Separation of tungsten ore

Tungsten ore is an important metal ore widely used in aviation, aerospace, military and other fields. The separation of tungsten ore is the process of separating tungsten from the ore and is an important link in tungsten ore processing. This article will introduce the separation method and operating steps of tungsten ore.

1、 The Separation Method of Tungsten Ore

1. Reselection method

gravity concentration method is a method to separate ores according to density difference. The density of tungsten in tungsten ore is relatively high, usually 5.5-19g/cm ³， The density of accompanying minerals is generally between 2.5-7g/cm ³ Therefore, tungsten in tungsten ore can be separated by gravity separation method.

The gravity separation method mainly includes heavy medium beneficiation, heavy liquid beneficiation, and centrifugal beneficiation. Among them, the heavy medium beneficiation is to soak the ore in the heavy medium, and use the density difference of the medium to separate the tungsten ore and associated minerals; Heavy liquid beneficiation is to soak ore in heavy liquid and separate tungsten ore and associated minerals by using density difference of liquid; Centrifugal beneficiation is the use of centrifugal force to separate ores. Centrifugal beneficiation can be divided into two types: static centrifugal beneficiation and dynamic centrifugal beneficiation.

2. Flotation method

The flotation method is a method of separating ores based on their surface properties. Tungsten in tungsten ore mainly exists in the form of brittle sulfides, while accompanying minerals exist in the form of oxides, silicates, etc. Therefore, tungsten in tungsten ore can be separated by flotation.

The flotation method mainly includes direct flotation, reverse flotation, and mixed flotation. Among them, direct flotation involves soaking the ore in a flotation agent containing a collector, and separating the tungsten ore by utilizing the affinity between the collector and the surface of the tungsten ore; Reverse flotation is the process of soaking an ore in a flotation agent containing an inhibitor, and separating the associated minerals by utilizing the affinity between the inhibitor and the surface of the associated minerals; Mixed flotation involves soaking the ore in a flotation agent containing both collectors and inhibitors, while separating tungsten ore and associated minerals.

2、 The steps of tungsten ore sorting operation

1. Operation steps of reselection method

(1) Crush tungsten ore to a certain particle size, usually 0.5-1mm;

(2) Soak the crushed tungsten ore in a heavy medium or liquid to allow the ore to settle to a certain depth;

(3) Separate the ore using centrifugal force or water flow to obtain a mixture of tungsten ore and associated minerals;

(4) Screen the separated tungsten ore and associated minerals to obtain ores with different particle sizes;

(5) Gravity separation is carried out on ores with different particle sizes to obtain tungsten containing concentrates and waste residue.

2. Operation steps of flotation method

(1) Crush tungsten ore to a certain particle size, usually 0.5-1mm;

(2) Soak the crushed tungsten ore in flotation reagents containing collectors or inhibitors;

(3) Separate tungsten ore and associated minerals using bubbles to obtain tungsten containing flotation concentrate and waste residue;

(4) Clean and concentrate the tungsten containing flotation concentrate multiple times to obtain high-grade tungsten containing concentrate.

3、 Summary

The separation of tungsten ore is an important part of tungsten ore processing, and the separation methods mainly include gravity separation and flotation. Gravity separation method is to separate ores according to density difference, and flotation method is to separate ores according to surface properties. In specific operations, it is necessary to select appropriate separation methods and operating steps based on the properties of the ore and the characteristics of the beneficiation reagents, in order to obtain high-grade tungsten concentrate.