TECHNICAL FIELD:
The present disclosure relates to extractive metallurgy. Particularly, but not exclusively, the
present disclosure relates segregation of magnetic mineral particles in the ores. Further
embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a system and a method for segregating particles
in a mineral slurry.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE:
With the continuous advancement of social modernization, demand for various metal materials
is also constantly increasing. Therefore, various mineral resources are continuously being
mined, and high-quality mineral resources are decreasing. In order to utilize mineral resources
more efficiently, dressing, especially fine beneficiation, has become an inevitable trend.
Various types of separation techniques are used in the art to separate magnetic material from
non-magnetic material. For example, slurries containing both magnetic material and non-
magnetic material are commonly processed by hydro separators and flotation cells to separate
the magnetic material from the nonmagnetic material using physical properties. One problem
associated with various separation techniques concerns the loss of fine magnetite particles in
such processes, e.g., fine, high grade magnetite particles. A hydro separator is a concentration
apparatus commonly used in taconite plants. It is generally used to treat cyclone overflow from,
for example, rougher magnetic separation and may, for example, be followed by a finisher
magnetic separation stage. In principle, a hydro separator process is similar to a selective
flocculation process. Magnetically flocculated slurry is fed to a hydro separator, which is
designed to operate in such a way that suspended fine gangue particles leave the hydro
separator in an overflow. Hydro separator’s effectiveness is typically affected by the delicate
balance needed between the amount of gangue separated and magnetic iron losses. In
principle, high magnetic iron losses could be prevented for a hydro separator by applying a
magnetic field to capture particles going into an overflow stream, while operating the hydro
separator efficiently at high upward velocities. In
the field of mineral processing, magnetic separation has always been one of the most
important methods of mineral processing.
In sorting of magnetic minerals, magnetic separation is the first choice in the industry due to
its stability, environmental protection, low cost, and easy operation. Among
the magnetic mineral resources, most of the other weak magnetic minerals, especially low-

