Application of Automatic Filter Press in Ore Concentrate Dehydration

Application of Automatic Filter Press in Ore Concentrate Dehydration

More than 70% to 75% of my country’s phosphate ores are colloidal phosphate ores. The characteristics of colloidal phosphate ores are that the useful minerals are embedded in fine particles, and the ores are difficult to grind and select. Generally, 90% of the phosphate ores have a grinding fineness of less than 0.074mm. Above, sometimes as high as 97% or 98%. Therefore, dehydration is difficult, resulting in harsh mineral processing conditions of high fineness, high temperature, high chemical consumption, and long flotation time. By increasing the ore concentration, chemical and energy consumption can be reduced, and production capacity can be improved. For the filtration of colloidal phosphate ore concentrate, disc and belt vacuum filters are more suitable.

In recent years, fully automatic filter presses have been used abroad to solve the problem of filtering fine and sticky ore concentrates and have achieved remarkable results. The technical and economic results are also relatively good; the filter cake moisture is lower, and the energy-saving effect is also very obvious. The application and research on filter presses are also progressing very rapidly.

The filter press uses the feed pressure as the filtration power, which is much larger than the filtration power of the vacuum filter. The general filter pressure is 0.4~0.8MPa, which is 5~10 times that of the vacuum filter. The high-pressure filter press has Up to 2MPa, so the filter press is suitable for materials that are difficult to filter. The automatic filter press is developed on the basis of the plate and frame filter press and can realize the automation of plate opening, unloading, filter cloth cleaning, and other operations. The characteristics of ore concentrate filtration are a large amount of ore concentrate, a high concentration of ore feeding, low filter cake moisture, and faster discharge. These are exactly suitable for the operation of automatic filter presses. The process cycle of the automatic filter press is short, and multiple large filter presses can be connected in parallel for continuous workflow, which is very economical.

The automatic filter press is equipped with an advanced automatic feeding system, which can realize automatic feeding and uniform distribution of ore concentrate. These systems usually include sensors and automatic control devices that can automatically adjust the feed speed and amount according to production needs to ensure that the filter press is always in optimal working condition.

Once the ore concentrate enters the filter press, the automatic control system starts the pressure system to start the filter press and dehydration process. At the same time, the fully automatic filter press is equipped with an advanced control and monitoring system, which can monitor key parameters such as pressure and filter cake thickness during the dehydration process in real-time. The control system automatically adjusts the pressure based on the monitored data to ensure the stability and efficiency of the dehydration process.

When the filter cake reaches a certain thickness, the automatic filter press will automatically stop feeding and start the automatic unloading system. These systems can automatically discharge dewatered solid materials from the filter press without manual intervention, improving production efficiency and operational safety. The automatic filter press is also equipped with an automatic cleaning system, which can clean the filter cloth regularly.

The use of automatic filter presses for ore concentrate dehydration has achieved very good results. Due to the high concentration of ore, increased corrosiveness, and frequent valve switching, the wear-resistant life of the valve, the service life of the filter cloth, and the electrical control cabinet are affected. Issues such as sensitivity and reliability must be taken seriously. At present, automatic filter presses still cannot completely replace traditional ore concentrate dehydration equipment. Thickeners, vacuum filters, flocculants, filter aids, etc., are still indispensable in concentrating dehydration and still occupy an important position. An efficient automatic filter press must be matched with a reasonable dehydration process in order to exert its technical advantages.