EP0059033A1 - Erzsortierung - Google Patents

Erzsortierung Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0059033A1
EP0059033A1 EP82300547A EP82300547A EP0059033A1 EP 0059033 A1 EP0059033 A1 EP 0059033A1 EP 82300547 A EP82300547 A EP 82300547A EP 82300547 A EP82300547 A EP 82300547A EP 0059033 A1 EP0059033 A1 EP 0059033A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
particles
isotopes
ore
sorting
radiation
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP82300547A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Albert Peter Hawkins
Arthur Wilkie Richards
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Sphere Investments Ltd
Original Assignee
Sphere Investments Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Sphere Investments Ltd filed Critical Sphere Investments Ltd
Publication of EP0059033A1 publication Critical patent/EP0059033A1/de
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
    • B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
    • B07C5/00—Sorting according to a characteristic or feature of the articles or material being sorted, e.g. by control effected by devices which detect or measure such characteristic or feature; Sorting by manually actuated devices, e.g. switches
    • B07C5/34—Sorting according to other particular properties
    • B07C5/346—Sorting according to other particular properties according to radioactive properties

Definitions

  • THE invention relates to ore sorting.
  • ore sorting equipment In a known type of ore sorting equipment, ore rocks are presented to scanning apparatus in a plurality of streams in which individual ore carrying particles are spaced apart. The scanning apparatus determines the characteristics of the individual particles which are then sorted according to those characteristics while moving in the parallel streams. Such equipment is described for example in South African Patent No 78/2327.
  • a method of sorting ore bearing particles including neutron bombarding the particles to form isotopes of elements contained in or forming the ore particles and-detecting radiation of selective isotopes to identify the corresponding selective element bearing particles to be sorted:from other particles, and sorting the identified particles from the other particles.
  • an apparatus for sorting ore bearing particles comprising a transport system for the ore particles .
  • a transport system for the ore particles including a station at which the particles are subjected to neutron bombardment to convert one or more of elements contained in or forming the ore particles into isotopes-of the elements, and a further station at which there is radiation detector means arranged to provide control signals in response to radiation emitted from s-elective isotopes to enable sorting of the corresponding selective element bearing particles from other particles.
  • a stockpile 10 of crushed gold bearing rock ore particles is.provided above a.hopper 11.
  • a transport conveyor 12 feeds the particles from the base of the hopper 11 to the top of an irradiation chamber 13.
  • the chamber 13 is provided with a central cylindrical tube 14 extending into the ground and an upper neutron shielding plug 15 at the top of the tube 14.
  • a cylindrical slug 16 fits into the tube 14 and carries a plurality of neutron irradiating units.
  • the chamber 13 has an outer jacket 17'providing a shield to-confine neutron irradiation made of concrete, water and wax for example.
  • the ore particles pass down the chamber 13 between the tube 14 and the jacket 17 to be discharged onto a transport conveyor 18.
  • the conveyor-18 delivers the ore particles to a hopper 19 from where the particles pass to a conveyor system 20 which may be generally as described in South African Patent No 78/2327.
  • Fluid jet supply 22 includes one or more arrays of fluid jets (not shown) and is rendered selectively operative by an electronic processor 23.
  • the processor 23 receives signals from a detector analyser 24 connected to the detectors 21 and initiates the fluid jets correspondingly to divert selected particles from their natural trajectory towards a reject bin 25 into a selected ore bin 26.
  • the processor 23 is provided in this embodiment and connected to level sensors 27 to ensure, by varying the conveyor transport speeds, that correct or suitable irradiation is taking place in the chamber 13.
  • the detectors 21 are arranged in an array along the path of the discrete streams as well as across streams.
  • the detectors 21 are sensitive to gamma radiation and provide for each stream a pulse pattern which can be analysed by the analyser 24 to determine the presence and characteristic of ore particles passing the detectors.
