Chromite is a magmatic mineral that coexists with olivine and exists alluvial-type ore. It looks very similar to magnetite, appearing as a block or granular aggregate. In the metallurgical industry, chromite is for producing ferrochrome alloys and metallic chromium. Chromium iron alloy is used as an additive in steel to produce various high-strength, corrosion-resistant, wear-resistant, high-temperature-resistant, and oxidation-resistant special steels. Metal chromium is for smelting special alloys with minerals like cobalt, nickel, and tungsten. With the increasingly widespread use of chromite materials, many investors in the mining industry have also joined the ranks of mineral processing. Before the formal establishment of a beneficiation plant, there will conduct a beneficiation experiment on the ore sample to determine which beneficiation method is suitable for the ore sample. What equipment is for this testing? And how does the chromite experiment process?
Chromite Beneficiation Equipment
1. Lab Chromite Gravity Separation Equipment
Chromite ore is mostly in block, strip, and porphyritic coarse-grained disseminated states with a high density. Therefore, gravity separation is one of the effective methods for its separation. In practical production, gravity separation methods usually adopt a shaking table and jig machine to recover chromite.
Magnetite gravity separation equipment is generally combined with magnetic separation and flotation to complete magnetite separation operations. Generally suitable for the separating of polymetallic magnets – red siderite. In the process of magnetite gravity separation, the weak magnetic separation method is for recovering magnetite, recovering weak-magnetic iron minerals through methods such as gravity separation, flotation, or strong-magnetic separation.
Machines include a shaking table, jig separator, spiral chute, and centrifuge concentrator.
- Shaking table: generally suitable for processing fine-grained polymetallic magnetite.
- Jig separator: In polymetallic magnetite, it is generally for processing coarser ore particles.
- Spiral chute: This equipment is suitable for processing fine-grained (0.1-0.37mm) ores with low mud content in composite magnetite.
- Centrifugal concentrator: It is suitable for processing coarse-grained magnetite with large specific gravity differences, mainly for pre-treatment.
2. Lab Chromite Grinding And Magnetic Separation Equipment
The hardness of chromite is 5.5, and the specific gravity is 4.2-4.8, which has weak magnetism. Therefore, magnetic separation is one of the effective mineral separation methods, and methods like weak-magnetic separation and strong-magnetic separation are suitable for separating chromite.
General magnetic separation equipment for magnetite is mainly suitable for separating single pieces of magnetite. Most of the iron minerals in this type of ore are magnetite. Therefore, the magnetic separation process will effectively recover magnetic minerals. When the grinding particle size is over 0.2mm, it adopts the first-level grinding magnetic separation process. When the grinding particle size is less than 0.2mm, adopt a two-stage grinding-magnetic separation process. If the coarse grinding process is for selecting qualified tailings, adopt the stage grinding magnetic separation process.
The equipment of this process includes an overflow ball mill, classifier, and wet magnetic separator.
- Grid ball mill: It is generally used for primary grinding operations of magnetite, processing coarse minerals.
- Overflow ball mill: This type of ball mill is suitable for secondary grinding in secondary grinding operations, and the particle size of magnetite can meet the sorting requirements.
- Wet magnetic separator: It is mainly for qualified magnetic concentrate after beneficiation.
Lab Chromite Separation Equipment And Process
1. Lab Hammer crusher-Lab Chromite Crushing Separation Equipment
The laboratory hammer crusher uses the high-speed rotating hammer body to crush materials on the collision surface. It has the advantages of a simple structure, high crushing ratio, and high production efficiency. It is suitable for both dry and wet crushing. Hammer crushers are for crushing various medium hard and weakly abrasive materials. The hammer crusher has a large input particle size and a small output particle size, transforming the three-stage crushing into a one-stage crushing, which is complete and achieves the low-cost operation of one machine with two machines at the top.
- Purpose: To crush the material. The function is to break small and medium-sized particles into fine particles. It is also suitable for medium and fine crushing of medium hardness materials in various rock mines, such as rock gold, lithium ore, copper ore, copper lead zinc ore, etc.
- Experimental process: Pour the 10-40mm into the hammer crusher’s feeding port. The hammer head of the crusher will rotate and crush the material to a specific particle size below, such as 0-10mm, and 0-5mm, and the minimum discharge size reaches 0-1mm.
2. Jigging machine -Lab Chromite Gravity Separation Equipment
Laboratory jig separators are for gravity beneficiation, separating minerals according to the various specific gravity of the ore and its settling speed in the medium. Utilize the differences in mineral weight to complete the ore particle mixture’s layer separation. The laboratory jig separator is also suitable for the gravity separation of other minerals, such as diamonds, placer gold, alluvial gold, tantalum niobium, titanium, tungsten, iron, tin, hematite, dolomite, manganese, barite, etc.
