Batch magnetohydrostatic separations with a modified Frantz separator

The difficulty of density separations at high specific gravities (> 3 g/mL) with conventional heavy liquids has led to the development and refinement of magnetohydrostatic separators. Magnetohydrostatic separation involves the separation of particles on the basis of their relative density (and magnetic susceptibility) in a magnetic fluid acted on by a magnetic field. Most of the research in this area has been concentrated on the development of continuous separators for industrial use. The work in this paper describes the creation of a batch laboratory separator through modifications to a Frantz isodynamic magnetic separator. The separator allowed the rapid separation of coarse (600–850 μm) particles based on relative density. It may find application in “heavy liquid” analysis to characterize materials.