grade weak magnetic minerals, and strong and weak symbiotic magnetic properties, are
compared with the natural high-purity direct-use magnetic minerals and the highly selected
high-grade magnetic minerals. The sorting of minerals and non-metallic minerals that
treat magnetic minerals as impurities is more complicated. As the amount of modern mining
increases, the total amount of natural high-purity direct-use magnetic minerals and easy-to-
select high-grade magnetic minerals is decreasing with time, and the resources are also
available after sorting. The tailings of resources are increasing. Therefore, sorting of these
other magnetic minerals and available resources in tailings has received great attention in
the mineral processing industry.
Conventionally, wet and dry magnetic separators are employed for segregation, however, such
separators have shown limited success in selective segregation of Fe and other paramagnetic
minerals of Mn, Cr, etc. The conventional magnetic separators can be divided into two
categories, i.e., (a) Wet Magnetic and (b) Dry Magnetic separator. Wet magnetic separators
mostly work using electromagnetic cycle and collect the magnetic and nonmagnetic fractions
in two different streams whereas dry magnetic separators use permanent magnetic rolls and
pullies on which a belt carries the material fines. These machines mostly use fixed magnetic
intensity roll or variation magnetic gradient. However, the conventional magnetic separators
achieve low separation efficiency in case of ores which contain multiple magnetic or
paramagnetic minerals with narrow difference in magnetic susceptibilities. Also, the
conventional magnetic separators use multiple grids of permanent magnets which make the
magnetic separator assembly heavier and much complex.
The present disclosure is directed to overcome one or more limitations stated above or any
other limitations associated with the prior arts.
The information disclosed in this background of the disclosure section is only for enhancement
of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an
acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already
known to a person skilled in the art.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
One or more shortcomings of the conventional method are overcome by an apparatus and a
method as claimed and additional advantages are provided through the provision of apparatus
and the method as claimed in the present disclosure.
Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present
disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and
are considered a part of the claimed disclosure.
In one non-limiting embodiment of the disclosure, a magnetic separator assembly for
segregating particles in a mineral slurry is disclosed. The assembly includes a housing. A first
stack of magnets is disposed in the housing and is coupled to a shaft. The shaft is configured
to rotate at a pre-determined speed within the housing. The assembly further includes a plurality
of elongated tubes extending longitudinally in the housing and provisioned between the first
stack of magnets. The plurality of elongated tubes is configured to carry the mineral slurry. The
first stack of magnets is rotated by the shaft to induce an alternating magnetic field to the
mineral slurry, thereby rotating magnetic non-conductive particles and repelling non-magnetic
or paramagnetic conductive or semi-conductive particles to disperse and segregate different
types of particles in the mineral slurry. Further, the assembly includes a second stack of
magnets positioned downstream of the first stack of magnets. The second stack of magnets are
configured to attract magnetic particles exiting through each of the plurality of elongated tubes.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the magnetic particles attracted by the second stack of
magnets is discharged into a magnetic collection pan due to gravity.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, wherein the non-magnetic particles are discharged into a
non-magnetic collection pan due to electromagnetic repulsion force.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the shaft is coupled to an actuation unit to rotate the shaft
at the predetermined speed. The actuator unit includes a variable speed actuator and a gear box.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the assembly includes a feeder configured to feed the
mineral slurry into the plurality of elongated tubes.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the first stack of magnets is mounted on the shaft. The first
stack of magnets extends in a longitudinal direction relative to a longitudinal axis of the
housing. The first stack of magnets includes a plurality of south polarity magnets and a plurality
of north polarity magnets placed alternatively to form a magnetic roll.
In an embodiment, the assembly includes a first shell sandwiched between the first stack of
magnets and the plurality of elongated tubes. The first shell is made of stainless-steel material
of pre-determined thickness such that the pre-determined thickness of the first shell is
configured to control gradient of magnetic field from the first stack of magnets onto the mineral
slurry flowing through the plurality of elongated tubes.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the assembly includes a second shell enclosing the plurality
of elongated tubes. Each of the plurality of elongated tubes made of stainless-steel of 304
grades.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the second stack of magnets are oriented in a radial
direction. The second stack of magnets are ring magnets. Each of the second stack of magnets
are of same polarity.
In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the assembly includes a splitter provided
downstream of the second stack of magnets. The splitter is configured to control the slurry flow
to create a static particle bed as well as to divert the flow of magnetic particles and non-
magnetic particles into the magnetic collection pan and the non-magnetic collection pan
respectively.
In another non-limiting embodiment of the disclosure, a method for segregating particles in a
mineral slurry by a magnetic separator assembly is disclosed. The method includes feeding the
mineral slurry into a plurality of elongated tubes through a feeder. A first stack of magnets is
rotated to induce alternating magnetic field in the mineral slurry passing through the plurality
of elongated tubes. The alternating magnetic field rotates non-conductive magnetic particles
and repels conductive nonmagnetic particles to disperse and segregate different types of
particles in the mineral slurry. A rotating magnetic field is induced by a second stack of
magnets positioned downstream of the first stack of magnets such that the magnetic particles
are segregated from the mineral slurry in the plurality of elongated tubes is attracted towards

the second stack of magnets. The magnetic particles attracted by the stack of magnets drips
into a magnetic collection pan under action of gravity.
It is to be understood that the aspects and embodiments of the disclosure described above may
be used in any combination with each other. Several of the aspects and embodiments may be
combined to form a further embodiment of the disclosure.
The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In
addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects,
embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the
following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING FIGURES
The novel features and characteristic of the disclosure are set forth in the appended claims. The
disclosure itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives, and
advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description
of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures. One
or more embodiments are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the
accompanying figures wherein like reference numerals represent like elements and in which:
FIG.1 illustrates schematic view of a magnetic separator assembly for segregating particles in
a mineral slurry, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG.2 illustrates a top view of the magnetic separator assembly of FIG.1.
FIG. 3 illustrates magnetic separator assembly of FIG.1, segregating particles in a mineral
slurry.
FIG.4 illustrates graph showing comparative analysis of selectivity for conventional and the
magnetic separator assembly of FIG.1.
FIG.5 illustrates an exemplary experimental graph of feed rate v/s product analysis for different
low-grade minerals.

