The effect of operating conditions on density stratification in a batch jig I: the influence on the equilibrium stratification profile

Woollacott, LC, Tripathy, A and Potgieter, H (2021) The effect of operating conditions on density stratification in a batch jig I: the influence on the equilibrium stratification profile. Minerals Engineering, 170. 106838. ISSN 0892-6875

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Abstract

The study reported in this paper is the first in a series of two that investigated the influence of operating conditions on stratification in a batch jig. This paper focuses on an equilibrium study; the next on a kinetic study. Based on testwork and a detailed consideration of which operating conditions were relevant to the study, four factors were identified as being the primary operating variables influencing stratification in the test jig. These were the pulsion time, the pulsion hold-time; the amplitude of the jig cycle; and the depth of the particle bed in the jig. All other factors were found to be either dependent variables, or to exert no significant influence on stratification at equilibrium. Based on 32 equilibrium tests, it was found that the equilibrium stratification profile was essentially independent of operating conditions within a broad range of values. This finding has both theoretical and practical implications. The most significant of these is that the influence which operating variables have on jig performance appears to derive primarily from their influence on stratification kinetics and not from their influence on stratification at equilibrium.