- Purpose: Through the gravity separation method to separate 0-2mm chromium concentrate by a mesh size of 2mm mesh. The chromium concentrate below the sieve size goes to the shaking table for separation to improve the ore grade.
Experimental process: Place the 0-5mm material from the hammer crusher into the feeding position of the jig separator, and the sawtooth wave will first rise in a straight line, then fall, then rise again, and then fall again, repeating the process. It uses water as the mineral processing medium and sorts according to the specific gravity difference between minerals and gangue.
3. Laboratory Ball Mill-Lab Chromite Grinding Separation Equipment
Ball mills are suitable for grinding various ores and other materials, which have wide applications in industries like mineral processing, building materials, and chemical engineering. There are two ways for grinding, dry and wet grinding methods. According to different ore discharge methods, it divides into two types: grid type and overflow type. Sometimes ores like rock gold, copper, and other metal mines use ball mills for grinding.
- Purpose: Grind chromite ore into 0-1mm.
- Experimental process: Ball mills are for grinding materials, making the finished product 0-1mm or finer. Pour 2-5mm of tailings discharged from the jig separator into a ball mill and add ground steel balls. At this point, you can see that the ball mill rotates continuously, and the grinding steel ball inside will grind the material into fine particles.
4. Spiral Chute-Lab Chromite Separation Equipment Enrich Heavy Minerals
The experimental spiral chute is a centrifugal flow film that generates a dynamic sense of mineral slurry on the inclined surface of the spiral based on the differences in specific gravity, particle size, and shape between minerals and gangue minerals. In the comprehensive position of gravity and centrifugal force, it utilizes the gravity, hydrodynamic pressure, and friction force of different particles to achieve the separation of minerals in the gangue. Spiral chutes have a wide range of uses, including tungsten tin, copper, silica sand, and chromium ore.
- Purpose: To preliminarily enrich heavy mineral chromium iron and remove light minerals such as waste sand.
- Experimental process: The spiral chute uses gravity to separate materials with a specific gravity difference. Pump the slurry into the spiral chute, and there are minerals of different colors on the surface. The black-colored minerals in the middle and right are heavy, while the light minerals on the left are tailings.
5. Wet three-roller magnetic separator-Lab Chromite Separation Equipment
The drum wet magnetic separator is used for weak magnetic field wet-separation of fine particles of strong-magnetic minerals or for removing mixed strong-magnetic minerals from nonmagnetic minerals. This magnetic separator continuously feeds and discharges ore, with a large magnetic field depth working gap, and high processing capacity. The wet magnetic separator is suitable for the wet magnetic separation of magnetite, pyrrhotite, calcined ore, ilmenite, and other materials with a particle size of less than 3mm. It is also for iron removal operations of coal, non-metallic minerals, building materials, and other materials.
- Purpose: To separate magnetic iron from chromite
- Experimental process:
- Pump the 0-1mm slurry into the magnetic separator, with a magnetic field strength of 3000Gs, 8000Gs, and 13000Gs. There are three ore discharge ports for extracting strong-magnetic minerals, mainly magnetic iron, screening out medium magnetite such as titanium iron, and getting the chromium concentrate.
6. Lab shaking table – improving the grade of chromium concentrate
The laboratory shaking table is one of the equipment for conducting ore beneficiation testing, and small-scale beneficiation in laboratories. It is suitable for separating light and heavy minerals with significant specific gravity differences, such as gold, tin, chromium, tantalum niobium, tungsten and iron ore, manganese, chromium, silicon sand, beach sand, zircon sand, monazite, etc. The optimal separation particle size is 0-2mm.
- Purpose: The shaking table is for improving the grade of chromium concentrate, and separating rare and precious metal ores such as gold, silver, copper lead zinc, tantalum niobium tin, manganese ore, etc.
- Experimental process: Place the crushed 0-1mm chromite into a shaking table. Utilizing mechanical shaking and the flushing effect of water flow, according to the density to separate the mineral particles. The zoning of minerals on the bed surface is obvious, and the chromium concentrate is clear.
The above machines are the equipment used for the chrome ore separation process. JXSC lab mineral ore processing equipment manufacturer provides various laboratory experimental equipment for mineral testing, lab crushing machines, grinding machines, gravity separator machines, flotation machines, magnetic-separator machines, etc. Besides, we also provide various mineral ore testing services to confirm the best mineral processing method for the mineral processing plant. If there are any questions about mining processing, come to inquire and get professional suggestions!