The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled
in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of
the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the
principles of the disclosure described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The foregoing has broadly outlined the features and technical advantages of the present
disclosure in order that the detailed description of the disclosure that follows may be better
understood. Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be described hereinafter
which form the subject of the claims of the disclosure. It should be appreciated by those skilled
in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a
basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the
present disclosure. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent
processes do not depart from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended
claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the disclosure, both as to
its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be
better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the
accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is
provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition
of the limits of the present disclosure. It will be readily understood that the aspects of the
present disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated in the figures, can be arranged,
substituted, combined, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which
are explicitly contemplated and make part of this disclosure.
Embodiments of the present disclosure discloses a magnetic separator assembly for segregating
particles in a mineral slurry. The assembly of the present disclosure may enable efficient
segregation of multiple minerals in ores such as but not limiting to manganese ore, chromite,
ilmenite, iron ores, slags, clays, etc. The assembly of the present disclosure effectively
processes fine particle when magnetic and non-magnetic particle get agglomerated in the finer
sizes.
In an embodiment, the assembly for segregating particles in the mineral slurry includes a
housing. The housing may be a frame which may enclose multiple mechanical components
within for the assembly to function. The assembly further includes a first stack of magnets

disposed in the housing. The first stack of magnets may be coupled to a shaft positioned at a
substantially central portion of the housing. In an embodiment, the shaft is coupled to an
actuation unit such as a variable drive motor and is configured to rotate the first stack of
magnets. The first stack of magnets may be rotated by the actuation unit at a pre-determined
speed. In an embodiment, the first stack of magnets may extend in a longitudinal direction. The
first stack of magnets may include a plurality of south polarity magnets and a plurality of north
polarity magnets placed alternatively to form a magnetic roll around the shaft. The assembly
further includes a plurality of elongated tubes extending longitudinally in the housing. The
plurality of elongated tubes is configured to carry the mineral slurry. The mineral slurry may
be fed to the plurality of elongated tubes by a feeder. A first shell may be sandwiched between
the first stack of magnets and the plurality of elongated tubes. The first shell may be made of
stainless-steel material but not limiting to the same. The first shell may be of pre-determined
thickness such that the pre-determined thickness of the first shell is configured to control
gradient of magnetic field from the first stack of magnets. The plurality of elongated tubes may
be enclosed by a second shell.
Further, the assembly includes a second stack of magnets positioned downstream of the first
stack of magnets. The second stack of magnets may be configured to attract magnetic particles
exiting through each of the plurality of elongated tubes. In an embodiment, the second stack of
magnets may be oriented in a radial direction. The second stack of magnets used in the present
disclosure may be a ring magnet and each of the second stack magnet is of same polarity. In an
embodiment, the assembly further includes a splitter provided downstream of the second stack
of magnets. The splitter is configured to control the slurry flow to create static particle bed in
the mineral slurry and divert the flow of magnetic particles and non-magnetic particles into a
magnetic collection pan and a non-magnetic collection pan, respectively.
In operation, the mineral slurry is fed into the plurality of elongated tubes through the feeder.
In an embodiment, the fine minerals ores are fed to the feeder through a hopper and fluid may
be mixed with the fine ores to form the mineral slurry. The fluid may be injected from the fluid
inlet defined in the feeder. Simultaneously, the first stack of magnets may be rotated at a pre-
determined speed by the shaft. Rotating the first stack of magnets induces rotating magnetic
field in the mineral slurry passing through the plurality of elongated tubes. The rotating
magnetic field induced in the plurality of elongated tubes may disperse, repel, and segregate
the magnetic and non-magnetic particles in the mineral slurry. The segregated magnetic and

