Use of CFD-DEM Coupling to Determine the Settling Hindered Velocities for Highly Concentrated Mining Slurries

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Mixing of highly concentrated slurries is a critical operation in mining industry. The hindered settling velocitymust be considered when a solid-liquid mixer is designed for these suspensions. However, due to the inherentcomplexity of these systems, there is no specific data that provides the actual settling rate of these solidparticles in a hindered settling environment.Currently, Hayward Gordon designs mixing systems for mining slurries by using the settling velocity of asingle particle instead of the hindered settling velocity. This inaccurate approach can lead to oversizeddimensioning of the vessel, inappropriate selection of impeller type, size and rotational speed, low energyefficiency and operation difficulties. Therefore, Hayward Gordon is interested in obtaining better insights intothe particle settling process in a hindered environment to refine and optimize their mixing design andmanufacturing. Thus, the main objective of the proposed research project is to obtain the hindered settlingvelocity in highly concentrated mining slurries as a function of the solid concentration, solid density andparticle size through the coupled computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and discrete element method (DEM).The selection of the correct models is crucial in CFD-DEM coupling.This work is of great importance to the mining industry of Canada. The research results will lead to the designof efficient mixing systems for the suspension of highly concentrated slurries. The Canadian mining industryand mining equipment manufacturers can implement the CFD-DEM approach to assess many scenarios on acomputer without the additional costs of constructing and testing prototype models. This leads to an improvedequipment design, a more reliable process monitoring, a more efficient use of power, a decreased maintenanceand operational cost and finally an increased capital cost saving. Thus, the proposed research will contribute tothe increased economic activity of the Canadian mining industry, and will impact our society, quality of lifeand environment.