cyclone and move downwards towards the spigot
or apex. The finer particles move to the centre of the cyclone and are
removed through the vortex finder and channelled into the
overflow.

Owing

to the inverse ratio of solids and water in the outgoing streams, a

high slurry density is produced in the underflow and a low slurry
density in the overflow stream. The same separation process applies
to the medium used inside the DMC, with the medium split mainly
being influenced by the ratio of spigot to vortex finder diameter, the
operating head and the medium characteristics.

As a result, density gradients form throughout the length of the

DMC. The differences in medium-density values between the feed,
overflow and underflow streams are used to calculate the
differentials inside the DMC. These are important parameters in
defining the medium behaviour inside the cyclone and can be used
for early identification of possible process-related problems.

Bekker says cyclone suppliers have incorporated larger inlet

designs in their product portfolio to allow for higher capacities and

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6/25/2020 Mining Weekly - Understanding of overall DMS process important

larger particle top sizes to be accommodated.

“However, the drawback of these designs is that the retention time

of particles inside the cyclone is reduced, which can have a negative
impact on separation efficiency if it is a difficult separation.
“Therefore, particle top size, which impacts on the cyclone inlet
opening, plays an important role in determining the correct cyclone
diameter, in addition to the throughput that must be
accommodated.”

The inclusion of a barrel section in the DMC depends mainly on the

difficulty of separation. This allows for more residence time inside
the cyclone owing to its larger internal volume, says Bekker.

He further states that, correct selection of the DMC does, however,

not mean that the unit will perform correctly.

“Original-equipment manufacturers (OEMs) constantly look at

ways to improve their designs, but these improvements are only
effective if the process itself is optimised,” says Bekker.

The DMS process consists of various process streams and pieces of

process equipment, which can influence the DMC performance if
they are not optimised. “Operational personnel sometimes do not
realise or understand these dynamics.”

A decrease in top size results in a finer mean particle size fed to the
DMC, which can impact on the separation efficiency if the cyclone
selection was originally not designed for that type of material, while
an increase in top size can increase the risk of blockages at the
cyclone inlet. Bekker cautions that the effect of decreasing or
increasing the top size needs to be verified with the cyclone OEM.

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6/25/2020 Mining Weekly - Understanding of overall DMS process important

“Proper DMC maintenance, in addition to metallurgical audits, may

be one of the most important factors to help ensure optimal DMC
performance. “This is often neglected owing to inacces- sibility or
time constraints,” says Bekker, adding that excessive internal wear
creates grooves inside the DMC, leading to turbulent flow patterns,
which can cause misplacement of particles.

Multotec recommends that high-wear areas inside the DMC be

inspected on a weekly basis or as often as possible, while inspection
of the rest of the DMC internals can be carried out on a monthly
basis.

Phone: +27 (0)11 622 3744

Fax: +27 (0)11 622 9350
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