Patent Application
20230277960
The present disclosure relates generally to sieve panels for filtering slurries. More specifically, the present disclosure is directed to sieve panels and related methods of fabrication in which screening elements on the sieve panel have a tilt angle that varies based on the relative position of the screening elements on the sieve panel.
Conventional sieve panels are used to separate solids from a carrier medium in a slurry flowing over a screening surface of the sieve bend. The sieve panel is often arcuate and is arranged at an incline with screening apertures, or slots, perpendicular to a direction of flow of the slurry, typically downward, over the screening surface of the sieve bend. As the slurry flows over the inclined screening surface, solids are retained on, and pass along, the screening surface while liquid and other entrained particles of the carrier medium as well as undersized particles pass through the screening slots of the sieve bend. The separated solids retained on the screening surface, and typically collected at a bottom of the sieve panel, are fed downstream for further processing and/or collection while the separated carrier medium can be recycled for re-use.
The carrier medium used in mineral processing applications is generally in the form of magnetite media which is introduced into the mineral handling and preparation circuit to provide appropriate density to volumetric flow. This provides an ability to separate size-specific particles by density due to cyclonic action generated within an upstream separation asset. The cost of this magnetite media is high and recovery of the carrier medium plays a critical part in classifying ores. This general process of dewatering or size separation of slurries is used in other industries such as com wet milling, sugar separation and other applications dependent on slurry control and material separation.
It will be appreciated that inefficient media recovery can result in significant losses for a slurry dewatering operation. Recovery of the carrier medium is directly related to the open area of the sieve panel The greater the open area, the better the efficiency of the sieve panel However, it is desirable to increase open area without increasing slot size. An increased slot size is undesirable as it would result in larger particles passing through the screening slots resulting in an excessive proportion of recoverable solids being lost.
Another major consideration in slurry or material separation processing operations is the cost of the sieve panels themselves. It will be appreciated that the slurry is very abrasive and the slurry impacting on the screening surface of the sieve bend, and the screening elements specifically, adversely affects the operating life of the sieve panel. Extending the wear life of the sieve panel without adversely impacting screening efficiency could result in significant cost savings for the dewatering or slurry processing operation.
In representative embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a sieve panel which includes a support structure and a variable tilt screening arrangement. The variable tilting arrangement can comprise a plurality of screening elements that are mounted to support members such that the screening elements are arranged in a generally parallel relationship to define slots there between. Each of the plurality of screening elements can be selectively oriented when mounted to the support members to define a desired tilt angle of the screening element relative to the support members. Tilt angle can be selectively varied between an upper end and a lower end of the sieve panel to enhance dewatering characteristics of the sieve panel. In some embodiments, the sieve panel can be fabricated such that the upper portion and lower portion are essentially mirror images of each other. In such an embodiment, the sieve panel can be flipped after leading edges of the individual screening elements have suffered wear leading to a degradation in dewatering performance. By flipping the sieve panel, an effective service life of the sieve panel can be essentially doubled.
In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a sieve panel having individual shaped-wire elements that are selectively mounted to support members such that each shaped-wire element defines a desired tilt angle relative to the support members. The desired tilt angles can be selected so to impart desired dewater characteristics to the sieve panel In some embodiments, a change in tilt angle between adjacent shaped-wire elements can increase rapidly while in other embodiments, the change in tilt angle can be relatively minor depending upon desired dewatering performance and based upon slurry characteristics In some embodiments, the shaped-wire elements can be attached to the support members such that the sieve panel essentially comprises a mirror-imaged upper portion and lower portion such that the sieve panel can be flipped within a gravity filter system following wear to a leading edge of the shaped-wire elements that degrades dewatering performance.
In another aspect, the invention is directed to a method of fabricating a sieve panel to have a desired dewatering performance. The method can involve attaching a plurality of shaped-wire elements to support members, wherein each shaped-wire element is oriented to define a desired tilt angle relative to the support members. The method can further comprise fabricating the sieve panel to have an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the upper portion and the lower portion are essentially mirror images of each other. The method can further choosing a rate of change in tilt angle between adjacent shaped-wire elements to affect a desired dewatering performance
The above summary is not intended to describe each illustrated embodiment or every implementation of the subject matter hereof. The figures and the detailed description that follow more particularly exemplify various embodiments.
Subject matter hereof may be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments in connection with the accompanying figures, in which:
While various embodiments are amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the claimed inventions to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the claims.
Referring generally to
Referring now to
As shown in
Referring to
Dewatering using the sieve panel 200 is generally illustrated in
While adjustments to the tilt angle 218 can increase dewatering performance for sieve panel 200, it will be understood that the pronounced extension of the leading edge 220 into the slurry flow 230 can lead to increased wear and tear on leading edge 220 such that dewatering performance can degrade over time. In certain embodiments of the invention shown in
Alternative configurations that include additional variable intervals of wire tilt orientation, where multiple sections of the sieve panel have either continuous or sudden adjustments in relative tilt angle relative to the slurry flow are possible.
Various embodiments of systems, devices, and methods have been described herein. These embodiments are given only by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed inventions. It should be appreciated, moreover, that the various features of the embodiments that have been described may be combined in various ways to produce numerous additional embodiments. Moreover, while various materials, dimensions, shapes, configurations and locations, etc. have been described for use with disclosed embodiments, others besides those disclosed may be utilized without exceeding the scope of the claimed inventions.
Persons of ordinary skill in the relevant arts will recognize that the subject matter hereof may comprise fewer features than illustrated in any individual embodiment described above. The embodiments described herein are not meant to be an exhaustive presentation of the ways in which the various features of the subject matter hereof may be combined. Accordingly, the embodiments are not mutually exclusive combinations of features; rather, the various embodiments can comprise a combination of different individual features selected from different individual embodiments, as understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, elements described with respect to one embodiment can be implemented in other embodiments even when not described in such embodiments unless otherwise noted.
Although a dependent claim may refer in the claims to a specific combination with one or more other claims, other embodiments can also include a combination of the dependent claim with the subject matter of each other dependent claim or a combination of one or more features with other dependent or independent claims. Such combinations are proposed herein unless it is stated that a specific combination is not intended.
Any incorporation by reference of documents above is limited such that no subject matter is incorporated that is contrary to the explicit disclosure herein. Any incorporation by reference of documents above is further limited such that no claims included in the documents are incorporated by reference herein. Any incorporation by reference of documents above is yet further limited such that any definitions provided in the documents are not incorporated by reference herein unless expressly included herein.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2021/033146 | 5/19/2021 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63027087 | May 2020 | US |
