Formation of Information Base for Controlling Settlement of Solid-Phase Ore Slurry Particles in a Thickener

Abstract

Thickeners are process units that are often used at mining enterprises. There, they are involved in dehydration of mineral concentration products when water is removed from wet tailings containing metal concentrates. In mineral processing, large quantities of process water are used to separate different minerals from each other, so dehydration plays a major role in ore processing and preparation for concentration. This research aims to develop methods and tools of ultrasonic measurement of characteristics of settlement of solid-phase slurry particles and to assess their possible application to the automatic control system of the thickener to improve its efficiency.