Centrifuge Collection of Minerals in Flowing Water

Abstract

An apparatus for collection of heavier particles such as gold flowing in a river includes a support frame with legs for mounting in the river spaced from the bed with a series of drum mounted on the support frame one behind the other for rotation about an axis transverse to the river flow. The drums have a plurality of blades mounted so that flow of water in the river causes a rotation of the drum, a plurality of water entry openings and a plurality of discharge openings in the drum with the drum shaped such that rotation causes a centrifugal action such that the heavier particles remain within the drum against escape from the drum while lighter particles and water are discharged.

Claims

1. Apparatus for collection of heavier particles flowing in a river comprising: a support frame for mounting in the river; a drum mounted on the support frame for rotation about a longitudinal axis of the drum such that when located in the river on the frame, the axis is located transverse to the river flow; a plurality of blades mounted on or connected to the drum so that flow of water in the river engages the blades and causes a rotation of the drum about the axis; a plurality of entry openings in the drum allowing entry of the river water carrying particles into the drum; a plurality of discharge openings in the drum allowing discharge of the river water from inside the drum back into the river; the drum being shaped and arranged such that rotation of the drum causes a centrifugal action on the water and particles within the drum for collection of heavier particles against an outer wall of the drum; the entry openings and the discharge openings being arranged such that the heavier particles remain within the drum against escape from the drum while lighter particles and water are discharged.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the blades are mounted on the drum at angularly spaced positions around the drum and extend outwardly from a peripheral surface of the drum.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the blades lie in radial planes of the drum.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein each blade includes a first wall extending in generally radially outwardly of the drum and a support wall extending rearwardly from an upper edge of the first wall.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the drum includes a cylindrical peripheral wall and wherein inlet openings in the peripheral wall each include a mouth spaced inwardly from the peripheral wall to prevent escape back through the inlet openings of the heavier particles collecting on the peripheral wall.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the mouth is defined at an inner end of a tube extending inwardly from the peripheral wall.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein at least some of the discharge openings are provided in an end wall of the drum which discharge openings are spaced inwardly from the outer wall of the drum to prevent escape of the heavier particles collecting at the outer wall through the discharge openings in the end wall.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the drum includes a peripheral wall including a first portion of larger diameter and a second portion of smaller diameter wherein at least some of the inlet openings are provided in the portion of smaller diameter allowing the heavier particles to collect at the first portion of larger diameter.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the blades are located on the peripheral wall at the portion of smaller diameter.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the peripheral wall is of smaller diameter at a central region and larger at both ends.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein there is provided a water flow guide surface for directing water flow in front of the drum onto the drum at a position thereon to drive the blades to rotate the drum.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the water flow guide surface is located substantially along the full length of the drum.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the frame includes two side rails spaced at the length of drum so that the ends of the drum are carried on the two side rails.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the frame includes support legs extending downwardly to a bottom of the river bed to support the drum at a position spaced from the riverbed.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the drum has a plurality of inlet openings at angularly spaced positions around the drum so that each opening in turn is moved to a position to receive the water.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein there is provided a water flow guide surface for converging water axially of the drum so that the water is converged to a portion only of the length of the drum to direct the water flow into the inlet openings.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16 wherein the drum at each of a plurality of angularly spaced positions around the drum there is provided a single slot shaped inlet opening arranged at a position spaced from each end of the drum.

18. The apparatus according to claim 16 wherein the water flow guide surface comprises a pan with upturned converging side edges for converging the water flow on the pan to a portion only of the length of the drum.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0028] FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an apparatus according to the present invention.

[0029] FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

[0030] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along the lines 3-3 of FIG. 1.

[0031] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of FIG. 3 showing an alternative arrangement.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] in FIGS. 1 to 3 is shown an apparatus according to the invention for collection of gold or other heavy particles flowing in a river which comprises a support frame 10 defined by two side rails 11 and 12 together with supporting components or legs 13 which support the side rails from a riverbed so that the side rails are carried in a position away from the material in the riverbed on so that the legs or support elements do not damage or interfere with the riverbed.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 1, the side rails can be inclined downwardly and forwardly from an upper rear end 11B carrying the drum to a forward lower end 11A at the river bed. The legs 13 are attached behind the bearings of the drum and extend downwardly form the side rails at right angles thereto to the bed.

[0034] Thus the frame sits in the river accessible to the flow of water in the river and can be readily removed from the river when required to access the separation system. For example a tether 14 can be provided which locates the device and a required position and which may include a marker 15 indicating the position to the authorized user of the system.

[0035] The support frame carries one or more drums 16 mounted on the side rails 11 and 12 for rotation about an axis 17A defined by bearings 18A at the ends of the drum. In this way when located in the river on the frame, the axis is located transverse to the river flow.

[0036] Each drum 16 has a plurality of blades 17 mounted on the drum so that flow of water in the river engages the blades and causes a rotation of the drum about the axis. The blades 17 form a radial blade surface 18 standing outwardly from a peripheral wall 19 of the drum at angularly spaced positions around the drum. The number of blades can vary from the exemplary number of four blades shown in the example illustrated.

[0037] Just in front of each blade is provided at least one entry opening 20 in the peripheral wall of the drum allowing entry of the river water carrying particles into the drum. With the openings positioned just in front of the radial blades, there is a pressure on the water at this location to enter into the opening 20 and pass into the hollow interior of the drum.

