AN INNOVATIVE USE OF PULSED POWER TECHNOLOGY FOR SEPARATING MINERALS FROM ORES

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN PULSED POWER TECHNOLOGIES FOR GENERATING TERAWATT LEVEL POWERS HAVE MADE ELECTROCRUSHING AND THE ELECTROHYDRAULIC (EH) EFFECT MORE PRACTICAL FOR COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS SUCH AS DISINTEGRATION OF ROCKS, ORE COMMINUTION, MINING AND SPARK DRILLING. DATA OBTAINED AT TETRA CORPORATION ON EH COAL PULVERIZATION AND OTHER DATA ON ORE SEPARATION THROUGH ELECTROCRUSHING HAS DEMONSTRATED THE POTENTIAL FOR CONSERVING ENERGY, AND FOR NONDESTRUCTIVELY LIBERATING PRECIOUS STONES. THE PURPOSE OF THIS RESEARCH IS TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING THE ELECTROHYDRAULIC/ELECTROCRUSHING TECHNIQUE IN SEPARATING VALUABLE MINERALS FROM THE HOST-ROCK. BASE METAL SULFIDE ORE SAMPLES WILL BE SLECTED FOR ELECTROCRUSHING AND EH FRAGMENTATION TESTS IN THE TETRA CORPORATION HIGH ENERGY, PULSED POWER FACILITY. THE TEST RESULTS WILL BE COMPARED WITH REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLES THAT HAVE UNDERGONE CONVENTIONAL, EXPLOSIVE FRAGMENTATION. THE ELECTROCRUSHED AND EXPLOSIVELY FRAGMENTED SAMPLES WILL THEN UNDERGO FINE GRINDING IN A BALL MILL TO DETERMINE ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN KW-HRS FOR EACH SAMPLE, AS A FUNCTION OF MEANPARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION.