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Participant

Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 2

Charging slurry to remove gravel particles

01/31/2006 9:35 AM

Dear Friends,
I work in a treatment plant, engineering section, assisting with the recovery of diamonds. Sea water is used for all scrubbing and washing of gravel. Slurry water is pumped into a thickener where slurry settlement/slime is drained and overflow water is reused in the plant.

My question or challenge is as follows: I am thinking of putting an electrical charge on the gravel/slurry particles. Let's say for example a positive DC voltage and then inside the thickener/tank in the bottom of the tank, perhaps a metal lining with a negative DC charge. The idea would be for the positively charged slurry to be pulled down to the negative charged plate and thus settlement takes place and the slurry can be pumped out via an underflow pump. Example, compared to protons (+) and ions (-) pulling each other together. Is this at all possible? How would I put a charge on slurry/ gravel particles flowing threw a pipe line into the thickener?

Any feedback will be much appreciated.
Till next time.
Regards,
Shaun

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Participant

Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 3
#1

Charging slurry

02/01/2006 3:36 AM

Hi, we looked at a similar problem with automotive shredder residue when I was at uni. We reached the conclusion that using earth potential on one side of the process would prove far simpler to implement than 2 separate charge levels. It doesn't sound much but as I recall it was significant!

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Anonymous Poster
#2
In reply to #1

Re:Charging slurry

02/01/2006 9:26 AM

Look into using a polymer. Polymer is an electrolytic solution. The charged particles will attract opposing charged particles. This process will allow for quaglation. The quaglated particles will be easier to remove. The water will be of a lower turbidity level. Using any kind of DC voltage may work, but the cleaning of the electrodes may be labor intense. Not to mention the cost of the power to achieve this result.

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Participant

Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 2
#4
In reply to #1

Re:Charging slurry

02/09/2006 1:51 AM

Hi Chris. Could you please supply me with additional info on the automotive shredder. What is an automotive shredder and how does it opperate? I would appreciate some more info on the method used on this system. Perhaps a contact person or web site. Thanks for your time. Shaun

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Power-User

Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 104
#3

sea water = conductive + elctricity...!!! no.

02/01/2006 10:17 AM

From my knowledge, sea water is quite conductive and would dissapate any static charge rather quickly. I say "rather quickly" because it is significantly quicker than in air(poor conductor), but would still take some small amount of time (depending on application) for charge to dissipate from non conductive materials like plastics.
I'm not quite sure about the conductive properties of rock, but I would imagine it is mildly conductive.
P.S. application of a charge differential across sea water (with NaCl for salt in it) will result in the release of chlorine gas. Please advise.

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Anonymous Poster (1); chris_h (1); halcyon_m (1); Shaun (1)

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