non-magnetic particles flow down in the elongated tubes due to gravity. The second stack of
magnets positioned in the downstream of the first stack of magnets are configured to induce
magnetic field. Thus, the magnetic particles from the mineral slurry are attracted towards the
second stack of magnets. The magnetic particles attracted to the second stack of magnets drips
into the magnetic collection pan under the action of gravity and the non-magnetic particles are
collected in the non-magnetic collection pan.
The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof used in the specification,
are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that an assembly that comprises a list of
components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other
components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or method. In other words,
one or more elements in an assembly proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more
constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the assembly.
Henceforth, the present disclosure is explained with the help of one or more figures of
exemplary embodiments. However, such exemplary embodiments should not be construed as
limitation of the present disclosure.
The following paragraphs describe the present disclosure with reference to FIG(s) 1 and 3. In
the figures, the same element or elements which have similar functions are indicated by the
same reference signs. For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the
disclosure, reference will now be made to specific embodiments illustrated in the drawings and
specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no
limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further
modifications in the illustrated methods, and such further applications of the principles of the
invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in
the art to which the invention pertains.
A representative magnetic separator assembly (10) [as shown in FIG.1] embodying the
concepts of the present disclosure is designated generally by the numeral (10) in the
accompanying drawings. The assembly (10), as will be hereinafter described may be adapted
for use in a mineral industry for segregating the different mineral matters or particles present
in ores such as but not limiting to iron ore, chromite, manganese, etc. However, the assembly
(10) which will in detail be illustrated hereinbelow is not limited to be used in the mineral
industries. The assembly (10) of the present disclosure may also be employed in various

industries such as chemical, electronic waste, etc. with suitable modifications, such
modifications are expressly encompassed by the present disclosure.
Further, the present disclosure provides a method for effective removal of non-magnetic
contaminants, such as silica and/or manganese mineral such as pyrolusite, from an iron ore or
iron ore concentrate, such as hematite or a concentrate thereof. Also, the assembly (10) of the
present disclosure may be configured to effectively process low grade mineral resources, mixed
and fine mineral resources.
The assembly and the method of the present disclosure may be effectively and efficiently
practiced on a large scale, and processing capacity may be increased by simply increasing in
parallel, the size or number of assembly (10) described herein. The assembly (10) of the present
disclosure enable beneficiation of fine ores. In the future, most of the new iron ore resources
will be in form of lower grade ores that may require liberation of iron ore minerals at finer
sizes. The fundamental operations of ore dressing processes are the breaking apart of the
associated constituents of the ore by mechanical means (severance) and the separation of the
severed components (beneficiation) into concentrate and tailing/residues. The assembly (10)
of the present disclosure enables beneficiation of low-grade ores. The assembly (10) hereinafter
will be explained with respect to FIG(s) 1 and 2.
Referring now to FIG(s).1 and 2, which is an exemplary schematic view of the magnetic
separator assembly (10) for segregating particles in the mineral slurry. Hereinafter, the
magnetic separator assembly (10) may also be referred to as assembly (10) and may be
interchangeably used herein below. In an exemplary embodiment, the assembly (10) as iterated
above may be employed in various industries such as but not limiting to mineral industries,
electronic waste, and the like. The assembly (10) may be configured to receive processed/fine
mineral ores from process that are known in art and generally used in mineral industry to carry
processed mineral ore to the magnetic separator assembly (10). For better understanding, the
present disclosure may be explained with respect to manganese ores. However, the type of ore
should not be construed as a limitation of the present disclosure.
The assembly (10) of the present disclosure includes a housing (8). The housing (8) may be
configured to house or accommodate various components of the assembly (10). In an
embodiment, shape of the housing (8) may be at least one of a square shaped or may be
cylindrical. The apparatus includes a shaft (3) rotatably disposed at a substantially central

