Numerical simulation and experimental validation for investigating the novel hydraulicbarrier-hydrocyclone in industrial beneficiation process

In the face of the dwindling reserves of high-quality phosphate rock resources in the world, beneficiation and purification of low-grade phosphate ore is a possible solution to alleviate the growing scarcity for strategic phosphorus resources. Hydrocyclone is one of the common equipment for solid-solid separation in liquid medium, which is suitable for mineral beneficiation processing. The study investigated the industrial beneficiation of low-grade phosphate ore by novel hydraulicbarrier-hydrocyclone. The results from computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation revealed that Semi-through hydraulicbarrier (S-Hb) hydrocyclone had the optimal performance, making short-circuit flow reduced to 7.17% and eliminating fish hook effect, so that the classification efficiency increased by 5% and separation sharpness reached 0.9516. The reasons leading to performance intensification were elaborated in accordance with the optimization and integration of hydrodynamics multiphase flow field by hydraulicbarrier, including the pressure, velocity, turbulent kinetic energy distribution and air core development, as well as streamline analysis, etc. The results from practical industrial experiment indicated that the P2O5 grade was increased to 23.6wt.% from an initial grade of 17.5wt.%, meeting the medium-grade phosphate ore specifications, and the SiO(2 )content was decreased from 29.0wt.% to 4.2wt.%, meanwhile, the proportional error was 0.74% about cutting size compared to simulation results, indicating excellent consistency. The investiga-tion offered an economically viable route to beneficiate the low-grade phosphate ore, cogently support-ing sustainable development of phosphorus resources in chemical engineering.(c) 2022 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In the face of decreasing high-quality phosphate rock resources, beneficiation and purification of low-grade phosphate ore can alleviate the scarcity for strategic phosphorus resources. The study investigated the industrial beneficiation of low-grade phosphate ore using a novel hydraulic barrier-hydrocyclone. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation showed that the semi-through hydraulic barrier (S-Hb) hydrocyclone had optimal performance with reduced short-circuit flow, increased classification efficiency, and improved separation sharpness. Practical industrial experiments confirmed the effectiveness of the hydrocyclone in upgrading the phosphate ore. The investigation provides an economically viable route for beneficiating low-grade phosphate ore and supporting sustainable development of phosphorus resources.