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High-efficiency and low-cost separation equipment is key to improving the economic efficiency of gold placer mining. The spiral chute is a commonly used device for gold recovery from placer deposits. Its working principle takes full advantage of the fact that gold has a higher density than gangue minerals, making it especially effective for recovering coarse gold.
This article highlights the advantages of using spiral chutes for gold recovery in placer mining and introduces a new model — the XH-12 spiral chute.
In placer gold mines, there are a large number of gangue minerals, including quartz sand, feldspar, etc. A significant difference between gold and gangue minerals is that their densities are quite different. The density of gold is about 19.3 g/cm³, while that of quartz sand is only about 2.65 g/cm³. The spiral chute fully utilizes this key difference to achieve physical separation.
Unpowered and efficient sorting, low cost
The ore slurry only relies on gravity to flow down along the spiral slope. In the combined force field of gravity, centrifugal force, water flow power and friction, high-density gold particles tend to be enriched on the inner edge of the spiral trough, while low-density gangue is pushed to the outer edge of the trough by water flow, achieving natural stratification and separation.
This process does not require additional power, greatly reducing energy consumption and operating costs.
Large processing capacity
The single-head processing capacity of the XH-12 spiral chute is 1.5~2 tons/hour, and the single unit (usually a combination of 4 heads) can process up to 6 tons/hour. Its continuous feeding and continuous sorting characteristics are particularly suitable for the reprocessing of huge amounts of gold placer ore or tailings to meet the needs of large-scale production.
Simple structure and easy maintenance
The equipment consists of core components such as support devices, hoppers, spiral troughs and material distribution troughs. It has a simple structure, no complex transmission or wearing parts, stable and reliable operation, and minimal maintenance workload. It is especially suitable for use on-site in complex gold placer environments.
More suitable for medium-sized gold placer
The spiral chute is particularly good at sorting gold placer with moderate particle size (usually in the range of 0.074–2 mm) and low mud content. For ores with high mud content, Xinhai recommends a simple pre-treatment desliming stage to ensure better sorting effect and smoothness.
Based on a deep understanding of the pain points in placer gold separation and the limitations of traditional spiral chutes, Xinhai Mining has made targeted innovations to the XH-12 series:
1. Overcoming the "high wall of sand dunes" problem and improving sorting efficiency
Traditional spiral chutes often form "high walls of sand dunes" due to mineral accumulation, which hinders the smooth movement of slurry and affects the dispersion of particles and sorting accuracy. XH-12 innovatively arranges a "two-segment three-dimensional spiral line" design on the working surface. This exquisite flow channel structure can effectively break up mineral accumulation, promote full dispersion of particles, significantly improve the flow state of slurry, create better conditions for efficient separation between gold particles and gangue, and directly improve the enrichment ratio and recovery rate.
2. Durable material
Placer mining environments are often accompanied by wear and corrosion. The working surface of XH-12 abandons traditional fiberglass and adopts Xinhai's special high-quality wear-resistant engineering plastics. This material has excellent performance:
Excellent wear resistance: It can resist the continuous erosion of hard particles in placer gold mines, and its service life is far longer than that of fiberglass.
Acid and alkali resistant and corrosion resistant: It can adapt to the water quality and chemical environment of different mining areas.
Flame-retardant and aging-resistant: It ensures safety, and its UV resistance ensures that it will not become brittle during long-term outdoor use.
Excellent low-temperature resistance: It can operate stably in a low-temperature environment of minus 30℃ and adapt to a wide range of regions.
3. Modular design and flexible deployment
The XH-12 spiral chute can be flexibly configured according to the actual processing volume and onsite conditions:
Optional steel-framed structure: It comes with a set of four units as standard, and the frame can be quickly assembled onsite and can be installed and used immediately.
Modular configuration: It supports multi-head (double-head, three-head, four-head) combinations, which can easily cope with production needs of different scales and realize flexible expansion of processing capacity.
1. Roughing and scavenging of placer gold ore
The XH-12 spiral chute has a large processing capacity and low operating cost. It is an ideal piece of equipment for the preliminary enrichment (roughing) of placer gold ore or the scavenging of fine gold lost in old tailings.
2. Development of medium- and low-grade placer gold ore
Even if the ore grade is not high, as long as there is a significant density difference between the placer gold and associated gangue minerals (which is usually the case), the XH-12 can achieve initial enrichment economically and effectively, reducing the cost of subsequent beneficiation stages.
3. Recovery of heavy minerals from seaside placer and river sand
Specifically designed to efficiently recover high-value heavy minerals such as gold, platinum, ilmenite, zircon, monazite, and others from coastal placer deposits or river sands.
Conclusion
The beneficiation of placer gold ore mainly relies on the density difference to extract gold, and the spiral chute is a device that utilizes this physical property to perform separation. In addition to that, it also offers high efficiency, reliability, and low operational cost — all key factors contributing to the profitability of a concentrator plant.
The XH-12 new spiral chute developed by Xinhai Mining features an innovative two-stage three-dimensional spiral line design, which overcomes the limitations of traditional separation equipment. The use of wear-resistant engineering plastic greatly extends the service life of the equipment. With modular and flexible configuration, it can significantly improve gold recovery, reduce the cost per ton of ore, and bring tangible economic benefits to investors.
If you need a placer gold mining solution or spiral chute equipment, please feel free to contact us!
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