堆浸体系内微细颗粒在孔隙内迁移和附着规律

Study on migration and adhesion of fine particles in the pores of a heap leaching system

  • 摘要: 在堆浸过程中,堆浸体系内游离的颗粒会随着溶液的流动而移动,从而对浸出的速度和效率产生影响. 对于粒径较小的微细颗粒,虽然难以对矿石颗粒间孔隙产生堵塞,但其在孔隙壁表面的大量附着也会影响溶液对矿石的内渗从而降低浸出效率. 本文基于真实的孔隙结构使用Fluent软件开展仿真模拟实验,从粒径、颗粒密度和流体流速三个方面探究它们对微细颗粒在孔隙内迁移和附着行为的影响. 模拟结果表明,当颗粒粒径为1×10–6 m时几乎没有颗粒会沉积附着在孔隙内. 而随着粒径的增大,在1×10–6~1×10–4 m的粒径范围内,附着在孔隙壁表面的颗粒数量会呈现先增多后减少的趋势,且对于不同密度的颗粒,其附着数量在峰值处的占比均超过了90%. 观察发现颗粒的主要附着部位为弯孔隙的外壁以及流速较小、坡度较缓的小孔隙内. 分析认为粒径和密度越大的颗粒,其重力和惯性对其运动轨迹的影响越大,而流体对其轨迹运动的影响越小,在迁移过程中更容易靠近孔隙壁从而导致颗粒附着. 且大粒径、大密度的颗粒主要在大孔隙内迁移,轨迹较为集中. 而小粒径、低密度的颗粒,在高流速流体内迁移时,其水平运动幅度更大,迁移轨迹分布更加分散,更容易进入小孔隙内迁移.

     

    Abstract: In the heap leaching process, the free particles in the heap leaching system move with the flow of the solution, which affects the speed and efficiency of the leaching. For small grain-size particles, although it is difficult to clog the interparticle pores, a large amount of them attached to the pore wall also affects the infiltration of solution into the ores, which decreases the leaching efficiency. In this work, based on the real pore structure, Fluent software was applied to perform simulations, and the influences of particle size, particle density, and fluid flow velocity on the migration and adhesion behavior of fine particles in the pore were examined. The simulation results reveal that when the particle size is 1×10−6 m, almost no particles are deposited in the pores. With increasing particle size from 1×10−6 to 1×10−4 m, the number of particles attached to the surface of the pore wall first increases and then decreases. For particles with different densities, the number of attached particles accounts for more than 90% at the peak. The main adhesion sites of particles are the outer walls of curved pores and the small pores with low flow velocity and low slope. The analysis shows that the larger the particle size and density, the greater the influence of gravity and inertia on its trajectory, the smaller the influence of fluid on its trajectory, and the easier it is to become close to the pore wall during migration, leading to particle attachment. Moreover, the large particle size and large density particles primarily migrate in the large pores, and the trajectories are relatively concentrated. However, when small particle size and small density particles migrate in high flow velocity fluid, their horizontal motion amplitude is larger, the migration trajectory distribution is more dispersed, and the distribution is also in small pores. The adhesion of fine particles is not conducive to mineral leaching in the actual heap leaching process. In this study, the migration and adhesion laws of fine particles in pores were examined by simulations. The results reveal that it is necessary to take measures to decrease the content of fine particles when the content of fine particles is too high in the actual production process to avoid the adverse effects of particle adhesion on leaching.

     

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