portion of the housing (8). The shaft (3) disposed at the substantially central portion of the
housing (8) may be oriented in a vertical direction. A bottom portion of the shaft (3) may be
coupled to an actuation unit (6). The actuation unit may be a variable drive motor coupled with
a gearbox. The actuation unit (6) may be configured to drive/rotate the shaft (3) at a pre-
determined speed or at a variable speed. Further, a first stack of magnets (2) is mounted onto
the shaft (3) in form a magnetic roll. The first stack of magnets (2) may be coupled to the shaft
by mechanical joining means but not limiting to the same. In some embodiments, the first stack
of magnets (2) may be magnetically coupled to the shaft (3). The shaft (3) may be configured
to rotate the first stack of magnets (2) at the pre-determined speed within the housing (8). The
first stack of magnets (2) may be oriented in a longitudinal direction relative to the longitudinal
axis (A-A) of the housing (8). In an embodiment, the first stack of magnets (2) includes a
plurality of south polarity magnets and a plurality of north polarity magnets. The plurality of
south polarity magnets and the plurality of north polarity magnets may be arranged
alternatively to form the magnetic roll.
The first stack of magnets (2) may be enclosed with a first shell (11) [as shown in FIG.2]. The
first shell (11) may be positioned encircling the first stack of magnets (2). The first shell (11)
provisioned surrounding the first stack of magnets (2) may be made of materials such as but
not limiting to stainless steel of pre-determined thickness. The pre-determined thickness of the
first shell (11) may be configured to control gradient of magnetic field from the first stack of
magnets (2) onto the surrounding components explained hereinafter.
The assembly further includes a plurality of elongated tubes (9) positioned around or encircling
the first shell (11). In an embodiment, the first shell (11) may be sandwiched between the
plurality of elongated tubes (1) and the first stack of magnets (2). Each of the plurality of
elongated tubes (9) may be defined with an inlet end and an outlet end and may be oriented in
a vertical direction along the periphery of the first shell (11). In an embodiment, the plurality
of elongated tubes (9) may be configured to carry the mineral slurry through them from the
inlet end to the outlet end. The mineral slurry may be fed from a feeder (1) that may be
positioned at a top portion of the housing (8) and in fluid communication with the plurality of
elongated tubes (9). In some embodiments, the feeder (1) may be defined with a fluid inlet and
a hopper to feed fine mineral ores. The fine or processed mineral ore may be fed through the
hopper and fluid coming from the fluid inlet is mixed with the fine or processed ore to form
the mineral slurry. In some embodiments, the mineral ore fines may be directly fed to the

plurality of elongated tubes (9). Further, the plurality of elongated tubes (9) may be enclosed
with a second shell (12). In an embodiment, the plurality of elongated tubes (9) may be made
of materials such as stainless steel of 304 grade. The second sh e l l ( 1 2 ) m a y b e m a d e o f m a t e r i a l s
such as but not limiting to stainless steel.
The assembly (10) of the present disclosure further includes a second stack of magnets (4). The
second stack of magnets (4) may be positioned at a downstream end of the first stack of magnets
(2). In some embodiments, the second stack of magnets (4) may be oriented in a radial direction
and may be of same polarity. The second stack of magnets (4) may be positioned below the
first stack of magnets (2) and may be positioned proximal to the outlet of the plurality of
elongated tubes (9). In an embodiment, the second stack of magnets (4) may be ring magnets
but not limiting to the same. In an embodiment, a splitter (14) may be configured to divert the
flow of segregated particles into a magnetic collection pan (5) and a non-magnetic collection
pan (7) [shown in FIG.3] respectively.
The segregation process for the processed ores may be hereinafter explained.
In operation, the mineral slurry [as depicted by “a” in FIG.3] may be fed to the plurality of
elongated tubes (9) through the feeder (1). The mineral slurry flows through each of the
plurality of elongated tubes (9) [as shown by arrow] from the inlet end to the outlet end. Once
the mineral slurry is fed through each of the plurality of elongated tubes (9), the first stack of
magnets (2) may be rotated at the pre-determined speed by the shaft (3). In an embodiment, the
actuation unit (6) may be operated to rotate the shaft (3) at the pre-determined speed which in
turn rotates the first stack of magnets (2). Rotating the first stack of magnets (2) may induce
alternating magnetic field to the mineral slurry passing through each of the plurality of
elongated tubes (9). The alternating magnetic field induced in the mineral slurry may be
configured to segregate magnetic particles (depicted by hatched lines in FIG.3) and the semi-
conductive/non-magnetic particles [depicted by dotted lines in FIG.3] in the mineral slurry.
The alternating magnetic field is configured to impart Lorentz repulsion force on the semi-
conductive mineral particles. Inducing the alternating magnetic field on the mineral slurry
rotates magnetic nonconductive particles and repelling nonmagnetic conductive particles to
disperse and segregate different types of particles in the mineral slurry. The repulsion force
may force the magnetic particles and the semi-conductive/non-magnetic particles in opposite
direction. For example, the magnetic particles may be attracted towards the inner shell (11) and
the non-conductive/semi-conductive particles may be forced towards the outer shell (12) within

