How does a spiral chute work?

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Gravity separation is widely used in the beneficiation of metallic and non-metallic minerals due to its low environmental pollution and low cost. Gravity separation equipment is generally suitable for processing coarse-grained materials with a certain specific gravity difference. We have introduced some gravity equipment: jig machine, shaking table and centrifugal separator before. This article will introduce a gravity equipment in detail: spiral chute.

01

Definition of spiral chute

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The spiral chute is a gravity separation equipment that uses the inertial centrifugal force generated by the ore pulp in the spiral rotation motion to realize the separation of light and heavy minerals.

02

Separation range of spiral chute

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The spiral chute is widely used to separate non-ferrous metals, ferrous metals, non-metallic minerals, rare metal minerals and heavy minerals in tailings with a particle size range of 0.3-0.02 mm, such as iron, tin, tungsten, tantalum, niobium, gold mine, coal, monazite, rutile, zircon, etc.

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Principle of spiral chute beneficiation

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The chute beneficiation is inclined flow separation. The operation process is mainly affected by the impact of the water current, the gravity of the mineral particles, the inertial centrifugal force and the friction force of the chute surface. The slurry is fed to a chute with a certain slope. Driven by the water flow, the ore particles are loosened and stratified. The upper light minerals are quickly discharged out of the chute, and the lower heavy minerals are retained in the chute or discharged from the lower part at a low speed. After receiving them separately, concentrates and tailings are obtained.

04

Composition of spiral chute 

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The spiral chute is mainly composed of these six parts:

(1) The ore divider is used for distribute slurry, located at the uppermost part.

(2) The ore feed chute is located between the ore divider and the chute.

(3) The chute is the main part, which is connected by a number of spiral pieces with bolts. Spiral pieces are made of glass steel.

(4) The cutting chute is connected to the discharge end at the lower part of the spiral chute.

(5) The ore receiving bucket is a concentric annular cylinder, which can collect the different grade streams intercepted by 4 ore cutting chutes and send slurry to the next operation.

(6) The chute bracket refers to the pillars around the spiral chute and the upper cross frame.

05

Classification of spiral chute

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According to the particle size of the ore that can be processed by the spiral chute, it can be divided into three categories:

(1) For coarse-grained chute, the feed size is above 2-3mm, and the maximum can reach 100-200mm.

(2) For ore sand chute, the feeding grain size is 2-3 mm.

(3) For sludge chute, the feed size is less than 0.074 mm.

06

Structure parameters of spiral chute

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(1)The diameter of the chute. The processing capacity of the chute is proportional to the square of the diameter. When conditions permit, large-diameter spiral chute should be used to handle coarse materials.

(2)The cross-sectional shape of the spiral chute is related to the particle size of the materials. For the particle smaller than 2mm, the ratio of long and short axis is 2:1. The long axis is horizontal. It is appropriate that half of the long axis is equal to one third of the diameter of the spiral.

(3)The size of the pitch is usually defined by the ratio of the pitch to the diameter of the spiral, which is called the pitch-diameter ratio. When the ratio is about 0.73, the sorting effect is better.

(4)The length of the spiral chute and the number of turns. They determine the running distance of the material. It takes 3-4 laps for easy beneficiation ore, and 5-6 laps for difficult-to-select ore. 

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Advantages of spiral chute

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(1) Energy efficient. The spiral chute has no moving parts and consumes no power.

(2) Less space occupation. The equipment occupies a small area and has a large processing capacity per unit area.

(3) Water saving. There no need to add flushing water during the separation process.

(4) Stable separation index. When the ore volume, ore concentration, particle size and grade change, the impact on the separating index is small.

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Disadvantages of spiral chute

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(1) Large height difference. It need a pump to lift the slurry for feeding.

(2) Low concentrate grade. It is suitable for use as roughing equipment.

(3) Poor separation effect for conjoined or flake ore.

(4) The parameters of the spiral chute are not easy to adjust to adapt to changes of ore properties.

09

Operation points of spiral chute

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(1)Suitable ore concentration:

Generally, the ore concentration for roughing separation is 30%-40%, and the concentration is 40%-60% for beneficiation. During the separation, the ore particle size and ore concentration are required to fluctuate within 5% of the error range. 

(2)Suitable ore volume:

The size of the feed ore volume directly affects the thickness and speed of the ore flow. The ore volume should be large when separating coarse-grained materials, and small when separating fine-grained materials. When roughing, the ore volume should be large, and when concentration, the ore volume should be small.

10

Development trend of spiral chute

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(1) Large-scale, large processing capacity, based on scale effect to create benefits.

(2) Improve the separation of fine particles and fine particles, especially for particle size of -0.047 mm.

(3) Enhance the enrichment of useful minerals, and improve the separation efficiency of the spiral chute and the recovery rate of minerals.

(4) Energy saving and environmental protection, small floor space.

(5) Convenient operation, stable separation process, simple structure, easy maintenance and management.

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To Wrap Up

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How Americans Got Into Hot Water - Sense

With the increasing awareness of energy saving and environmental protection, the use of gravity separation method for ore pre-selection, recovery of monomer heavy minerals in the grinding circuit, and addition of gravity separation equipment in the magnetic separation or flotation process to recover coarse useful minerals or abandoning the final tailings will be an inevitable development trend. If you want to know more about spiral chute, please feel free to consult our online customer service.

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What is Spiral Chute

Spiral chute is a sorting equipment that separates concentrate and tailings based on the density and particle size of materials. Suitable for iron ore, ilmenite, chromite, pyrite, tungsten ore, tin ore, tantalum niobium ore, placer gold, zircon, rutile, monazite, phosphorite, and other non-ferrous metals, rare metals, and non-metallic minerals with a specific gravity difference of 0.3-0.02 millimeters. It can also be used for tailings pond re selection and disposal of large amounts of abandoned tailings.

