System and method for dry ablation benefication of ore

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021198766-A1
Application number	US-201816078677-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 15, 2018
Priority date	Aug 15, 2018
Publication date	Jul 1, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system and method for dry ablation beneficiation of ore. The system comprises a nozzle to emit an air stream, and a feeder to provide ore particles for entraining in the air stream and colliding. The ore comprises gangue grains bound together with a cementing material. The cementing material comprises a desired material. The collisions are controlled to help preferentially break the cementing material over breaking the bonds holding a gangue grain together. The system also comprises a classifier to separate broken cementing material from the remaining material (which includes gangue grains) based on size. The method comprises entraining the ore particles in an air stream and colliding to preferentially break the cementing material. The ore particles may be collided with each other or a surface. The broken cementing materials are then separated from the remaining materials (which includes gangue grains). The enriched ore is the separated cementing material.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A method for enriching ore, comprising:
providing a gas stream; providing ore particles into the gas stream, the ore particles comprising cementing material bound to gangue grains; colliding the ore particles in the gas stream to break the cementing material; and separating a fine fraction comprising the broken cementing material, from a coarse fraction comprising the gangue grains.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a second gas stream, and providing ore particles into the second gas stream, wherein colliding the ore particles in the gas stream comprises colliding with the ore particles in the second gas stream.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a strike surface, and wherein colliding the ore particles in the gas stream comprises colliding the ore particles with the strike surface.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein colliding the ore particles comprises colliding the ore particles with each other.

5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising stopping collision of the ore particles in response to reaching a threshold rate of production of the fine fraction.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the ore particles are provided into the gas stream after acceleration of the gas stream.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising emitting the gas stream from a nozzle, and wherein the ore particles are provided into the gas stream downstream from the outlet of the nozzle.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the ore particles are provided into the gas stream using the force of gravity.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fine fraction is separated from the coarse fraction based on a difference in particle sizes.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fine fraction is separated from the coarse fraction using a classifier.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein providing ore particles into the gas stream comprises providing the coarse fraction of the ore particles back into the gas stream.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the gas stream comprises accelerating the gas stream to a velocity that is less than a threshold velocity required to break the bonds holding at least a portion of the gangue grains together when colliding the ore particles in the gas stream.

13 . An ore ablation system, comprising:
a feeder configured to provide ore particles, the ore particles comprising a cementing material bound to gangue grains; a nozzle configured to provide a first gas stream which collides the ore particles entrained within the first gas stream to break the cementing materials; and a classifier configured to separate a fine fraction comprising the broken cementing material, from a coarse fraction comprising the gangue grains.

14 . The ore ablation system of claim 13 , further comprising an enclosure for receiving the ore particles and the first gas stream.

15 . The ore ablation system of claim 13 , further comprising a second nozzle configured to provide a second gas stream that intersects with the path of the first gas stream to collide the ore particles entrained within the first and second gas streams.

16 . The ore ablation system of claim 13 , further comprising a strike surface positioned within the path of the first gas stream.

17 . The ore ablation system of claim 13 , further comprising a blower configured to provide the first gas stream to the nozzle.

18 . The ore ablation system of claim 13 , wherein the feeder is configured to provide the ore particles into the first gas stream downstream of the nozzle.

19 . The ore ablation system of claim 13 , wherein the feeder is configured to provide the ore particles into the first gas stream upstream of the nozzle.

20 . The ore ablation system of claim 13 , wherein the classifier is a static classifier or a dynamic classifier.

21 . The ore ablation system of claim 13 , wherein the outlet of the feeder is positioned above the first gas stream.

22 . The ore ablation system of claim 13 , further comprising a coarse material handling system configured to return the coarse fraction back into the feeder.

23 . A fluid bed jet mill comprising a classifier configured to permit only fine particles to exit the mill, and an outlet configured to permit coarse particles to exit the mill.

24 . The fluid bed jet mill of claim 23 , wherein the outlet is located in the bottom of the mill.

25 . The fluid bed jet mill of claim 23 , wherein the outlet is located in the side of the mill.

26 . A method for enriching ore particles, comprising:
providing the ore particles into a fluid bed jet mill, the ore particles comprising cementing material bound to gangue grains; preferentially milling the cementing material rather than the gangue grains in the fluid bed jet mill; and passing a fine fraction comprising the broken cementing material through a classifier.

27 . The method of claim 26 , further comprising removing a coarse material from the mill.

28 . The method of claim 27 , wherein coarse material is removed from the mill in response to reaching a threshold period of time.

29 . The method of claim 26 , wherein preferentially milling the cementing material comprises controlling the operation of the fluid bed jet mill to collide the ore particles with each other in the fluid bed jet mill at a velocity that is less than a threshold velocity required to break the bonds holding together at least a portion of the gangue grains.

Assignees

• Hatch Ltd

Inventors

• Delves David
• Mahdi Mahdi
• Francey Sabrina
• Wu Yuhin
• Faucher Santiago
• Uyeda Bruce
• Major Daniel
• Adham Kamal

Classifications

• B02C23/14

  with more than one separator · CPC title

• C22B60/0208

  preliminary treatment of ores or scrap · CPC title

• C22B1/00

  Preliminary treatment of ores or scrap · CPC title

• C22B1/243 Primary

  inorganic · CPC title

• B02C19/068

  of the fluidised-bed type · CPC title