each of the plurality of elongated tubes (9). As iterated above the thickness of the first shell
(11) is configured to control gradient of magnetic field from the first stack of magnets (2) onto
the mineral slurry flowing in the plurality of elongated tubes (9). The magnetic particles may
not get completely attracted to an inner surface of the plurality of elongated tubes (9) and may
form a layer/particle bed which may flow down towards the outlet of the plurality of elongated
tubes (9) due to gravity. The splitter (14) positioned at the downstream end of the second stack
of magnets (4) may be configured to divert the flow of the magnetic particles and the non-
magnetic particles into a magnetic collection pan (6) and a non-magnetic collection pan (7).
Also, the splitter (14) may also aid in controlling the flow of mineral slurry to create a static
particle bed. The second stack of magnets (4) may attract the magnetic particles segregated
from the mineral slurry in each of the plurality of elongated tubes (9). In an embodiment, the
second stack of magnets (4) may be configured to induce rotating magnetic field on the
magnetic particles and attract the magnetic particles towards it. The attracted magnetic particles
drip down from the second stack of magnets (4) due to gravity and force from the particles
exiting from each of the elongated tube (9). The magnetic particles drip down into a magnetic
collection pan (5).
Exemplary Experimental analysis
Following paragraph may be illustrate exemplary experimental results depicting segregation
efficiency of the assembly (10). The manganese ores were used as a feed for manganese
ferroalloy making process. The alloy making process may require high manganese (Mn)/iron
(Fe) [i.e., >2.5] ratio ores to produce commercial grade Mn/Fe alloys. Processing the low
Mn/Fe ratio of the manganese ores is an uphill task for manganese mineral based industries.
The ores contain iron and manganese minerals which are paramagnetic in nature and difficult
to segregate due to narrow difference in magnetic susceptibility and improper particle
liberation which impact selective segregation efficiency if magnetic separators. Theoretical
studies indicate that the Mn and Fe minerals have adequate mass magnetic susceptibility (i.e.,
MnO2: 2.66*10-5 cm3/g; Fe2O3: 10.760*10-5 cm3/g), electric conductivity (MnO2: 4-10-3-10
s/cm; Fe2O3: 285*10-7 s/cm) and coercivity (0-975 Oe) which may be used to deagglomerate
and selectively segregate using a rotating magnetic field of 5k to 10k gauss (0.5 to 1Tesla)
intensity in the fines size ranges. The assembly (10) of the present disclosure may be employed
to segregate the particles using the rotating magnetic field. The mineral slurry of 10 to 30%
solid content was be made using ores of three different low grade manganese ores (Mn: 25.6 -

43 %; Mn/Fe :1 -1.6) and it was fed to the magnetic separator assembly (10) through the feeder
(1) at three different feeding rates (3, 5 and 7 kg/h) [as shown in FIG.5]. The mineral slurry
was then passed through the plurality of elongated tubes (9) and the first stack of magnets (2)
were rotated at speed of 30 to 60 RPM. Rotating the first stack of magnets (2) induced the
alternating magnetic field of 0.5 to 1 tesla in the mineral slurry. The particles in the mineral
slurry were segregated as per their magnetic and electrical properties. The segregated magnetic
particles and non-magnetic/semiconductive particles were collected in the magnetic collection
pan (5) and the non-magnetic collection pan (7) respectively with the aid of the second stack
of magnets (4) and the splitter (14).
The effect of rotating magnetic field on the various mineral particles were tested by vibrating
sample magnetometer analysis [as shown in Table-A] which illustrated that seven minutes
treatment of mineral ore fines in the rotating magnetic field resulted in 4.9% increment in
magnetisation and 6.9% increment in coercivity for fine iron ore samples. The manganese ore
samples which contained mixture of manganese and iron minerals depicted 2.8% reduction in
magnetisation and 9.0% reduction in coercivity. The clay minerals also depicted significant
effect of rotating magnetic field on their separation characteristics. Change in the above
illustrated properties confirm the efficiency of the assembly (10). In the below table, ΔC
implies % Change, UT implies Untreated, T implies Treated and m implies minute)



