Universally applicable

Mineral sorting with multiple sensing features

1 Das sensorgestützte Sortiersystem von Comex; Musteranordnung mit XRT-Analyse über dem Förderband und optischer Analyse an der Abwurfstelle • Sensor-based sorting system from Comex – configuration example with the X-ray (XRT) analysis carried out over the transport belt and optical properties analysis at the discharge

2 Ansicht der Gesamtanlage • View of the sorting system as a hole

3 Beispiele für die Erkennung und Abscheidung bei der Reinigung von weißen Quarzpartikeln. Teile 1 und 2 zeigen die hochentwickelte Texturanalyse, Teile 3 und 4 eine typische Farbanalyse • Identification and separation examples during purification of white quartz particles. Sections 1 and 2 illustrate the advanced texture analysis while sections 3 and 4 show the typical colour analysis

4 OSX-Sortiersystem zur sortenreinen Sortierung von Kalkstein • The OSX sorting system for the purification of limestone

5 Trennung von Kohle mittels XRT-Analyse. Die grünen und blauen Bereiche kennzeichnen mineralische Verunreinigungen • Separation of coal using XRT analysis. Green and blue areas show contaminating rock particles

6 Reinigung von Wolframerz mittels XRT-Analyse. Die schwarzen Bereiche geben Wolframverbindungen wieder • Separation of tungsten ore using XRT analysis. Black areas represent tungsten compounds

7 Bildliche Darstellung der FFT-Filtration • Diagram showing FFT filtration

8 Beispiel der mehrstufigen Sortierung von Quarz • Example of the sorting of quartz in a multiple-stage configuration

Abzuscheidende Partikel werden auf der Basis ihrer Farbe, Form und Textur erkannt • The separated particles are identified on the basis of their colour, shape and texture

Summary: A sensor-based sorting system based on complex image analysis has been developed at Comex AS Norway. It enables the separation of mineral particles by colour, shape, texture, size, density and indirectly by composition. This sorting system has been successfully tested and applied for sorting minerals. In this application, high separation efficiency in the range of 95–99.9 % was achieved. The main advantage of this system is derived from its universality with many material parameters being analysed in the same processing unit in a single pass.

Sensor-based sorting systems available on the market today must demonstrate sufficient flexibility to permit their application in a wide range of conditions. Typical challenges for the sorting systems include the need

• to process small and large particles at the same time

• to enable complex analysis that takes into account the different colour intensity of the particles

• to ensure accurate sorting despite varying particle trajectory and particle rotation.

The sorting system from Comex enables the separation of different particles by means of sophisticated image processing. The analysis...