  • the method and apparatus described operates and depends on the conversion of gold in the ore particles being converted at least partially from gold 197 Au to gold isotope 198 Au .
  • the gold isotope exist for a period of time (half life around 2.7 days) during which the isotope emits gamma rays which are detected by the detectors 20 to identify selectively gold bearing particles from the remainder of the particles in the discrete streams. As such, the selection may be much more reliable and more sensitive than provided in earlier proposals which relied on light reflection and the like.
  • the particle sizes are selected into . grades for passage through the chamber 13.
  • the radiation sources are distributed in the chamber in a suitable manner to ensure that ore particles passing through the chamber 13 are. subjected to as even distribution of radiation as possible.
  • the radiation may be provided from any suitable source-of neutrons including sources based on Californian 252, neutron emitters such as provided by the- bombardment of Beryllium or other target elements by Radium, Americium 241 or other radio isotopes, particle accelerator neutron generators or a small nuclear reactor.
  • sources based on Californian 252 neutron emitters such as provided by the- bombardment of Beryllium or other target elements by Radium, Americium 241 or other radio isotopes, particle accelerator neutron generators or a small nuclear reactor.
  • isotopes having relatively shorter half-lives will decay during storage to a level at which the radiation emitted will not interfere with later radiation detection from the desired isotope. This enables later selection of the desired elements, using gamma ray detection, provided by the detectors 21, to be more accurate. If the delay is too short, significant gamma radiation from shorter half-life isotopes may still be present when the ore particles pass the detectors 21 and cause erroneous selection of the desired ore bearing particles.
  • the embodiment is provided.particularly, and in contrast to the embodiment of Figure 1, for sorting ore particles by forming relatively short half-life isotopes.
  • the embodiment of Figure 2 is arranged to expose the ore particles to neutron bombardment at a station adjacent gamma radiation detectors. In this way isotopes having a short half-life, of only say around 1 minute such as isotopes of manganese, can be detected to enable sorting of the ore particles.
  • the ore particle transport system can be generally as described in South African Patent No 78/2327, and comprises a conveyor belt 100 above which is mounted an array of neutron sources 102. Particles on the belt are exposed to neutron bombardment and isotopes formed are detected by an array of detectors 104. Arrays 106 and 108 of fluid jets are controlled by a detector analyser 110 to sort the particles by selective impingement of fluid from the fluid jets in an otherwise conventional manner.
  • the embodiment is arranged to select two types of ore particles by sensing gamma radiation and detecting the characteristic radiation energy at different energy levels characteristic of selective isotopes to determine the presence of those isotopes.
  • Aluminium and Manganese bearing ores may be separately selected from the remainder of the ore particles, each providing in effect an identifiable signature recognised by detector signals supplied to the detector signal analyser 110.
  • the embodiment of Figure 2 may be arranged to detect only one type of isotope or more than two types of isotopes, as desired.
  • the detecting is arranged to follow a certain relatively short time, which can also be selective, after neutron bombardment.
  • bombardment stations and detector stations are arranged close to one another to allow the isotopes to be detected shortly after they have been formed.
  • scintillator detectors are used for detecting the gamma radiation but other suitable.radiation detectors may be used.
  • the methods and apparatuses described may be used for sorting a wide variety of elements or element bearing particles from other elements or waste material.
  • the selection of particular elements from other elements can be carried out by differing the neutron bombardment and by sensing different types or energies of radiation, including ⁇ and ⁇ radiation, emitted by their isotopes.
  • the apparatus described in Figure 1 includes a neutron bombardment station which is underground, the bombardment may take place other than in an underground site.