*WHIMS: Wet high intensity magnetic separator;
*RMF: Rotating magnetic field;
*RMS: Induced roll magnetic separator
Table-B: Chemical analysis of products generated using different separators.
Further, lab test was conducted with the assembly (10) of the present disclosure and found that
it may increase the Mn% in products by 5 to 10.2% and improve the Mn/Fe ration by 0.4 to 0.7
to produce non-magnetic products with Mn (35.8-48%) and Mn/Fe (1.6 to 3.3). The
comparative studies of the assembly (10) of the present disclosure with conventional high
intensity magnetic separator (WHIMS) and induced roll magnetic separator (IRMS) are
depicted in FIG.4. Although the induced roll magnetic could achieve highest Mn/Fe ratio (1.48-
3.14), however selectivity ((Fe Recovery – Mn Recovery)/ Weight magnetic fraction
recovered) was highest (i.e., 39.7) for the rotating magnetic field (RMF) induces by the
magnetic separator assembly (10) which recover more iron in magnetic fraction at lowest
mineral rejection. The efficient performance of the assembly (10) was achieved with particle
size of 250-500μm, 15 roll rpm, 3kg/h feed rate and two stage processing. The recovered
magnetic particles possess more gangue minerals than the conventional separators which is due
to change in magnetic properties of diamagnetic/Fe bearing clay minerals by exposure of
rotating magnetic field as well as the controlled distribution of slurry at the splitter (14).
Saturation magnetization of clays increases up to 36.44 % for 14 minutes treatment in the
rotating magnetic field induced by the assembly (10) of the present disclosure Coercivity and

retentivity of the clay minerals also significantly get impacted and these effects resulted in
change in separation characteristics of these minerals. The test work disclosed that the
assembly (10) of the present disclosure is more effective than the conventional equipment and
can selectively segregate the minerals and gangue particles in different streams by utilization
of their magnetic and electric properties. The assembly (10) of the present disclosure may have
wide variety of application in the industries which deal with materials (ores, slags, sludge, etc.)
and process waste (electronic or chemical) composed of multiple magnetic metallic materials
in finer particle sizes.
The magnetic separator assembly (10) of the present disclosure efficiently segregates various
particles in the mineral slurry. The assembly (10) of the present disclosure do not require
varying sizes of magnetic grids unlike the conventional separators, the first stack of magnets
(2) efficiently segregates the magnetic particles and the non-magnetic particles. The assembly
may be effectively used for beneficiation of low-grade ores.
It is to be understood that a person of ordinary skill in the art may develop a system of similar
configuration without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure. Such modifications
and variations may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure covers such modifications and variations
provided they come within the ambit of the appended claims and their equivalents.
Equivalents
With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having
skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural
as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations
may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.
It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, are generally
intended as "open" terms (e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not
limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least," the term "includes"
should be interpreted as "includes but is not limited to," etc.). It will be further understood by
those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such
an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such
intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding the description may contain usage

of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim
recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the
introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any particular
claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such
recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at
least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and/or "an" should typically be
interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one or more"); the same holds true for the use of definite
articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an
introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such
recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare
recitation of "two recitations," without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations,
or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to
"at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense
one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one
of A, B, and C" would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C
alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together,
etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B, or C, etc." is
used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would
understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" would include but
not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C
together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by
those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more
alternative terms, whether in the description, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate
the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example,
the phrase "A or B" will be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B."
While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and
embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments
disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the
true scope and spirit being indicated in the description.

