RHEOLOGY IN MINERAL PROCESSING

Concentrated suspensions of fine minerals often exhibit behavior that is markedly different from that of common Newtonian fluids, such as water. Failure to allow for this non-Newtonian behavior may cause problems in the design and operation of process units. Failure to recognize the causes and effects of non-Newtonian behavior may make it difficult to troubleshoot problems. Therefore, it is important that mineral process engineers understand the behavior of non-Newtonian fluids, which is to say "rheology." This paper reviews the fundamentals of rheology, its application in mineral processing and the chemistry of additives that can be used to modify the rheology of mineral suspensions. Rheological measurement methods are described; without proper measurement the effects of rheology and opportunities to modify the rheology for improved processing cannot be determined.