The Operation of a Continuous Thickener and Two-parallel Settling Tanks Using a Batch Settling Curve

• Published in: Journal of the Society of Powder Technology, Japan Vol. 19; no. 6; pp. 343 - 350
• Main Authors: OBATA, Eiji, WATANABE, Haruo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Society of Powder Technology, Japan 10.06.1982
• ISSN: 0386-6157; 1883-7239
• DOI: 10.4164/sptj.19.343

The operation of the continuous thickener which was employed as a washing process for the recovery of useful chromite, was studied by use of a batch settling curve instead of a solid flux curve. The feed concentration, the feed rate and the amount of coagulating agent were fluctuated greatly during the actual operations. It was suggested that the suitable amount of coagulant was 0.2% of feed slurry from the analysis of twenty-four batch settling curves obtained over the period of a week. In order to eliminate the inefficient use of a filter which is now employed for dewatering underflow sludge from the thickener, two-parallel settling tanks are proposed, and their operations are investigated by a batch settling curve. Since the complete solid flux curve can not be obtained in slurries with widely variable amounts of coagulant, the use of a batch settling curve may be advantageous to analyze the operation of the continuous thickener.