Working Principle

When the slurry enters the spiral chute, the movement trajectories of materials with different particle sizes and densities in the spiral chute are different due to the combined effects of gravity, centrifugal force, friction force, and hydrodynamic pressure on light and heavy particles.

The final concentrate with high density and particle size is discharged at the inner edge of the spiral groove, while the tailings with low density and particle size are discharged at the outer edge of the spiral groove. Spiral chutes are commonly used equipment in mineral processing plants for classifying and selecting fine-grained minerals.

Structure Features

The spiral chute is composed of eight parts, including a mining hopper, a feeding groove, a spiral groove, a product cutting groove, a receiving groove, and a channel steel bracket (including a cross or triangular frame) motor, and a vibration motor. The specifications include diameters Φ mm, Φ mm, Φ mm, Φ 900mm, Φ 600mm, etc.

1. Distributor Hopper

The ore distributor hopper is a slurry distribution device of a spiral chute, located at the top of the spiral chute. The ore distributor hopper is a fixed network pipe distributor, which evenly distributes the ore slurry from the four surrounding discharge pipes to the ore feeding trough using the positive pressure of the ore slurry inside the barrel.

2. Feed Tank

The feeding trough is located between the ore separator and the spiral trough. Its function is to buffer and stabilize the slurry from the ore separator, and then evenly and slowly feed it into the spiral trough along the tongue type feeding weir plate. The width of the feeding trough should be appropriate, otherwise it will affect the sorting effect.

3. Spiral Slot

The spiral groove is the main component of the spiral groove, and the mineral sorting process is completed within the spiral groove.

4. Product Intercepted Slot

The product intercepted slot is connected to the discharge end at the lower part of the spiral groove. The slurry after spiral chute sorting forms ore belts with different grades at the discharge end, and is intercepted into concentrate, intermediate ore, and tailings through the product intercepted slot.

5. Product Collection Funnel

The ore collection Funnel is a concentric circular cylinder that can collect the concentrate, intermediate ore, and tailings intercepted from four product intercepting tanks by category and guide them to the next operation. The slope of the bottom of the collection funnel should be greater than 25% to ensure the smooth discharge of concentrate, intermediate ore, and tailings.

6. Chute Bracket

Chute support refers to the pillars around the spiral slot and the upper cross shaped frame, which are made of channel steel to ensure sufficient strength. The cross shaped frame in the upper part not only supports the ore separation hopper, but also positions the four channel steel pillars.

7. Spiral Unit

According to different processing requirements, the screw unit can be made into different layers, including single head, double head, three head, and four head structures. Each spiral groove is composed of 4-5 spiral blades connected by bolts (which can also be added), and the spiral blades are made of fiberglass (fiberglass reinforced plastic). The selection surface of the spiral groove has a specially designed wear-resistant layer, which is coated with polyurethane rubber or epoxy resin mixed with diamond sand. It has the advantages of lightweight, sturdy, and durable.

Specification Parameters

Model5LL-LL-LL-LL-LL-LL-400Spiral Diameter
(mm)Spiral GAP
(mm)/800/980//720//540//360//180Gap To Diameter Ratio0.60.48/0.360.75/0.6/0.450.75/0.6/0.450.75/0.6/0.450.6/0.45Abeam Angle
(°)9°9°9°9°9°9°Install HeadsFeed Size
(mm)2.00-0.040.8-0..3-0.030.3-0.030.2-0.020.2-0.02Feed Concentration
(%)30------55Capacity
(T/H)7-106-84-62-30.4-0.80.15-0.2Overalllong(mm)wide(mm)high(mm)Weight
(kg)

Spiral Chute Applications

Spiral chutes are widely used in the field of mineral processing, mainly for mineral separation. The following are the applications of spiral chutes:

• 1. Spiral chutes can be used to separate various metal and non-metallic minerals, such as iron, copper, gold, silver, lead, zinc, quartz sand, calcite, limestone, graphite, marble, coal, etc.

• 2. Spiral chutes are suitable for handling ores with particle sizes between 0.3 and 0.02mm.

• 3. The spiral chute has a simple structure, small footprint, low investment, and fast efficiency, and is widely used in small mineral processing plants and laboratories.

• 4. The spiral chute can be used in conjunction with equipment such as ball mills and vibrating screens to form a complete beneficiation production line.

• 5. Spiral chutes are very suitable for sand mining on beaches, riverbanks, sandbanks, and streams.

How To Choose A Suitable Spiral Chute

When choosing a spiral chute, the following 7 tips can help you easily choose:

• 1. Mineral Properties: The density, magnetism, electrical properties, color, shape, and other characteristics of different minerals vary, and it is necessary to choose a suitable spiral chute based on specific mineral properties.
• 2. Mineral Particle Size: Different minerals with different particle sizes require different spiral chutes, and suitable spiral chutes need to be selected based on the particle size of the material.
• 3. Mineral Content: Different mineral contents require different spiral chutes, and suitable spiral chutes need to be selected based on the mineral content in the material.
• 4. Equipment Reliability: When selecting spiral chutes, it is necessary to consider the reliability of the equipment and choose equipment with reliable quality and stable performance.
• 5. Maintenance Cost: The maintenance cost of different models of spiral chutes varies, and it is necessary to choose a suitable spiral chute based on one&#;s own budget and needs.
• 6. Equipment Size: Different models of spiral chutes also have different sizes, and it is necessary to choose a suitable spiral chute based on your own site and space.
• 7. Energy Consumption: Different models of spiral chutes also have different energy consumption, and it is necessary to choose a suitable spiral chute based on one&#;s own energy needs and costs.

In actual production, selecting spiral chutes requires considering multiple factors and making the correct decision based on the mine situation.

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