Thickener and its circuit
In beneficiation plant , thickeners are essentially clarifiers producing a clearer over flow. The design considerations are based on the settling rates of the slowest settling particles and conditions for minimum disturbance of the medium (water) through which the solid particles are allowed to settle. To achieve these objectives cylindrical tanks with conical or flat bottoms are used and the velocity of the feed slurry entering the settling tank is minimised to reduce turbulence in the settling tank. A schematic diagram of a typical thickener is shown in Fig.1. The feed in the form of slurry is generally guided by a launder, which is laid at a slope just sufficient for the slurry to flow without depositing any solids. The feed launder terminates in a feed well located at the centre of the tank. The feed well is designed to break the fall of the slurry and dissipate the energy. Fig1. Sketch of bridge type thickener The feed well is concentric with the rake driving shaft. T...