SME Annual Meeting Feb.

23-25, Denver, Colorado

Preprint 04-88
SIMULATION OF HEAVY MEDIUM CYCLONE PERFORMANCE G. H. Luttrell C. J. Barbee Virginia Tech Univ. Blacksburg, VA C. J. Wood Partition Enterprises Pty Ltd. Indooroopilly, QLD, Australia P. J.Bethell Arch Coal Charleston, WV

ABSTRACT
Heavy medium cyclones (HMCs) are commonly used to clean run-of-mine coal in the 50 x 0.5 mm size range. Unfortunately, field studies suggest that industrial HMC circuits are often poorly designed or improperly operated, resulting in significant losses of recoverable clean coal. To assist plant engineers in overcoming these problems, a spreadsheet-based simulation package has been developed to predict HMC performance based on mathematical expressions originally developed by Wood (1990). A case study is provided to illustrate the predictive capabilities of this simulation package for an industrial HMC.

SIMULATION ROUTINES
The routines used in the simulation package can be subdivided into three categories, i.e.: Medium Calculations Partition Calculations Application Checks

Figure 1 provides a flowchart that describes the sequence of calculations used in the HMC simulation (Clarkson and Wood, 1991). Medium Calculations The first series of calculations require the determination of the volumetric flow rates. The total volumetric capacity of the cyclone is controlled by the cyclone geometry and applied inlet pressure. The inlet pressure (P) is commonly reported in terms of equivalent diameters of medium head (H), which can be calculated from:

INTRODUCTION
Heavy media cyclones (HMCs) are high-tonnage devices that have been used for more than 50 years to upgrade run-of-mine coal in the 50 to 0.5 mm size range. In the U.S. alone, HMC circuits are used by more than 80% of all preparation plants and account for an annual production of 175 million tons of clean coal (16% of the total U.S. production). Because of the high tonnages treated by these units, a small improvement in HMC efficiency can have a large impact on profitability. In many cases, these improvements can be obtained through simple and low-cost modifications to equipment and/or operating procedures. To assist plant engineers in optimizing the performance of HMCs, a simulation program has been developed based largely on mathematical expressions originally presented by Wood (1987, 1990, 1997) and others (Davis, 1987; Scott, 1988; Clarkson and Wood, 1991). The user-friendly package makes use of a spreadsheet-based platform that is easy to use and modify. Input values to the simulation package include feed washability characteristics, design variables (e.g., cyclone diameter, inlet size, etc.), and operating variables (e.g., inlet pressure, medium density, etc.). The simulation package can be used (i) to predict the partitioning performance of HMCs and (ii) to identify potential HMC problems such as unwanted particle retention, incorrect medium splits, inadequate medium flow rates, excessive dry feed mass rates, etc.

[1] in which f is the feed slurry density, Dc is the cyclone diameter, and E is the distance between the pressure gauge and the centerline of the cyclone. (Note that E is negative if the pressure gauge is mounted below the cyclone.) Once the head is specified, the total volumetric feed capacity of the cyclone flow can be estimated using:

[2] where Dc is the cyclone diameter, Du is the apex (underflow) diameter, and Do is the vortex finder (overflow) diameter, and K is a empirical fitting and unit conversion coefficient. The simulation routines assume that Qf is independent of feed coal loading.

Copyright 2004 by SME

SME Annual Meeting Feb. 23-25, Denver, Colorado

The volumetric flow rate of medium to the underflow in the absence of feed coal (Qum*) can be estimated using: where Qfn is the volumetric feed flow rate of nonmedium solids. This flow can be readily obtained by dividing the dry coal mass feed rate (Mfn) of nonmedium solids by the feed coal density ( fn). After calculating the medium split to underflow, the density of the underflow medium ( um) can be calculated from an empirical relationship given by:

[3]

In practice, the underflow rate is also influenced by the amount of refuse material that reports to the underflow. Therefore, when feed coal is present, the volumetric flow rate of medium to underflow (Qum) is adjusted using:

[6] in which PRR is the Rosin-Rammler intercept of the feed magnetite size distribution. Likewise, the density of the overflow medium ( om) can now be obtained from a volume balance which dictates that:

