On the combined effect of AC and DC magnetic fields in a dry-type magnetic Separator

An effective method of separating fine magnetic and non-magnetic materials by a dry-type magnetic separator is presented. The principle is based on the combined effect of AC and DC magnetic fields. The separation is achieved by successive scatter and scalelike agglomeration of particles, over DC poles and on AC poles, respectively. The particle behavior is explained by the function of the intensity of AC and DC magnetic fields and magnetic properties of the materials. When the segregated copper is separated from iron powders, the separation efficiency is improved to 88 - 91% with the proposed method, from 81 - 83% with a conventional one.