Evaluation of a novel electrode design for high voltage pulse ore pre-concentration
Daniel Lay, Fengnian Shi, Christian Antonio
Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, Indooroopilly, Brisbane, 4068 QLD, Australia
*This paper was published in Minerals Engineering, Volume 201, October 2023, 108239.
Highlights
- High voltage pulse selective breakage using grizzly electrode design was evaluated.
- Synthetic particles and a gold-copper ore were tested.
- Ore pre-concentration can be achieved with the grizzly electrodes.
- Factors affecting grizzly electrode performance and limitations were discussed.
Abstract
High Voltage Pulse (HVP) enabled ore preconcentration has the potential to provide large energy savings and upgrade Run-of-Mine ores. The concept is well established in laboratory settings but is yet to be demonstrated at the throughputs needed for industrial uptake of the technology. To scale up this concept from laboratory batch tests to a continuous operation, a novel grizzly-electrode design that integrates pulse discharges for particle breakage and size-based separation into a single step has been patented. In the initial evaluation of the system, two cylindrical electrode bars were adopted with an experiment design to simulate continuous feeding operation. Synthetic particles and a low-grade gold-copper ore were used for the initial evaluation. The evaluation showed pre-concentration can be achieved. Factors affecting the system performance were identified and limitations of the grizzly electrodes are discussed.