1. What is the working principle of a thickener?

After the slurry and coagulant are mixed in the thickener, the mixture enters the thickener through a central vertical cylinder. As the pulp is drawn from the supply vertical cylinder toward the surrounding area via the conveying plate at the outlet of the vertical cylinder, it spreads outward across the platform and settles into a pre-formed sediment layer. Together with the coagulant that enters along with the material, the pulp forms a slurry layer, which then settles to the bottom of the thickener. The liquid rises through the soaking layer, which acts as a filter, preventing fine particles from ascending. As the pulp moves within the sediment layer, the particles come into contact with the coagulant, continuing the coagulation process. A rake pushes the concentrated slurry into the central discharge pipe, from where it is then pumped out by a tailings pump.

The high-efficiency mixing machine feeds the mine material into a central buffer tank, where it circulates continuously, thereby reducing the impact of the circular flow on the mud layer. At the same time, the slurry and coagulant are thoroughly mixed, allowing the slurry to spread horizontally outward without disturbing the soil immersion layer. The coagulated large particles sink downward, while the liquid rises through the soil immersion layer. The soil immersion layer acts as a filter, preventing fine particles from rising along with the liquid.

It is precisely because the high-efficiency thickener achieves a highly effective separation that the metal ions in the plaza are completely removed along with the ear fluid, resulting in an excellent cleaning effect. In contrast, conventional thickeners have an unclear solid-liquid separation interface that tends to become blurred, making them difficult to clean.

2. What are the causes of thick mechanical slurry, and what are the corresponding treatment methods?

First, strictly control the fineness of the feed material and ensure that the feed quantity remains stable, avoiding drastic fluctuations in fineness and slurry density to guarantee smooth operation of the thickener. Second, maintain an appropriate liquid-to-solid ratio to prevent operational mixing caused by high concentrations. The optimal feed concentration for the thickener is 25%–30%; with additional liquid supplementation and dilution, the actual pulp concentration in the thickener can be kept within the range of approximately 18%–25%. Third, when the thickener is running in a muddy slurry, remain calm and avoid blindly adjusting parameters, which could lead to a sudden increase in slurry concentration throughout the thickening process. First, identify the cause of the turbidity; if the primary issue is excessive turbidity, avoid directly increasing the dosage of coagulant or boosting the underflow rate. When the entire thickener is experiencing flow issues, adding more coagulant will only help keep solid particles suspended—it won't effectively promote flocculation. In such cases, raising the underflow concentration merely puts extra pressure on the bottom layer without allowing the surface layer to recover properly. The main reasons for thickener turbidity are: 1. Blockage of the low-flow pump in the thickener, preventing normal low-flow transport; in this situation, promptly clear the blocked pipeline or replace the standby pump. 2. The supply concentration of the thickener is too high, resulting in poor settling performance. In this case, dilute the current slurry, lower the supply concentration, gradually increase the coagulant dosage, and slowly boost the low-flow mineral output. If the overall mineral concentration inside the thickener becomes excessively high, immediately stop feeding materials, replace the minerals with clean water or clarified liquid, and gradually increase the coagulant dosage. 3. Failure of the coagulant addition system, causing abnormal coagulant dosing. In this scenario, promptly address the malfunction in the coagulant addition system. 4. After a power outage or machine shutdown, restarting the machine too quickly can disturb the lower sludge layer, causing fine particles to float and resulting in turbidity. Under these circumstances, resume normal production while ensuring proper material concentration and coagulant dosage. Since solid particles are difficult to re-settle, pay close attention to the rake speed during the next startup to avoid operating the rake too fast.