Volume 9 Edition 3 2012 - The ASIA Miner

Product NewsNew generation Steinert wet drum separatorsMANY wash plant operators overlook the significant cost implicationsthat an ineffective dense media recovery circuit can have onoverall plant operating cost. Magnetite can be lost at various transportand recovery points in the plant ranging fr om airborne dust,spillage, ineffective draining and rinsing, and inef ficient magneticrecovery. In most cases, it is cumbersome and operators need toadhere to a strict condition monitoring and maintenance regime inorder to keep magnetite losses at a minimum.Traditional Wet Drum Magnetic Separators’ operating ef ficienciesare influenced by a number of factors including:• Volumetric slurry feed rate.• Magnetite quality and particle size• Magnetic concentration of feed slurry• Overall magnetic loading• Non-magnetic solids concentration• Overall percentage of solids in the feed• Uniform feed distribution• Magnet radial position• Drum positioning (Horizontal and vertical)• Frequency of plant stop startsAs operational issues make it extremely difficult for plant operatorsto maintain all the above optimally for all conditions, Steinert has embarkedon the development of a more user-friendly Wet Drum Separator(WDS) which is less sensitive to the fluctuations that wouldnormally be difficult for traditional separators to cope with. The resultSteinert Australia’s Wet Drum Separator workshop.is not only a decrease in time spent optimizing equipment but also anincrease in capacity and recovery efficiency, resulting in both capitaland operational cost savings.Unlike traditional separators, Steinert’s new generation of WDSmake use of special magnet arrangements which result in a 120%increase in the average magnetic force index measured over theentire operating gap through which the slurry passes. The surfaceprofile of the magnetic field also allows for an incr ease in magneticloading of the drum by allowing for uninhibited transportationof the magnetite around the drum.May/June 2012 | ASIA Miner | 75