Mining Institute of NUST MISIS, Moscow, Russia

A. P. Tyukin, Applicant for the Academic Degree of Doctor of Engineering Sciences, Department for Enrichment and Processing of Minerals and Technogenic Raw Materials, Candidate of Technical Sciences, e-mail: TukinAP@yandex.ru

One of the criteria for the effectiveness of gas-dynamic separation of bulk materials in a laminar gas flow is the ratio of the particle velocities of the separated components at the point of exit from the accelerating channel. Maximizing this value is possible by increasing the linear gas velocity and reducing the length of the accelerating channel, which is possible only to a certain limit due to a number of limitations: the mechanically unstable process of loading the mixture into the accelerating channel and the need to ensure laminar gas movement in the accelerating channel. A measure to expand the possibilities for increasing the efficiency of gas-dynamic separation is the use of rarefied gases. To study such processes, vacuum chambers are used. Such equipment of sufficient size is available mainly from government institutions where research in the space industry is carried out. The article reflects the author's experience in creating a specialized barostatic research installation for gas-dynamic separation, including a vacuum-compression pressure chamber that can withstand absolute pressure from 0 to 0.2 MPa, a gasdynamic separator, an automatic vacuum maintenance system (consists of vacuum pumps, a compressor and instrumentation), water cooling, remote video monitoring system, power supply and lighting system and communications input unit. The presented equipment makes it possible to carry out experimental work on gas-dynamic separation of granular materials with rarefied gases, as well as gases under excess (relative to atmospheric) pressure up to +1·10⁵ Pa, in a periodic mode, while in the case of using rarefied gases, avoid dusting and ensure laminar gas flow in the accelerating channel and further movement of even thin particles (50 μm or less) along ballistic trajectories without significant dust.

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