Thickener

What is a Thickener?

A thickener is a crucial device used for solid-liquid separation, predominantly utilized in industries such as mining, metallurgy, and chemicals. Thickeners are essential in industrial production as they enhance efficiency, conserve resources, and mitigate environmental pollution. Their primary function is to separate solid particles suspended in a liquid through gravity sedimentation, thereby concentrating the slurry and clarifying the liquid.

Types of Thickeners

There are various types of thickeners, with the most common being conventional thickeners, high-efficiency thickeners, and deep cone thickeners. Each type is suited to different operational conditions and processing requirements. For instance, high-efficiency thickeners are known for their large processing capacity, rapid sedimentation rate, and compact footprint, making them ideal for scenarios requiring high throughput and quick concentration.

Advantages of Thickener

1. Improving product texture: Thickeners can increase the viscosity of products, improve their texture and stability, and make products more uniform and easier to apply.
2. Improving product stability: In industries such as food, cosmetics, and coatings, thickeners help prevent product stratification or sedimentation, improve product stability, and extend shelf life.
3. Controlling costs: By using thickeners appropriately, the use of expensive raw materials can be reduced without sacrificing product quality, thereby reducing production costs.
4. Improving production efficiency: In certain production processes, the use of thickeners can speed up product processing and improve the efficiency of production lines.
5. Improving taste and appearance: In the food industry, thickeners can improve the taste of food, making it richer and satisfying the taste needs of consumers, and can also improve the appearance of products, making them more attractive.
6. Extending shelf life: In certain products, thickeners can slow down microbial growth and extend the shelf life of products

Classification of Thickeners

1. Deep Cone Paste Thickeners: Suitable for concentrating various concentrates, capable of achieving material concentrations exceeding 65%.
2. Ordinary High-Efficiency Thickeners: Ideal for concentrating various tailings, capable of achieving material concentrations exceeding 40%.
3. Intelligent Flocculant Dosing Detection System: Automatically adjusts the dosage based on the incoming material concentration, saving up to 30% of flocculants.

Features of Thickeners

1. Drive Configurations: Available in single drive, double drive, and four-wheel drive configurations. For pool diameters of 8-50 meters: single drive is used for diameters below 20 meters, double drive for diameters between 20-35 meters, and four-wheel drive for diameters between 35-50 meters.
2. Automatic Mud Discharge: Discharges mud based on torque size, ensuring stable mud discharge. For example, in the tailings industry, mud discharge can be set to occur when the underflow concentration reaches 35%.
3. Flocculant Savings: Can be integrated with an automatic flocculant dosing detection system, saving up to 40% of flocculants.
4. Special Flocculation Box: Equipped with a flocculation box to ensure thorough flocculation and reaction of agents with the material before entering the center cylinder. This prevents insufficient reaction and wastage of agents, a common issue when agents are added directly to the center cylinder.

Application Areas of Thickeners

Thickeners find applications in various industries, including sewage treatment, mining, and sand washing.