US607755A - Hydraulic separator for treating mixed minerals - Google Patents

Description

No. 607,755. Paten ted July l9, I898.

w. s. LOCKHART.

HYDRAULIC SEPARATOR FOR TREATING MIXED MINERALS,

(Application fi1e d July 7, 1897.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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No. 607,755. Patented July I9, I898. W. S. LOCKHART.

HYDRAULIC SEPARATDR FOR TREATING MIXED MINERALS.

iApplication filed July 7, 18974) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

(N0 Mudel.)

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WILLIAM STRONAOH LOOKHART, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE AUTOMATIC GEM AND GOLD SEPARATOR SYNDICATE, LIMITED, OF

. SAME PLACE.

HYDRAULIC SEPARATOR FOR TREATING MIXED MINERALS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 607,755, dated July 19, 1898.

7 Application filed July '7, 1897. Serial No. 643,747. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM STRONACH LOOKHART, residing at London, England, have invented an Improvement in Hydraulic Separators for Treating Mixed Minerals, of

which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to hydraulic upwardcurrent separators for eiiecting the separation of metals, gems, or other minerals from their 10 gangue, slimes, sand, or materials with which they are mixed; and it consists of constructional improvement in such a device whereby the passage containing the separatingstream-of water is constituted the last-confined issuing-exit of such stream and where by the velocity of such stream is better controlled by a finely-adjustable adjacent head or weir adapted so as to be absolutely constant when set in any specific position.

In order that my invention may be the better understood, I now proceed to describe the same in relation to the drawings annexed hereto and to the letters marked thereon.

Figure 1 represents an outside View of my upward-current separator and mode of supplying it with the minerals and water. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the said separator.

The slime, gravel, ore, or gangue of a uniform fineness, containing the gold, metal, gems, or other mineral that it is desired to separate therefrom, is fed, preferably by mechanical means, into the hopper, and thence falls by the nozzle a onto the cone-piece F.

5 The supply of water to the separator is provided from a supply-tank or stand-pipe B, maintained at a constant level by a ball-tap or a constantly-running overflow. This first constant supply-head of water from the tank or stand-pipe B may be made available for several separators, the supply to each separator being controlled by an intermediate finely-adjustable valve 0, which regulates the flow into each separator, so as to maintain a definite and uniform head of water at D in the separator conveniently adjoining the annular issue-nozzle of the separator E, in which the actual separation of the gold, metals, gems, or other desired minerals from the slime, gangue, or substances with which they are mixed takes place.

The gold, gems, metals, or minerals, with their associated gangue, gravel, or slime, after passing down the outside of the cone F, enter the separation-annulus E by the exteu nal channel d, where is maintained a constant head of water from the supply-pipes b b, the inlet 0, and annular and serpentine passages e 6. These passages are made of larger area thanthe annulus E and of ser- 6o pentine form to insure water Without eddies, and the highest parts of such serpentine channels are ventilated by the pipes 6 into the interior chamber of the separator, which is maintained in constant communication with the atmosphere by ventilation-tubes f, passing through the cone-piece F.

According to the flow of water permitted from the main head in tank or stand-pipe B through the valve O the specific height or head of water D in the annulus dis determined to maintain a required fiow through the separation-annulus E.

Where little water. enters with the mineral to be treated from the hopper A and where a very small fluctuation of the head of Water D is not of consequence, the outer lip of the annulus d maybe continued upward,as shown in dotted lines (1, up to the hopper-nozzle a; but where there is much water entering with the slime or gangue and where it is necessary to maintain the head of water D very exact the outer lip of the annular weir d or part of it is made adjustable by an outer screwed ring G, provided with handles g g, by which the outer lip may be accurately adjusted at will, or by one or more weights or notches therein similarly adjustable as to height to determine an overflow at any desired point should the head D tend to rise by access of 0 water through any means. The overflow from the outer weir is collected in any convenient manner, such as by the annular trough g or by one or more issue-pipes to Waste 9.

