What Types of Magnetic Separators We Supply?

Abstract: Magnetic separation technology plays a pivotal role in modern mineral processing, with equipment design directly impacting efficiency and sustainability. From dry to wet systems, weak to high-gradient magnetic fields, this guide explores the diverse types of magnetic separators available—each tailored to specific ore characteristics and industrial needs. Discover how advancements in permanent magnet materials and superconducting technology are driving cleaner, more energy-efficient solutions for the mining sector.

Introduction

Whether the magnetic separation equipment is reasonable, advanced, and efficient determines the overall effectiveness of the beneficiation process. Paying attention to research on magnetic separation equipment can further optimize the mine beneficiation process. Centralized crushing and centralized sorting may become the trend of the future mining industry. With the increasing scarcity of mineral resources and the continuous improvement of production requirements, the sorting requirements of energy and mining materials will continue to increase.

The particle size of magnetite inclusions is not uniform. To separate individual magnetite particles that meet process requirements, the minimum inclusion particle size must be used as the grinding standard. In the design of magnetic separation equipment, mechanical factors that facilitate material separation—such as air force, centrifugal force, gravity, electric field force, and water capacity—should be incorporated to achieve efficient separation.

Although magnetic separation equipment is a clean separation method, it inevitably consumes large amounts of electricity and water. As the mining industry places increasing emphasis on energy conservation and emissions reduction, the upgrading and retrofitting of magnetic separation equipment have become an important component of these efforts. Magnetic separation is a material separation and processing technology widely used across numerous industrial sectors. In the field of mineral processing, magnetic separation technology has made significant progress. Thanks to advancements in permanent magnet materials, improvements in their performance, and the gradual increase in the magnetic energy product of permanent magnets, magnetic separation equipment has also experienced rapid development. Magnetic separators come in a wide variety of configurations, and there are numerous classification methods.

• According to the strength of the magnetic field, it is divided into the weak magnetic separator, medium magnetic separator, and strong magnetic separator;
• According to the separation medium, it is divided into the dry magnetic separator and the wet magnetic separator;
• According to the magnetic source, it is divided into the permanent magnet magnetic separator and the electromagnetic magnetic separator.

What Types of Magnetic Separators Are There?

1. Dry Strong Magnetic Separator

Dry strong magnetic separators have been used in industry for more than 50 years, mainly for the separation of coarse-grained minerals. With the development of rare earth permanent magnet materials, a permanent magnet roller magnetic separator with a higher magnetic force than a strong magnetic field electromagnetic separator has been manufactured. Although the magnetic induction intensity is not easy to adjust, it is possible to design a roller magnetic separator that can handle materials with different particle sizes and different specific magnetic susceptibility by selecting the permanent magnet material reasonably and optimizing the geometry of the roller. The weight and size of the permanent magnet roller magnetic separator are smaller than those of the electromagnetic induction roller magnetic separator, and there is no air gap, which can handle large particles, making the permanent magnet roller magnetic separator have a great technical and economic effect. First, magnets of different grades and sizes can be used to reduce costs; second, electromagnetic modeling software can be used to optimize magnet design. For the dry pre-selection of weak magnetic iron ore, in recent years, the dry-type strong magnetic separator has been used to replace the gravity separation equipment, so the pre-selection index has been significantly improved.

2. Dry Weak Magnetic Separator

The main purpose of the dry weak magnetic separator is to remove iron filings and ferromagnetic impurities or to enrich the ferromagnetic useful components. Suspended magnets, magnetic pulleys, plate magnets, or grid bar magnets are generally used to remove iron filings and ferromagnetic impurities, while magnetic drums are mainly used to enrich ferromagnetic useful components. At present, dry weak magnetic separators are commonly used in mines in my country to preselect strong magnetic minerals. Before coarse crushing, medium crushing, fine crushing, and grinding, the use of lump ore dry weak magnetic separation can throw more than 80% of the waste rock mixed into the ore, which increases the grinding processing capacity, improves the grade of the ore for grinding, and reduces the energy consumption.

3. Wet Weak Magnetic Separator

The magnetic drum separator is the most commonly used wet-weak magnetic separator. With the emergence of NdFeB permanent magnet materials, the permanent magnet magnetic separator has almost completely replaced the electromagnetic drum magnetic separator. This magnetic separator is mainly used to recover the medium in heavy medium beneficiation, such as magnetite and ferrosilicon. The enrichment of strong magnetic minerals is another application of this magnetic separator. The use of rare earth permanent magnets and further improvements in their properties have expanded the wet-type magnetic separator to separate medium-magnetic and weakly-magnetic materials.

