Separation of non-magnetic material from feeble magnetic material derives a number of benefits for customers. The Jones® Wet High Intensity Magnetic Separator, from MBE Minerals South Africa, offers a high level of throughput which is complemented by reduced maintenance and lower energy consumption.

With more than 187 Jones® separators of varying sizes installed worldwide, the product has provided customers with increased profitability. The Jones® is ideally suited to treating feebly magnetic minerals with a particle range from 20 microns up to 1 mm. In most cases, the Jones® separator is used to produce a magnetic concentrate when the magnetic mineral is the required product. Examples of this include hematite, ilmenite, manganese, tungsten, zinc, nickel, molybdenum and other feebly magnetic minerals.

It also provides upgrading of the required product by removing impurities when the non-magnetic mineral is the required element. Examples here would include glass-sand, clay, talc, kaolin, feldspar, coal, fluorspar and bauxite. Finally, the Jones® separator is used as a pre-concentration aid for additional treatment by a different process, such as scavenging from sub grade deposits of tailings from uranium, gold, platinum, chromium, manganese, iron, slags or residues.

The Jones® provides very high gradients of the magnetic field (up to 15.000 Gauss depending on gap width and rotor diameter) with an attractively low energy consumption. This robust machine achieves separation in three steps.

Firstly, the magnetic particles, contained in the slurry from the distribution bins, flow through feed hoses and boxes into the grooved plate boxes. They are attracted by pole plates within the magnetic field while the non-magnetic particles pass straight through into the launder boxes below. Secondly, the magnetic particles are washed to release any entrained particles. This results in a middlings product, which collects in a separate launder underneath each rotor. In the final step, the magnetic particles are scoured in the neutral zone to yield the magnetic product.

Quality of separation is guaranteed through the design of the Jones® separator. The grooved plates concentrate the magnetic flux at the tips of the ridges. By correctly selecting the plate gap and magnetic field intensity the selective collection of feebly magnetic particles is ensured.

The gaps between the grooved plates keep their identical dimensions for prolonged operation. This results in the generation of the uniform magnetic force necessary for appropriate selective separation. Due to the unhindered vertical flow of material, the possibility of blockage of the gaps by ferro magnetic parts with a high magnetic susceptibility is greatly reduced.

In addition to its energy efficiency, the compact design of the Jones® separator means it can be used in facilities where space is at a premium. There are five different models available for throughput rates from 180 tph to 500 kg/h (for laboratory and pilot tests). The majority of the current installations utilise the type DP 317, which is designed for a nominal capacity of 120 tph.

JONES WHIMS HIGH THROUGHPUT PIC 01 : The Jones® Wet High Intensity Magnetic Separator, from MBE Minerals South Africa, offers a high level of throughput which is complemented by reduced maintenance and lower energy consumption.