Rheology and electro-acoustic characterization of laterite slurries

• Main Author: Colebrook, Marjorie Helen
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2008
• Subjects: Rheology characterization; Nickel laterite; Surface chemistry
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/2454

A systematic research study was carried out in order to characterize the rheology of concentrated slurries prepared from eight nickel laterites. The experiments were carried out using a rotational viscometer, and the behavior of the laterites was evaluated in terms of the apparent viscosity and yield stress obtained through flow curve modeling. An attempt was made to correlate the results obtained for the laterite samples with data obtained for model single mineral systems as well as for model mixed mineral systems. In combination with detailed mineralogical characterization of the laterite samples, all the rheological results allowed a rheology-based laterite classification system to be proposed. Accordingly, the laterite samples gave the following responses: the SAPSIL samples (high-quartz) generally producedl ow yield stress values, the SAPFE samples (high-iron) were characterized by intermediate to high yield stress values, while the SAP samples (saprolite) gave the highest yield stress values. Interestingly, these dominant rheological responses of laterites could actually be predicted based on rheological tests carried out on model mineral suspensions (particularly goethite and quartz). Since the rheology of fine mineral suspensions is largely determined by the surface properties (surface charge) of the particles, a series of electro-acoustic measurements were also performed on model minerals and laterite samples to analyze the surface charge characteristics of the tested samples. It was demonstrated that the current electro-acoustic theory developed for single mineral systems can readily be used for modeling the behavior of mixed mineral systems. The modeling and experimental data agreed exceptionally well when constituent minerals were of the same surface charge under given pH. Clear but rather small deviations between experiment and theory were observed under conditions when the minerals were oppositely charged. This observation strongly suggested that inter-particle aggregation was most likely responsible for the observed discrepancies. Overall, the results of this thesis show that laterite slurries exhibit a wide range of rheological responses due to highly variable mineralogy, differences in particle size distributions, and difference in the surface properties of the many constituent minerals. It also shows that the surface properties of the minerals relates to rheology.