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The Next Generation Feedwell

Metallurgical thickeners have evolved over the past century in large technological leaps rather than through a slow and steady progression. The first of these technological leaps was the introduction of polymer flocculants in the 1950's, which transformed large diameter conventional thickeners. The next leap was the development of more efficient closed feedwells in the 1980's, which better mixed the flocculant and feed more evenly distributed the feed into the thickener body. Lastly, was the development of so called 'auto-diluting' systems in feedwells, approximately 20 years ago, which allowed feed dilution to take place internally. There is still much room for the improvement in thicker design and it is theoretically possible to design smaller, more stable thickeners operating at higher flux rates.