[7] Partition Calculations The next step in the simulation of HMC performance is the determination of the partitioning behavior of the feed coal. Unlike previous forms of the HMC model, the current model assumes that the effective sharpness of the separation depends not only on particle size, but also on cyclone diameter. In this case, the Ecart Probables (Ep) for any size class treated by the HMC is given by:

[8 Figure 1. HMC Simulation Methodology. in which Dp is the mean particle diameter (in mm) of each size class and Dc is the cyclone diameter (in mm). This relationship suggests that the separating efficiency of a large diameter cyclone is slightly lower than that of a smaller diameter unit. [4] in which Qun is the volumetric flow rate of nonmedium solids (refuse) reporting to the underflow. In the original model proposed by Wood (1990), Qun is estimated by dividing the dry mass flow rate of refuse obtained from float-sink data by the density of the refuse material. In the present form of the model, an iterative approach is used to calculate Qun. In each iteration, the refuse mass rate is recalculated using the partition numbers predicted by the HMC model which, as discussed later, also depends on Qum. The mass flow rates for each density class are divided by their respective densities and the resultant incremental volumes are cumulated to obtain a corrected estimate of Qum. The iterations continue until a steady-state value of Qum is obtained. The medium split to underflow (Qum /Qfm) can then be obtained as: [10] [5] As shown in Figure 2, the present form of the model also assumes that the partition curves for all particle size fractions pass through a common pivot point (Scott, 1988). The pivot point density can be estimated using: [9] This value represents the effective density cutpoint of an infinitely large particle separated under a zero medium viscosity. The second defining term for the pivot point is obtained at a partition number that is numerically equal to the underflow medium split (Qum /Qfm). Once the pivot point is identified, the separating density ( 50) for each particle size class can be obtained using:

Copyright 2004 by SME

SME Annual Meeting Feb. 23-25, Denver, Colorado

Since the 50 and Ep are now known, the partition number for any size fraction can be estimated from the Whiten equation given by: Product Overload The flow rate of medium through the vortex finder of the HMC must be sufficient to carry out the larger coal particles present in the feed. If the flow of media to the overflow is too low, then the excess clean coal cannot be carried through the vortex finder and will instead report to refuse. To avoid this problem, the volumetric media-to-coal ratio in the overflow should exceed 2.5 (Wood, 1990). If this condition is not met, then the problem is flagged by the simulation routines so appropriate actions can be taken by the user. A corrective action normally necessitates one or more of the following: (i) an increase in inlet pressure, (ii) a decrease in dry feed coal tonnage, and/or (iii) a reduction in apex diameter. Although overloading of the apex is typically not observed in practice, the simulation routines provide a warning flag whenever the medium-to-coal ratio in the underflow drops below 1.5. Retention and Surging The classification of magnetite within a HMC causes the underflow medium density to be higher than that of the overflow medium density. As a result, middlings particles can be retained within the cyclone when the density difference between the overflow and underflow becomes large. Retention can become a serious problem when middlings particles enter the cyclone at a faster rate than they can be removed. The excessive buildup of middlings eventually leads to a sudden surge of solids to underflow that often carries a portion of low-density clean coal to the refuse stream. Retention is normally associated with only the coarsest particles and rarely occurs for particles finer than about 15 mm. [11] This equation is a simplified sigmoid transition function which represents the probability (P) of a particle of a given density ( ) reporting to the refuse stream. Although difficult to predict, the simulation routines provide a warning whenever the medium differential (defined as the difference in the SG between the overflow and underflow) is 0.4 or greater (Wood, 1990). To correct this problem, the user will normally have to change one of more of the following: (i) increase the apex diameter, (ii) lower the cyclone inlet pressure, (iii) use magnetite of a finer grind size, and/or (iv) reduce the top size of the feed material. Unfortunately, some of these corrective actions (such as the use of a larger apex or lower inlet pressure) can create other operational problem such as overloading of the vortex finder.

Figure 2. Size-by-Size Partition Curves Illustrating the Identification of a Pivot Point.