[0038] Also a plurality of discharge openings is provided in the drum including openings 21 in the end wall 22 of the drum allowing discharge of the river water from inside the drum back into the river.

[0039] In this embodiment the drum is formed so that peripheral wall 19 is a simple tube with the end walls 22 including a threaded coupling 23 by which an outside edge of the end walls is that coupled to the ends of the drum to form a closed drum structure. Other structural arrangements can be used to form the simple structural tubular member forming the drum.

[0040] In operation, therefore, the blades 17 are arranged to cause rotation of the drum about the axis 17A of the bearings 18A while water is driven into the hollow interior of the drum through at least one of the openings 20 in the peripheral wall 19. The water can escape through others of the openings either in the peripheral wall or in the arrangement as shown through the end openings 21.

[0041] The drum is shaped and arranged such that rotation of the drum causes a centrifugal action on the water and particles within the drum for collection of heavier particles against an outer wall of the drum. In this embodiment using a simple tubular drum, the outer wall is formed by the peripheral wall 19. However other more complex structures can be used where the outer wall is a portion of the structure which forms a surface surrounding the axis over which the fluid material passes as it moves from the inlets to the outlets to carry out the centrifuge action.

[0042] This centrifugal action tends to collect particles 25 on the inside surface of the peripheral wall 19 up to an inside surface 26 of the particles. This inside surface is defined by the outermost edge of the holes 21 and the innermost ends of tubes 27 located on the inlet openings 20. Thus each opening 20 has an inwardly extending tube 27 on its inside surface with the tube defining a mouth 28 spaced inwardly from the peripheral wall 19. In this way, any water escaping outwardly through the mouth 28 or through the openings 20 is prevented from carrying with it the particles collected in the particle layer 25. The surface 26 thus forms an exchange surface in which heavier particles in the water flow replace lighter particles collected in the bed or layer 25 in a typical centrifugal action. Thus the entry openings and the discharge openings are arranged such that the heavier particles remain within the drum against escape from the drum while lighter particles and water are discharged.

[0043] In this embodiment, each blade includes a first wall 18 extending in generally radially outwardly of the drum and a support wall 30 extending rearwardly from an upper edge of the first wall 18 to act as a brace with the support wall being attached to the peripheral wall 19 by fasteners 19A. This enables the blades 17 to be simply formed as angle members which are attached to the outside surface of a conventional tube.

[0044] Each blade 17 can have in front of it on the peripheral wall 19 a plurality of inlet openings at spaced positions along the drum. However in the embodiment shown there is a single slot shaped opening at the center of the drum and relatively short in comparison with the length of the drum. In order to assist in causing the particles to enter this entry slot 20, the frame 10 carries a guide chute 40 with converging upturned side edges 41 and 42 converging to a mouth 43 approximately of the same width as the inlet slot 20. At the mouth 43, there is provided an upturned guide surface 44 inclined upwardly in a direction generally tangential to the drum to carry the water and particles toward the blade 18 which is temporarily at the top of the drum. Thus the guided material impinges on the surface 18 and acts to spin the drum while the increase in pressure at the front face of the blade 18 acts to drive the material into the inlet opening 20 and the tube 27 at that inlet.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 4 there is an alternative arrangement in which the drum 60 includes a peripheral wall 61 including a first portion 62 of larger diameter and a second portion 63 of smaller diameter. In this arrangement at least some of the inlet openings 65 are provided in the portion 63 of smaller diameter allowing the heavier particles 66 in the bed 67 to collect at the portion 62 of larger diameter.

[0046] In this arrangement the blades 68 are located on the peripheral wall at the portion 63 of smaller diameter and form simple radially extending fins lying in a radial plane of the axis of the drum. As best shown in FIG. 4, the peripheral wall 61 is of smaller diameter at a central region 63 and larger at both ends 62. This arrangement avoids the necessity for tubes mounted on the inlet openings 69 students those inlet openings are spaced radially inwardly from the surface of the bed 67 in view of their location on the peripheral wall 61.

[0047] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 there is provided a water flow guide surface or blade 40, 44 for the drum carried on the frame 10 for directing water flow in front of the drum onto the drum at a position thereon to drive the blades to rotate the drum. That is the surface defined by the components 40 and 44 is shaped to direct water away from the radial plane of the axis 17A upwardly to impinge on the front face 18 of the blades to cause rotation of the drums in the clockwise direction. This acts to spin all of the drums to provide the centrifugal action. The surface 44 has the same with as the drum substantially across the full space between the side rails 11 and 12 so as to direct the water along the full length of the drum to provide effective rotation. The frame can be arranged to carry a series of drums in a row to increase capacity or a single drum may be provided on its own frame.

[0048] After the system has been in operation for a sufficient period of time to collect heavy particles in a quantity at which the separation efficiency commences to decrease, the apparatus is removed and the heavy particles collected or extracted allowing the apparatus to be returned for another batch.

[0049] In the first embodiment, the particles can be extracted by removing one or both ends and washing out the interior of the cylinder.

[0050] In the second embodiment, plugs are provided at the area of larger diameter and removed to allow the particles to flow out, possible assisted by washing water where required.

[0051] Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without department from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.