A thickener is a type of dewatering machinery. It is generally used for concentrate concentration and tailings dewatering prior to filtration. The main purpose of using a thickener for tailings dewatering is to use recycled water and to facilitate tailings storage in the tailings dam. In addition, thickening is also required to improve the technical process, for example when the slurry is too thin and the operating conditions require thicker material. Therefore, the thickener is one of the essential pieces of dewatering equipment in the production process of the beneficiation process.
The unit production capacity of the thickener refers to the number of tons of material processed per day and night per unit of thickening area of the thickener, i.e. tons/m² per day. The main factors affecting the production capacity are as follows.
1) the concentration of the feed and discharge ore, 2) the particle size composition of the feed ore, 3) the viscosity of the froth in the pulp, 4) the presence of chemicals and electrolytes, 5) the temperature of the pulp, 6) the value of the concentrated material, etc.
When concentrating flotation concentrates, the unit capacity is typically 0.5-1.0 t/m²-day. Usually the concentration of the pulp fed into the concentrator is 15-30%, while the concentration of the pulp discharged after concentration is generally 50-60%, sometimes higher up to 70%.
Although the management of the thickener is simple, it should not be ignored. The thickener is one of the important equipment in a mineral processing plant, and if it breaks down, it can cause a plant-wide shutdown.
In order to ensure that the thickener works properly, the operator should start the motor before feeding the ore and wait until the thickener is running before feeding the ore. Stopping is also permitted only after stopping the feed. When stopping in special circumstances, stop feeding immediately and raise the rake frame quickly or increase the discharge volume. To avoid the scraper being buried in the concentrated slurry, ensure the continuity and uniformity of the feeding and discharging (i.e. discharge of concentrated products). Always check the concentration of the concentrator feed, the concentration of the concentrated product and the quality of the overflow water, so that they meet the requirements of production. In practice, the concentration of concentrated products can be adjusted by controlling the discharge speed, but when adjusting the concentration of the discharge, attention must be paid to prevent the increase of solids loss in the overflow and ensure that the overflow water quality meets the requirements.