OPERATIONAL CHECKS
The final step in the simulation is to identify any potential operational problems that may limit the accuracy of the predictions. The most important of these include: Application Limits Product Overload Retention and Surging

EXPERIMENTAL VALIDATION
An experimental test program was conducted at an operating coal preparation plant to determine whether the predictions provided by the simulation package were acceptable. Representative samples of the feed, clean, and refuse streams from the HMC were collected while the plant was operated at steady-state conditions. The samples were dried, sized, and weighed. Three sizes of the dried solids from each stream were subjected to laboratory float-sink analyses, i.e., 16 x 8 mm, 4 x 2 mm, and 1 x 0.5 mm. The size-by-size data were then used to construct experimental partition curves for the HMC. Predicted partition curves from the modeling expressions were obtained based on operating information for the HMC circuit. Input values included: Feed Rate (Dry Solids) Inlet Diameter Cyclone Diameter Vortex Diameter Apex Diameter Inlet Pressure Pressure Gauge Elevation (Relate to HMC Axis) Feed Medium Density Magnetite Rosin-Rammler Intercept

Each of these items is discussed in the following sections. Application Limits Cyclone geometry and flow rates are checked by the simulation routines to ensure that the combination of input variables is acceptable. The model equations apply to DSM style cyclones that operate within the following specifications: Particle Topsize = 0.05 Dc Cyclone Diameter = 500-800 mm Apex Diameter = 0.3 to 0.4 Dc Inlet Head = 6 to 12 Dc of Medium Feed Medium Density = 1.2-1.7 SG Feed Medium-to-Coal Ratio = >3.0 Feed Medium Viscosity = 5 to 20 centipoises Potential problems are flagged by the simulation routines so that appropriate corrections can be made to the input variables by the user.

Copyright 2004 by SME

SME Annual Meeting Feb. 23-25, Denver, Colorado

An example of the input data required by the simulation routines is provided in Figure 3. A corresponding set of output is provided in Figure 4. Based on these values, predicted partition numbers were obtained for each size fraction of the feed coal. The predicted and experimental partition numbers are compared in Figure 5. In general, a very good agreement was obtained between the predicted and experimental values. These results suggest that the HMC simulation routines are reasonably reliable.

Figure 5. Comparison of Experimental (Symbols) and Predicted (Lines) HMC Partition Data. Figure 3. Input to the HMC Simulation.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support for this work provided by the U.S. Department of Energy (DE-FC26-01NT41061) under the Industries of the Future Program.

REFERENCES
Clarkson, C.J. and Wood, C.J., 1991. A Model of Dense Medium Cyclone Performance, Proceedings, 5th Australian Coal Preparation Conference, pp. 65-79. Davis, J.J., 1987. A Study of Coal Washing Dense Medium Cyclones, PhD Thesis, University of Queensland, Australia. Scott, I., 1988. A Dense Medium Cyclone Model Based on the Pivot Phenomenon, Ph.D. Thesis, University of Queensland, Australia. Figure 4. Output from the HMC Simulation. Wood, C.J. 1990. A Performance Model for Coal-Washing Dense Medium Cyclones. PhD thesis, unpublished, University of Queensland, Australia. Wood, C.J., 1997. Coal Preparation Expertise in Australis: In-Plant Issues and the Potential Impact of Broader Applications, Proceedings, Coal Prep 97, Lexington, Kentucky, pp. 179-198. Wood, C.J., Davis, J.J. and Lyman, G.J., 1987. Towards a Medium Behavior Based Performance Model for Coal Washing Dense Medium Cyclones, Aust. IMM, Brisbane, pp. 247-256.

CONCLUSIONS
The full capabilities of heavy medium cyclones are often not realized in industrial practice due to improper design and poor operating practices. To help overcome this problem, a user-friendly spreadsheet-based simulation program has been developed based largely on modeling expressions developed by Wood (1987, 1990, 1997) and Clarkson and Wood (1991). Experimental partition data collected from an industrial HMC installation suggests that the simulation routines are capable of correctly predicting HMC performance.

Copyright 2004 by SME