Outokumpu Oyj

Outokumpu Technology Oy

Timo U Niitti

Frank S Knoll

Thomas J Grey

Eric S Yan

Weng S Kow

Matti Tarvainen

The invention relates to a device to be used in connection with thickening and clarifying apparatuses for shear-thinning of solids containing material, such as slurry, which device contains one conduit for feeding material to be shear-thinnned and another conduit for discharging back the shear-thinned material between a thickening apparatus and the shear-thinning apparatus. The conduit () for feeding material to be shear-thinned and another conduit () for discharging back the shear-thinned material are positioned essentially concentrically to each other at least in the ends connected to the thickening apparatus ().

Device for shear-thinning of solids containing material

A pre-separator feed well for use with hydrous slurry feed is provided in a hindered-bed separator that includes an elongate body defining an interior space with upper and lower portions. The feed well is elongate and includes a vertically adjustable conical plate adjacent the bottom thereof for control of downward flow of heavy material. The top of the feed well includes an overflow weir including an overflow ring having a plurality of vertical slots through which flows the lighter material onto an overflow weir adjacent an overflow launder and to an outlet pipe. Feed is introduced into the upper portion of the feed well in a tangential manner. A perforated barrier may be mounted below the feed well in some circumstances. Teeter flow is introduced in a lower portion of the separator and flows upwardly. Alternatively, the lower part of the separator can be perforated for heavy/coarse material discharge.

Pre-separation of feed material for hindered-bed separator

The invention relates to a flotation machine, particularly to a flotation machine rotor, that is used for dispersing air, supplied via the rotor axis, to the surrounding slurry, and in which rotor there are formed alternating air ducts and slurry grooves, so that the ends of both the air ducts and the slurry grooves, projecting outwardly from the rotor, form the outer surface of the rotor According to the invention the air ducts () are arranged in the rotor at essentially equal distances, starting radially from the rotor outer surface, so that the air ducts () form in the center part of the rotor a space () for the slurry, in which space the slurry surrounding the rotor is to be made to flow along the slurry grooves () provided in between the air ducts ().

Flotation machine

The invention relates to a flotation cell line, wherein there are installed, in order to treat the flotatable material, several flotation cells so that the flotatable material can be set to flow through the flotation cell line. According to the invention, the flotation cells (, ) that are arranged successively in the flowing direction ( ) of the flotatable material, are at least partly installed in parallel with respect to each other.

Flotation cell line

A system for delivering the same or differing controllable amounts of washing liquid to several flights of a spiral separator including a housing, a plurality of spaced members having a respective generally vertical passage communicating with fluid in the housing and permitting fluid to flow therethrough. A plurality of fluid passageways respectively communicate with the members to provide the same or differing amounts of liquid to each of the flights. The distributor housing may include a central liquid receiving chamber, a plurality of spaced compartments located in proximity with the chamber, a plurality of passages throughwhich fluid flows into fluid passageways respectively coupled to the compartments, a single flow controller rotatable therein to expose different portions of said passages at every rotation thereby varying the liquid flow to each compartment. The housing may be tilted to vary the amount of liquid flowing into each of the compartments, thereby delivering the same or differing amounts of liquid to each of the flights enabling adjustment of the liquid flow for each flight. Another distributor housing contains a plurality of fluid passageways fluidly communicating with the plurality of flights of spiral separator, each of the fluid passageways having respectively a vertical passage for receiving liquid from the housing into the fluid passageways, and a tilting mechanism for tilting the housing to vary liquid flow through the passages.

Washing liquid distribution system

The invention relates to a method for improving the operation of a flotation cell line, said flotation cell line comprising several flotation cells ( ) that are connected by means of liquid stream flow. According to the invention, at least part of the material flotated in the flotation cell line is conducted past the cell ( ) that is located first in the flotation cell line, when seen in the flowing direction ( ) of the flotatable material.

Method for improving the operation of a flotation cell line

Replaceable inserts are provided in depressions of a spiral separator wherein the inserts have surface irregularities to optimize the spiral efficiencies in separating feed stock materials. These irregularities become worn by the materials and would require replacement of the spiral, ordinarily, whereas new inserts herein greatly extend the useful life of the spiral. Also, if the feed of the spiral changes appropriate new inserts may be used to separate the changed feed. The inserts may be any shape, circular being preferred when adjustability is needed.

Spiral separator with replaceable trough sections

This invention relates to an apparatus and method for electrostatically separating particles having different electrostatic properties. The apparatus involves two thin box-shaped electrodes facing each other as mirror-images and charged with a voltage field causing the opposing electrodes to assume opposite charges, and then passing a mixture of particles through the field so as to make the particles travel toward the respective electrodes through a perforated plate or screen and to a solid back plate and then to fall by gravity through a splitter adjusted to separate particles attracted by one charge from particles attracted by another charge. A vibrator is attached to each electrode, which is isolated for movement by spaced vibration isolators to shake off any particles stuck to the electrodes.

Electrostatic separation apparatus and method using box-shaped electrodes

An adjustable splitter assembly at any position along the spiral trough and the splitter is angled to a fixed position pressed against the trough and locked against movement by a long arm selectively clamped in one hook of a retainer having spaced hook sockets, the retainer being attached to the outer rim of the trough either upstream or downstream from the splitter. The splitter may be angularly adjusted to position its leading edge at different locations along an arc with respect to the stream of particles flowing down the trough by moving the arm to another selected hook socket.

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Ponte Vedra, FL, United States of America

Timo U Niitti