Effect of Process Variables on High-Tension Separation - A Statistical Approach

The minerals like ilmenite, rutile and leucoxene behave as conducting minerals where as zircon, sillimanite, garnet and monazite behave as non-conducting minerals when high potential difference is applied. In a mineral processing plants effective separation of the conducting minerals depends on the efficiency of electrostatic separators. The commercial equipment are designed in an electro dynamic and electrostatic operating conditions depending on the process requirement and several stages of such operations are necessary to produce high pure mineral products with good recovery. The separation process becomes relatively more dcult when the particle size distribution is in wider ranging from very fine to coarser along with coated non-conducting minerals. The present study deals with the use of high-tension separa-tor in processing heavy minerals for recovery of conducting minerals. The process variables have been optimized with the help of statistical design of exper-iments and co-relations have been developed between the operating variables of high-tension separator, yield and the grade of conducting minerals recovered.