Scientific and Production Complex “YugTsvetmetavtomatika”, Vladikavkaz, Russia:

G. S. Soshkin, First Deputy Director, e-mail: ugcma@mail.ru
E. Sh. Vaniev, Electronic Engineer

JSC “Urupskiy GOK”, Mednogorsky settlement, Karachay-Cherkess Republic, Russia:
V. V. Kotlyarov, Chief Executive Officer
E. V. Borodin, Chief Dresser – Deputy Technical Director

We considered the problems of optimal separation of pulp in gold-containing sulfide ores at table concentrators. The dependence of gold extraction and its level in gravitational concentrates on the yield of the table concentrator is shown. The possible ways to control the gravity process are presented, such as the optimal maintenance of the source power, the amount of which is changed depending on the level of electrical feed in the feed, or due to interrelated changes in dry weight productivity and measurement of various physical or physicochemical characteristics of enriched products. Their shortcomings and implementation difficulties were determined. Based on visual, technically feasible control methods for processing of products from technogenic raw materials, a noncontact automatic method for controlling the flow rate of solid in a gravity concentrate was developed, as well as a device that is based on the principle of analyzing the flow of pulp on discharge of the table concentrator. The results of its practical implementation on the industrial site are presented; they allow us to control the table concentrator. The resulting transient processes along the “washing water flow rate – solid flow in the gravity concentrate” channel made it possible to synthesize the control system and, by modeling the control system in the MatLab 2008R environment, assess the quality of control of the gravity process of gold-containing ore enrichment in manual mode and by automatic control system. The implementation of the proposed technical solutions will increase the extraction of gold in the gravity concentrate by 2–3%.

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