The effect of operating conditions on density stratification in a batch jig II: The influence on stratification kinetics

Woollacott, LC, Tripathy, AK and Potgieter, JH (2021) The effect of operating conditions on density stratification in a batch jig II: The influence on stratification kinetics. Minerals Engineering, 164. ISSN 0892-6875

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Abstract

This paper presents the second of a two part study on density stratification in a laboratory batch jig. The first study, reported elsewhere, investigated the effect of operating conditions on the stratification profile achieved at equilibrium. The study reported in this paper investigated their effect on the kinetics of density stratification under 18 different sets of conditions—5 for binary systems with different particle densities; and 13 for a ternary system with different configurations of the jig cycle. Although the study was academic in nature (it involved simple systems of 8 mm glass beads) it has provided insights into stratification dynamics that have significant practical implications. It has shown that reasonable rates of stratification can be expected in systems with density differences as low as about 150 kg/m3 provided sufficient jigging time is allowed. In addition, the study found that the quality of a density separation achievable in a jig is determined primarily by the properties of the feed to the jig and its mechanical configuration and not so much by how the operating variables of the jig are manipulated or ‘fine-tuned’. The extent to which what is achievable is actually achieved is dependent on stratification kinetics which are determined by both particle properties and the operating conditions in a jig.