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  • Analysing Materials By The Use Of Radiation (AREA)
EP82300547A 1981-02-24 1982-02-03 Erzsortierung Withdrawn EP0059033A1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
ZA811231 1981-02-24
ZA811231 1981-02-24

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0059033A1 true EP0059033A1 (de) 1982-09-01

Family

ID=25575220

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP82300547A Withdrawn EP0059033A1 (de) 1981-02-24 1982-02-03 Erzsortierung

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0059033A1 (de)
AU (1) AU8044282A (de)
BR (1) BR8200987A (de)
FI (1) FI820592L (de)

Cited By (11)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1984004707A1 (en) * 1983-05-20 1984-12-06 Atomic Energy Authority Uk Ore sorting apparatus
US4696782A (en) * 1983-11-30 1987-09-29 United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority Ore irradiator
US4830193A (en) * 1981-06-10 1989-05-16 United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority Gold ore sorting
WO2005088283A1 (en) * 2004-03-12 2005-09-22 University Of The Witwatersrand Johannesburg Detection of diamonds
US7886915B2 (en) 2008-03-19 2011-02-15 Shulman Alvin D Method for bulk sorting shredded scrap metal
RU2454281C1 (ru) * 2010-12-29 2012-06-27 Общество с ограниченной ответственностью "ИНТЕГРА РУ" Подземный рудосепарационный горно-обогатительный комплекс
RU2507509C1 (ru) * 2012-07-12 2014-02-20 Федеральное государственное бюджетное учреждение науки Институт геологии рудных месторождений, петрографии, минералогии и геохимии Российской академии наук (ИГЕМ РАН) Способ определения золотоносности горных пород
RU2659107C1 (ru) * 2017-06-28 2018-06-28 Федеральное государственное бюджетное образовательное учреждение высшего образования "Забайкальский государственный университет" (ФГБОУ ВО "ЗабГУ") Способ комбинированной разработки руд
RU2700816C1 (ru) * 2018-04-13 2019-09-23 Акционерное общество "Иркутский научно-исследовательский институт благородных и редких металлов и алмазов" АО "Иргиредмет" Способ рентгенорадиометрической сепарации золотосодержащих руд
WO2020152618A1 (en) * 2019-01-23 2020-07-30 University Of Johannesburg Detector arrangement, detection system and method of positioning a detector arrangement to reduce imaging artefacts
CN114264681A (zh) * 2021-12-29 2022-04-01 清华大学 分析金矿石品位的方法和系统

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2707555A (en) * 1950-06-08 1955-05-03 Antoine M Gaudin Beryl ore selector
US3237765A (en) * 1964-05-28 1966-03-01 Copper Range Co Copper ore concentration by induced radioactivity
GB1103591A (en) * 1964-02-25 1968-02-21 Nat Res Dev Improvements in or relating to analysing and/or sorting arrangements
GB2019338A (en) * 1978-04-24 1979-10-31 Sphere Invest Feed apparatus and method

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2707555A (en) * 1950-06-08 1955-05-03 Antoine M Gaudin Beryl ore selector
GB1103591A (en) * 1964-02-25 1968-02-21 Nat Res Dev Improvements in or relating to analysing and/or sorting arrangements
US3237765A (en) * 1964-05-28 1966-03-01 Copper Range Co Copper ore concentration by induced radioactivity
GB2019338A (en) * 1978-04-24 1979-10-31 Sphere Invest Feed apparatus and method

Cited By (14)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4830193A (en) * 1981-06-10 1989-05-16 United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority Gold ore sorting
WO1984004707A1 (en) * 1983-05-20 1984-12-06 Atomic Energy Authority Uk Ore sorting apparatus
US4702379A (en) * 1983-05-20 1987-10-27 United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority Ore sorting apparatus
US4696782A (en) * 1983-11-30 1987-09-29 United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority Ore irradiator
CN1942759B (zh) * 2004-03-12 2011-01-12 苏珊·M·塞尔肖普 钻石检测
AU2005220403B2 (en) * 2004-03-12 2010-12-09 Sellschop, Susan Marietta Detection of diamonds
WO2005088283A1 (en) * 2004-03-12 2005-09-22 University Of The Witwatersrand Johannesburg Detection of diamonds
US7886915B2 (en) 2008-03-19 2011-02-15 Shulman Alvin D Method for bulk sorting shredded scrap metal
RU2454281C1 (ru) * 2010-12-29 2012-06-27 Общество с ограниченной ответственностью "ИНТЕГРА РУ" Подземный рудосепарационный горно-обогатительный комплекс
RU2507509C1 (ru) * 2012-07-12 2014-02-20 Федеральное государственное бюджетное учреждение науки Институт геологии рудных месторождений, петрографии, минералогии и геохимии Российской академии наук (ИГЕМ РАН) Способ определения золотоносности горных пород
RU2659107C1 (ru) * 2017-06-28 2018-06-28 Федеральное государственное бюджетное образовательное учреждение высшего образования "Забайкальский государственный университет" (ФГБОУ ВО "ЗабГУ") Способ комбинированной разработки руд
RU2700816C1 (ru) * 2018-04-13 2019-09-23 Акционерное общество "Иркутский научно-исследовательский институт благородных и редких металлов и алмазов" АО "Иргиредмет" Способ рентгенорадиометрической сепарации золотосодержащих руд
WO2020152618A1 (en) * 2019-01-23 2020-07-30 University Of Johannesburg Detector arrangement, detection system and method of positioning a detector arrangement to reduce imaging artefacts
CN114264681A (zh) * 2021-12-29 2022-04-01 清华大学 分析金矿石品位的方法和系统

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FI820592L (fi) 1982-08-25
BR8200987A (pt) 1983-01-04
AU8044282A (en) 1982-09-02

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PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

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Effective date: 19830225

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Effective date: 19830330

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Inventor name: RICHARDS, ARTHUR WILKIE

Inventor name: HAWKINS, ALBERT PETER