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CFD simulation of particulate flow in a spiral concentrator

  • Gamal M. A. Mahran , Mohamed A. Doheim , Mohamed H. Abu-Ali and Ahmed F. Abdel
Published/Copyright: August 31, 2015
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Materials Testing
From the journal Materials Testing Volume 57 Issue 9

Abstract

A spiral concentrator is a gravity concentration device. It was invented by Humphreys in 1941. Firstly, it was designed and developed based on experience and by extensive testing of prototypes and modifications. The main objective of the present study is the simulation of the particulate flow of more realistic solid concentrations (i. e., 15 wt.-% solids) in a spiral separator. This study is based on the Eulerian approach and renormalization group k-∊ turbulence modeling. The results focus on particulate flow characteristics such as velocity, distribution and concentration of particulates on the spiral trough. The predicted results were compared with the experimental results in case of LD9 coal spiral. Comparisons between numerical and measured data showed good agreement.

Kurzfassung

Bei einem Spiralkonzentrator handelt es sich um eine gravimetrische Konzentrationseinrichtung. Diese wurde durch Humphreys bereits 1941 erfunden. Sie wurde zunächst basierend auf Erfahrungen und durch Prüfen von Prototypen und deren Modifikation designed und entwickelt. Das Hauptziel der diesem Beitrag zugrunde liegenden Studie besteht darin, den Partikelfluss einer realistischeren Konzentration an Festbestandteilen, nämlich 15 wt.-%, in einem Spiralkonzentrator zu simulieren. Die Studie basiert auf einem Ansatz nach Euler und der Modellierung der Renormalisationsgruppe einer k-∊ Turbulenz. Die Ergebnisse konzentrieren sich auf die Partikelflusseigenschaften wie Geschwindigkeit sowie Konzentration und Verteilung der Partikel auf dem Schneckentrog. Die vorhergesagten Ergebnisse wurden mit experimentellen Ergebnissen für den Fall einer LD9 Kohlespirale verglichen. Der Vergleich zwischen den numerischen und experimentellen Werten zeigte eine gute Übereinstimmung.

§Correspondence Address, Assistant Prof. Dr. Gamal M. A. Mahran, Deanship of Graduate Studies, P.O. Box 80217, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. E-mail:

Dr. Gamal M. A. Mahran, born 1968, is Assistant Professor in the Deanship of Graduate Studies, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He received his BSc from the Mining Engineering Dept., Assiut University, Egypt, in 1991 and his MSc from the Mining Engineering Dept., Al-Azhar University, Egypt, in 2000. In 2009, he accomplished his PhD at the Mining Engineering Dept., Assiut University, Egypt. His fields of interest are mineral processing, modeling and simulation as well as computational fluid mechanics.

Prof. Mohamed A. Doheim, born 1941, is Professor at the Mining Engineering Dept. Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt. He received his BSc from the Chemical Engineering Dept., Faculty of Engineering Alexandria University, Egypt, in 1962 and his PhD from Leeds University, UK, in 1968.

Prof. Mohamed H. Abu-Ali, born 1958, is Professor in the Mining Engineering Dept. Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt. He received his BSc and MSc from the Mining Engineering Dept., Assiut University, Egypt, in 1981 and 1987, respectively. In 1994, he achieved his PhD in the Mining Engineering Dept., Assiut University, Egypt. His fields of interest are unit operations in mineral processing, modeling and beneficiation of ores.

Prof. Ahmed F. Abdel Gawad, born 1968, is Professor for Computational Fluid Mechanics in the Mechanical Power Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt. Currently, he is working at the Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. His fields of interest are computational fluid dynamics, turbulence modeling and simulation as well as computational fluid dynamics in mining applications.

References

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Published Online: 2015-08-31
Published in Print: 2015-09-01

© 2015, Carl Hanser Verlag, München

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https://doi.org/10.3139/120.110774

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Inhalt/Contents
  2. Inhalt
  3. Fachbeiträge/Technical Contributions
  4. Adhesive tensile testing of atmospheric plasma sprayed zinc coating on a 1.4301 substrate
  5. Fatigue strength of nodular cast iron with regard to heavy-wall applications
  6. Mechanical and corrosion properties of friction stir welded joints of Al-Cu alloy 2219-T87
  7. The effect of using heat treated ulexite and cashew in automotive friction materials
  8. Residual stress relaxation in welded large components
  9. Variation regulation of the acoustic emission energy parameter during the failure process of granite under uniaxial compression
  10. Iznik tiles: A new production technology and respective characterization
  11. Quality during milling of a glass fiber reinforced polymer composite
  12. Effect of abrasive water jet turning process parameters on surface roughness and material removal rate of AISI 1050 steel
  13. Influence of cutting parameters on the chip-tool interface temperature during the turning of Waspaloy
  14. Effects of the thixocasting injection velocity on tensile properties of an A357 Al alloy
  15. Solid mold investment casting – A replication process for open-cell foam metal production
  16. Design of an impact testing machine for polymer films by the free falling dart procedure
  17. Mechanical and electrical properties of Sb-Ga50Au10In40 alloys
  18. CFD simulation of particulate flow in a spiral concentrator
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