We claim:
1. A magnetic separator assembly (10) for segregating particles in a mineral slurry, the
assembly (10) comprising:
a housing (8);
a first stack of magnets (2) disposed in the housing (8) and is coupled to a shaft,
wherein the shaft (3) is configured to rotate at a pre-determined speed within the housing
(8);
a plurality of elongated tubes (9) extending longitudinally in the housing (8) and
provisioned around the first stack of magnets (2), wherein the plurality of elongated tubes
(9) is configured to carry the mineral slurry,
wherein, the first stack of magnets (2) is rotated by the shaft (3) to induce a alternating
magnetic field to the mineral slurry, rotating magnetic nonconductive particles and
repelling nonmagnetic conductive particles to disperse and segregate different types of
particles in the mineral slurry, and
a second stack of magnets (4) positioned downstream of the first stack of magnets
(2),
wherein, the second stack of magnets (4) are configured to attract magnetic particles
exiting through each of the plurality of elongated tubes (9).
2. The assembly (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the magnetic particles attracted by the
second stack of magnets (4) is discharged into a magnetic collection pan (6) due to gravity.
3. The assembly (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the non-magnetic particles are discharged
into a non-magnetic collection pan due to electromagnetic repulsion force (7).
4. The assembly (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shaft (3) is coupled to an actuation
unit (6) to rotate the shaft (3) at the predetermined speed, wherein the actuation unit (6)
includes a variable speed actuator and a gear box.
5. The assembly (10) as claimed in claim 1 comprises a feeder (1) configured to feed the
mineral slurry into the plurality of elongated tubes (9).
6. The assembly (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first stack of magnets (2) is mounted
on the shaft (3).

7. The assembly (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first stack of magnets (2) extends in
a longitudinal direction relative to a longitudinal axis (A-A) of the housing (8).
8. The assembly (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first stack of magnets (2) includes a
plurality of south polarity magnets and a plurality of north polarity magnets placed
alternatively to form a magnetic roll.
9. The assembly (10) as claimed in claim 1 comprises a first shell (11) sandwiched between
the first stack of magnets (2) and the plurality of elongated tubes (9).
10. The assembly (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first shell (11) is made of stainless-
steel material of pre-determined thickness such that the pre-determined thickness of the
first shell (11) is configured to control gradient of magnetic field from the first stack of
magnets (2) onto the mineral slurry flowing through the plurality of elongated tubes (9).
11. The assembly (10) as claimed in claim 1 comprises a second shell (12) enclosing the
plurality of elongated tubes (2).
12. The assembly (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of elongated tubes
(9) is made of stainless-steel of 304 grades.
13. The assembly (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second stack of magnets (4) are
oriented in a radial direction.
14. The assembly (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second stack of magnets (4) are ring
magnets.
15. The assembly (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the second stack of magnets (4)
are of same polarity.
16. The assembly (10) as claimed in claim 1 comprises a splitter (14) provided downstream of
the second stack of magnets (4), wherein the splitter (14) is configured to control the slurry
flow to create a static particle bed as well as to divert the flow of magnetic particles and
non-magnetic particles into the magnetic collection pan (5) and the non-magnetic collection
pan (7) respectively.

17. A method for segregating particles in a mineral slurry by a magnetic separator assembly
(10) as claimed in claim 1, the method comprising:
feeding, the mineral slurry into a plurality of elongated tubes (9) through a
feeder (1);
rotating, a first stack of magnets (2) to induce a alternating magnetic field in the
mineral slurry passing through the plurality of elongated tubes (9), wherein the rotating
magnetic field rotates magnetic non-conductive particles and repels conductive
nonmagnetic particles to disperses and segregate different types of particles in the
mineral slurry;
inducing, a magnetic field, by a second stack of magnets (4) positioned
downstream of the first stack of magnets (2) such that the magnetic particles segregated
from the mineral slurry in the plurality of elongated tubes (9) is attracted towards the
second stack of magnets (4); wherein, the magnetic particles attracted by the second
stack of magnets (4) drips into a magnetic collection pan (5) under the action of gravity.
18. The method as claimed in claim 17 comprises discharging the non-magnetic particles into
a non-magnetic collection pan (7).
19. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein a splitter (14) is provided downstream of the
second stack of magnets (4), the splitter (14) is configured to control and divert the flow of
magnetic particles and non-magnetic particles into the magnetic collection pan (5) and the
non-magnetic collection pan (7) respectively.
20. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the shaft (3) is coupled to an actuation unit (6)
to rotate the shaft (3) at the predetermined speed to control the frequency of alternating
magnetic field, wherein the actuator unit includes a variable speed actuator and a gear box.