The magnets of the permanent magnet drum separator are available in two designs: radial configuration and axial configuration.

• In the radial configuration, the polarity of the permanent magnets alternates across the width of the barrel;
• In the axial configuration, the polarity of the permanent magnets alternates along the barrel’s circumference.
  The radial configuration is generally used to improve the recovery rate of ferromagnetic materials. The change in the polarity of the axially arranged magnets causes the sorted particles to tumble on the surface of the magnets, thereby releasing the entrained non-magnetic particles from the magnetic product, which can improve the grade of the magnetic concentrate.

A wet drum magnetic separator is the primary sorting equipment for strong magnetic iron ore. At present, great progress has been made in the ore feeding method, magnetic system design, tank type, transmission mechanism, large-scale, specialization, and high efficiency.

The selection equipment for strong magnetic iron ore includes low-field-strength multi-pole magnetic separators, magnetic aggregation machines, magnetic separation columns, vertical pulse vibration magnetic separators, low-field-strength pulsation magnetic separators, low-field-strength self-weight jumper Elimination machines, etc. Its typical feature is to use the combined action of a weak magnetic field and gravitational field to remove the magnetically mixed gangue and improve the iron grade of the concentrate. Moreover, the selection effect is good.

4. Wet Magnetic Separator and High Gradient Magnetic Separator

Introducing the medium into the magnetic circuit of the magnetic separator can make the magnetic separation method process the materials that were considered too fine and too weak to select other materials in the past. Jones studied this in 1960 and combined the Frantz concept of magnetized media with strong magnetic fields. A more advanced magnetic separator design according to the Jones concept is the SALA high-gradient magnetic separator. Although a variety of multi-cycle and continuous wet high-gradient magnetic separators have been designed and manufactured, only a few magnetic separators can meet the mining industry’s requirements. The purification of kaolin and the beneficiation of iron ore and placer are examples of successful applications of this magnetic separator.

Fine-grained weak magnetic iron ore must be separated by strong magnetic separation equipment. Two SHP and SLON types are currently widely used in domestic iron ore processing plants. The typical representative of this type of equipment is the vertical ring pulsating high gradient magnetic separator, which is a high-efficiency magnetic separation equipment suitable for sorting fine-grained weak magnetic minerals. 

The advantages of the vertical ring pulsating high gradient magnetic separator:

• Large enrichment ratio
• High sorting efficiency
• Magnetic medium is not easy to be blocked
• Strong adaptability to the fluctuation of feeding particle size, concentration, and grade
• Reliable work
• Easy to operate and maintain

Application of superconducting technology in magnetic separation

Although the application of superconducting technology to magnetic separation process equipment is of great significance, its importance in magnetic separation does not seem to be manifested. Since the need for magnetic induction above 2T is not yet apparent, the main advantages of superconducting magnets are reduced energy consumption and weight of the magnetic separator. Superconducting magnets can also be applied in an open gradient helical configuration without using a medium to generate strong magnetic forces in large volumes. Removing quasi-colloidal weak magnetic iron and titanium oxides to purify kaolin is the primary purpose of a high superconducting gradient magnetic separator.

In recent years, the large-scale application of rare earth permanent magnets has greatly accelerated the permanent magnetization process of magnetic separation equipment. Due to the application of high technology and the development of automatic control, the sorting accuracy of magnetic separation equipment is getting higher and higher. Mainly in improving sorting accuracy, expanding application fields, increasing processing capacity, adopting new magnetic materials, saving energy, reducing consumption, etc. Large-scale, specialized, and energy-saving equipment is the focus of the future development trend and magnetic separation equipment market competition.

Magnetic Separators From JXSC

JXSC provides a comprehensive range of magnetic separation equipment designed for various mineral processing applications. Its product portfolio includes dry magnetic separators, wet drum magnetic separators, high-intensity magnetic separators, high-gradient magnetic separators, and electromagnetic separators, covering everything from rough separation and concentration to the recovery of weakly magnetic minerals.

Engineered with high-performance magnetic materials, optimized magnetic field distribution, and robust structural design, JXSC magnetic separators offer advantages such as stable separation performance, low energy consumption, easy maintenance, and long service life. These systems are widely used for processing iron ore, manganese ore, ilmenite, wolframite, cassiterite, rare earth minerals, quartz sand, feldspar, and the recycling of industrial materials.

Whether for small-scale operations or large industrial beneficiation plants, JXSC can provide customized magnetic separation solutions based on ore properties, processing requirements, and production capacity, helping customers improve recovery rates while reducing operating costs and environmental impact.