Minerals Beneficiation - Sizing Comminution Products in the Extremely Fine Range

A combined method for sizing in the sub-micron range was developed using centrifugation and gamma emission. Its essential features are: 1) Centrifugation of suspended mineral in water carried out at 4°C where water has its maximal density and zero temperature gradient of density 2) Gamma activition of the sample suspension induced by irradiating it in a nuclear reactor prior to centrifugation 3) Measurement of the activity of a beam of suspension as it is sedimenting in the centrifuge, using a scintillation counter provided with a discriminator. Albite, the sodium feldspar, was used as feed to the comminution step, and the induced gamma activity of Na24 was measured. Dissolved sodium ion caused a a non-settling activity in the measurement. Other "noise" is due to scattered gamma radiation from albite particles in the centrifuge outside of the line of sight. These two activities were obtained sep arately and subtracted from the total activity counted. The relative solid concentration in the suspension under the collimating slit is proportional to this net activity. The cumulative weight per cent of undersize particles was calculated and plotted against size on logarithmic scales. The relationship was found to be linear down to about 30 mµ. The specific surfaces calculated from particle size distribution agree with those measured by krypton gas adsorption. The measurement of particle size distribution of comminution products has been of interest in clarifying the mechanism of the process. The Gaudin-Schuhmann equation1,2 relates the cumulative percentage undersize, y, to relative particle size x/k. The particle size, x, and the size modulus, k, together with the distribution modulus, m, characterize the particle size distribution, m is the slope of a plot of log (y) against log (x/k). This equation has been verified for ground particles down to 1 micron in size.3'4 For particle sizes smaller than a few microns, the precision and facility of sedimentation and microscope techniques become questionable. Use of a centrifuge which shortens settling time from weeks to hours is attractive. Many centrifugal methods have been proposed; however, determination of the solid concentration of the suspension at a reference level as a function of time is difficult, and sampling the suspension is likely to introduce errors. Measurement of particle size distribution by X-ray absorption in gravitational5 and in centrifugal6 sedimentation have also been tried. In these methods, the absorption coefficient for the solid is independent of size, since the wave lengths of the X-rays and gamma-rays are orders of magnitude smaller than the particles. Radiometric techniques7 in size distribution measurement have been developed within the last several years. They offer advantages over usual gravimetric and optical methods. PRINCIPLE OF METHOD The combined method of centrifugation and gamma emission for sizing in submicron range described in the present paper has the following essential features. 1) Centrifugation is carried out at 4 ± 0.1°C. Convection currents in the water phase due to density changes caused by temperature variation may disturb completely the settling system. To avoid this difficulty, the unique property of water having zero temperature gradient of density at 4°C is used. 2) Prior to size measurement the sample suspension is irradiated in a nuclear reactor and gamma activity induced. The gamma activity of the particles sedi-mented radially is measured by a scintillation counter provided with a discriminator. By this method, interruption of centrifugation by withdrawing samples is avoided and the counting rate at any time represents the solid concentration in the suspension at the level of the collimating slit of the centrifuge at the particular time at which the measurement is made. 3) By proper selection of the feed material and of the comminution device, gamma activities of foreign