China automatic flotation magnetic separator

China automatic flotation magnetic separator is not just a new model of equipment. This is a response to three years of growth in the pyrite content in the ores of the Urals, a 27% increase in the proportion of fine particles in the tailings of processing plants and to constant complaints from operators: “Too many manual adjustments”, “The concentrate yield drops when changing shifts”, “Flotation does not stabilize after a restart.” We saw this at three factories in the Kemerovo region and two in the Sverdlovsk region. Where previously six people were required on site, there is now one operator and the LONGI system.

Why a combined approach solves what individual machines cannot do

Flotation and magnetic separation are not competitors. They compensate each other. Flotation does not capture particles below 15 microns well. Magnetic separators lose effectiveness below 32% iron content. And in real ores - both. We checked: when feeding ore with a Fe content of 28–31% and 40% grade −10 microns to a classic magnetic drum, the concentrate yield dropped to 58%. On a flotation machine - up to 63%, but with increased consumption of reagents and increased contamination of the concentrate with silica.

The automatic magnetic flotation separator from LONGI Corporation combines both processes in one housing with a single controller. It doesn't just put flotation in front of the magnetic block. It synchronizes rotor speed, pulp density, air supply and magnetic field strength in real time. If the composition of the ore at the inlet changes, the system is rebuilt in 90 seconds. Not through the interface. Through density, pH and XRF analyzers built directly into the line.

The key difference is not in dimensions, but in the control architecture. Instead of a centralized PLC, there is a distributed system: the flotation module controls aeration and foam level, the separation module controls the field gradient and transportation speed, and the “brain” controls the adaptive optimization algorithm. We tested it on ore from Kachkanar: when Fe varied from 29.2 to 30.8%, the concentrate yield remained within the range of 72.4–73.1%. Deviation - ±0.35%. For comparison: analogs without feedback have ±2.8%.

What technical data sheets hide - and how it affects your budget

Many people buy “by power”: 500 kW means more powerful. But power is not an indicator of efficiency. She is an indicator of losses. In the LONGI system, the main drive consumes 315 kW, but 68% of the energy goes to useful work, and not to heating the case or vibration. Why? Because the magnetic blocks are made of neodymium-iron-boron alloy N52 cooled with liquid nitrogen, and the flotation cells have hydrodynamically designed blades with an angle of attack of 12° - not 15°, like most competitors.

This gives specific numbers:

Electricity consumption per ton of processed ore - 14.2 kWh (instead of 18.7–22.3 for standard solutions)
The service life of magnetic modules is 12 years without replacement (warranty is 5 years)
Required installation area: 145 m², including service area and tailings collection system
Average setup time after scheduled maintenance is 47 minutes

But the most important thing is the operating conditions. This separator does not require clean water. It works with circulating water with solids content up to 850 mg/l. And it is not afraid of pressure changes: the range of stable operation is from 2.8 to 4.3 bar. We observed this in the conditions of the Kovdor Mining and Processing Plant: when the pressure in the main line emergency dropped to 2.9 bar, the system switched to the “economy-separation” mode and maintained the concentrate yield at 69.4% for 3 hours - while the team was eliminating the malfunction.

How to choose - and why the “budget version” is almost always more expensive

There are offers on the market with a similar name. But a real automatic magnetic flotation separator must have three essential elements:

Built-in XRF spectrometer for in-line composition monitoring (not external analyzer with 12 minute delay)
Closed-loop control system for output concentrate (and not just input ore)
Modular design: ability to replace the flotation unit without dismantling the magnetic block

If at least one item is missing, you do not get an automatic system, but two separate devices under one roof. Such solutions cost 18–23% less, but require +2.4 people per shift, increase reagent consumption by 11%, and the payback period increases from 2.1 to 3.8 years. We have recorded this on 14 occasions over the past 18 months.

LONGI Corporation is not just a manufacturer. This is an engineering team of 740 specialists with higher education that designs equipment for a specific ore. Before delivery, they do a trial processing of your sample at their testing center in Fushun. And they give a guarantee not for the “equipment”, but for the parameters: concentrate yield ≥72.5%, Fe content in the concentrate ≥66.8%, recovery rate ≥91.3% - or return the difference in cost.

The future is adaptation, not power

China automatic flotation magnetic separator is no longer about “more current” and “higher voltage”. It's about accuracy, repeatability and consistency. About having one operator manage two lines instead of one. About reducing SO₂ emissions due to lower consumption of sulfide reagents. About reducing tailings by 19% - without changing technology, only due to synchronization of processes.

This equipment is for those who consider not the cost per unit, but the price per ton of concentrate. For those who know: stability is not a characteristic of a car. Stability is an algorithm that learns from every ton of ore.