The heavier gold, gems, or minerals when 5 they have entered the separation-annulus E are not supported by the upward-flowing stream of Water, but fall through such stream 2 i coarse into the outer part'l-I of the 'lowercasing andi thence through the collecting-nozzle 72 and the valve-chamber K to the locked receptacle :L,

which may be of glass or providedwith sightholes to show the accumulation of the gold,

gems, or minerals.

5 and screwmlown valve is, is furnished so that I to *entersthe separator and'that'such separation-annulus shall be the: last exit of: thewa 1 ter from such system of confiningchannels I i and that the head of water determining the r Y velocityof the water in such separation-am V 1 r 7 "per for mixed wet material; to be separated 7 r ment asto height and shall lie-adapted to be 2 maintainedabsolutely constantinlevelwhenr1 the valve 176 may be closed when desired and a the locked receptacle 'L' removed for 'colle'c- V tion of the gems, gold, or minerals." Ontheother hand, the lighter slime, gangue,'orma i terials mixed with the gold, gems, or minerals I are carried up by the force of; the current of 1 water'in the separation-annulusE andflow, 1 with the water, over the lip of the inner an'' nular weir into the internal wastercollecting V waste by 1 a and distributing the material tobe separated,

'theann'ular: chamber beneath having a narrow exit chan-nel between its inner wall and t the edge oflsaidrconc and forming a'dearh 7 water space between the cone. and its outer :wall, a: vertically-adjustable sleeve forming an adjustable edge for said outer wall, a 1 lower chamber havingan arrow channel comchamber M and are carried away to the exit-nozzle and'pipeN N; a r V V V In order toobtain perfect and accuratesep aration of gold, gems, or other minerals froin theirslim' e, gangue, or othersubstances with V which they are'mixed, I find it importai'lt that the separation-annulus E shallhe the most constricted part of the system of various pipes,

valves,- or channels through which the: water 'nulus shall be capable of very fine adjustdetermined for the treatment of substances such'as slimes and float-gold. 7 These essena tial points for successful operation are embraced in the apparatus I have just described. Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination in a hydraulic gravityseparator, an annular chamber, receiving the material to be separated, and in communication with the water-supply of separation; a vertically-adjustable ring connected to the outer edge of said annular chamber adapted to adjust height of local head of still water in said annular chamber to control speed of adjacent separation current, an annular chamber beneath the upper receiving-chamber admitting gravity separated particles through a contracted annular neck, a contracted annular overflow-orifice. forming a vertical extension of said contracted neck, and an annular circuitous water-supply passtantially as described,

'2. In combination,the cone for receiving at itspointand spreading by: its: coned sure 'face the material to be separated; the 211111- :lar receiving-chamber at thebase of the cone,

adapted to discharge outwardly any excess betweentheconc and inner wall of upper sage-leading to the saidzlower chamber, sub- V V r 7 of water with material, having, a lateral com- 'municatiou: with a narrow adjacent annular and vertical water-exit passage. between its inner wall and the edge of the said cone, a; chamber tozrecjeivethe separated materialbe- 'neath' the: said contracted annular passage supply passage to said lower chamber, substantially asdescribed, a I

'3; Incombinaticn, thezcone for receiving miuni'cating wit-lithe upper chamber, and a 5 ci'rc uitouswaterrsu ppl y leading to said lower chamber, substantially as described.

4. V A self-containedhydraulic gravity-step V V V arator consisting of, in combination, a hop- 7 with central discharge, a cone-spreader with apex upward supporting said hopper orskelebase ofcone adapted to discharge outwardly V free from apparatus excess water with matc-' rial, to receive and maintain a constant head of water from other constant supply to interior of apparatus and to transmit into an adjacent upward current annulus the particles to be separated, a downward means of exit to locked receptacles from base of upward current of heavy gravity-separated particles, and a free unrestricted exit inwardly toward center of apparatus of the light waste particles and separating current of water, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM STRONACII LOCKIIAR'I;

ICC

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