US1476243A

US1476243A - Mineral-washing plant

Info

Publication number: US1476243A
Application number: US622121A
Authority: US
Inventors: France Antoine
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1923-03-01
Filing date: 1923-03-01
Publication date: 1923-12-04
Anticipated expiration: 1940-12-04

Description

Deco 4 1923 3,476,243

A. FRANCE MINERAL WASHING PLANT Filed March 1, 1923 separatin Patented Deco 4, i923.

rattan Frien- PATENT ANTOINEFRANCE, OF LIEGE, BELGIUM.

MINERAL-WASHING PLANT.

Application filed March 1, 1923. Serial No 622,121.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, ANTOINE FRANCE, a subject of the King of the Belgians, residing at Liege, Belgium, 17 Quai St. Leonard, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mineral-\Vashing Plants, of. which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in processes and plant for washing fine particles of minerals by means of wet sorting apparatus, of the kind wherein the water for the said apparatus is supplied under constant pressure from a constant level tank into which water from a supply cistern is-fed by means of a pump or the like. The washlng of very fine particles has heretofore frequently been subject to certain drawbacks due to the difiiculty of thoroughly wetting or soaking the very fine particles, the imperfectly soaked particles having a tendency to swim on the surface of the water thus escaping'the act-ion oi the water streams Y in the sorting apparatus.

The object of the present invention is principally to remove the aforesaid drawbacks and thus to facilitate and improve the action of the wet sorting apparatus. Wit this object in view, according to the present invention, the very fine mineral particles are pumped into the constant level tank together with the feed water in such a manner as to cause them to pass through the said tank in a downward direction so that the fine particles which are thoroughly soaked are conveyed, via the base of the said tank, towards the sorting apparatus, while the fine particles which are still imperfectly soaked pass through the aforesaid tank again in an upward direction under the influence of an adjustable ascending water stream obtained in any suitable manner, in order to be ultimately brought back from the'upper portion of the constant level tank to the supply cistern. In this way, the very fine mineral particles are compelled to pass through a considerable thickness of liquid and are consequently very unlikely to escape being thoroughly soaked.

The present invention also comprises devices for carrying out the above mentioned method of treatment and in order that the invention may be readil understood, certain embodiments of the sai devices are, by way of example only, illustrated by the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic vertical section through one embodiment of a device according to the invention, while Fig. 2

shows a similar section through'a modified embodiment of a device according to the invention.

Referring to Fig. '1 of the drawing a indicates the supply cistern while 6 designates a centrifugal or other pump by means of which the feed water, together with the fine mineral particles is pumped, through the plping o and 0, into the constant level tank d. This tank d is at the base connected to a pipe 6 for the distribution of the Water necessary to form the water streams in the wet sorting apparatus such as f and f. The tank d is also provided with a vertical partition 9 adjustable in a vertical direction and guided in suitable slides such as h. Thefine particles, pumped together with the feed water through the piping 0 into the upper portion of the constant level tank (1, pass through the latter from the top towards the bottom on one side of the partition g and the thoroughly soaked particles are discharged at the base of the said tank by way of thepipe e, the said discharge being controlled by means of the central valve i provided for the purpose at the base of the tank d. The particles which are still insufiiciently soaked, on the other hand, are caused to pass through the tank 03 again, but from the bottom towards the top and on the other side of the partition 9, under the influence of an adjustable ascending or upward stream obtained by adjusting the valve 2' in such a manner as to obtain an excess of the rate of supply by the pump 6 to the tank d over the rate of discharge through said valve 2' which excess will seek escape through an overflow k rovided at the top of the tank d. The ve ocity or thestream may be regulated by means of a movable flap 7' of which the inclination may be adjusted and which is provided for the purpose at the lower edge of the partition 9, that is .to say at the point where the separation of the articles which are thoroughly soaked and 0 those which are still imperfectly soaked takes lace. These particles still imperfectly soa red, which are generally ag-. glomerated in small masses, are discharged at the top of the tank (1 by way of the overflow pipe is, and are then brought back into the supply cistern a through the medium of the pipe Z.

Referring to Fig. 2 of the drawing, the

Kit

adjustable vertical partition provided in the constant level tank (Z in the device according to Figure 1, is here replaced by a cylindrical partition m which may also be adjusted in a: vertical direction, the said cylindrical partition m forming a central channel a of circular cross section by way of which the fine particles which are still insufliciently soaked rise in order to be ul-- timately discharged by means of an overflow channel is provided for the purpose at the upper end of the cylindrical partition m and which is independent in relation to the constant level tank a7. The particles still imperfectly soaked which are discharged by way of the overflow in are, just like the materials evacuated by way of the overflow pipe is of the device according to Fig. 1, brought back to the sup ply cistern 0: through a suitable pipe Z.

It should be expressly understood that the invention is not restricted to the particular specific construction or arrangement of parts illustrated, and that means other than those illustrated for obtaining and regulating the water streams may be adopted Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims I claim:

1. In apparatus for thoroughly soaking the rate of discharge through the base of the tank in relation to the rate of delivery to the aforesaid compartment of said tank in such a manner as to obtain an upward stream through. the other compartment, an overflow at the top, of the said other compartment, and means for returning material discharged through the said overflow to the aforesaid supply cistern, substantially as described,

2. In apparatus for thoroughly soaking fine particles of minerals preparatory to their washing by means of wet sorting apparatus, the combination of: a lower supply cistern, an upper constant level tank, an adjustable vertical partition plate slidably mounted within said tank, an adjustable fiap movablysecured tothe lower edge of said partition. plate; means for pumping the particles to be treated together with water from the supply cistern into the top of one of the compartments formed within the aforesaid tank by the said partition plate, a connection between the base of said tank and the sorting apparatus, means on the said connection for adjusting the rate of discharge through the base of the tank in relation to the rate of delivery of the pumping means into the aforesaid compartment of the tank in such a manner as to obtain an upward stream through the other compartment, an overflowat the top of the said other compartment, and means for returning material discharged through the said overflow to the aforesaid supply cistern.

In testimony whereof I signed hereunto my name in the presence of two subscrib- 'ing witnesses,

ANTOINE FRANCE. Witnesses MADE Rnnsonnnr, Yvonne Ric-a,