Article
Article name	Improvement of the Scheme and Regime of Internal Water Circulation of Foam Separation of Diamond-Containing Kimberlites
Authors	Kovalenko E.G. Candidate of Technical Sciences, Chief Engineer, kovalenkoeg@gmail.ru
Bibliographic description	Kovalenko E. G. Improvement of the Scheme and Regime of Internal Water Circulation of Foam Separation of Diamond-Containing Kimberlites // Transbaikal State University Journal. 2024. Vol. 30, no. 2. P. 62–71. DOI: 10.2109/2227-9245-2024-30-2-62-71.
Category	Subsoil Use, Mining Sciences
DOI	622.765.4
DOI	10.2109/2227-9245-2024-30-2-62-71
Article type	Original article
Annotation	The object of this study is the process of enrichment of diamond-containing kimberlites by foam separation. The subject of the research is the recycled water of the foam separation unit. The purpose of the study is to increase the foam separation process efficiency in the enrichment of diamond-containing kimberlites by improving the scheme and regime of internal water circulation. The objectives of the study are to study the effect of sludge on the surface condition and floatability of diamonds, to analyze the composition of sludge products and to establish the causes of the increase in the concentration of sludge in recycled water, to substantiate the approach to the choice of technologies and the development of schemes for desliming recycled waters of the foam separation cycle. To determine the degree of sludge influence on the surface composition and floatability of diamonds, the technique of electron probe X-ray spectral analysis has been used and experiments have been conducted on foam separation of a diamond-kimberlite mixture. Industrial tests of the modes and schemes of clarification of recycled water are carried out at the enrichment plant No. 3 of the Mirninsky Mining and Processing Plant (MPP). The results of X-ray electron spectroscopy show that there is a proportional dependence of the decrease in diamond floatability on the proportion of hydrophilic coatings on the diamond surface. For the destruction of organic-air-mineral aggregates, which are an essential source of sludge, it is proposed to use highly turbulent classification modes in a hydrocyclone, which allows separating grains of hydrophobic kimberlite minerals from drops of apolar collector. In the final stage of clarification of recycled water, it is proposed to use flotation classification technology in a three-product clarifier, which ensures the production of an aqueous phase purified from precipitating and surfacing fractions. The test results of the developed schemes and modes of recycled water desalination in the foam separation department of the processing plant No. 3 of Mirninsky MPP have showed a decrease in the concentration of sludge in recycled water by 2 times, a reduction in the consumption of flotation reagents by 7-10 % and an increase in diamond recovery by 1.2 %.
Key words	diamonds, kimberlites, slimes, foam separation, closed water cycle, hydrocyclone, clarifier, flotation classification, collector, foaming agent
Article information
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Full article	Improvement of the Scheme and Regime of Internal Water Circulation of Foam Separation of Diamond-Containing Kimberlites