Você está na página 1de 1

World Placer Journal 2007, Volume 7, pages 66-161.

44: Osterbergs E-tower 1980s research in California

www.mine.mn

Operation
Clean water is introduced into a 4-inch diameter column near its base, at 2 gallons/minute. Once inside, the water passes through a distributor in a sequence designed to create a non-turbulent up-flow:
through a perforated plate secured to a bottom ring; then through a disc of felted, fibrous synthetic polymer; then through a screen with openings so fine that upward flow is substantially unaffected in its lateral uniformity; and finally through a coarse screen.

Figure 95.

Siphoning of tailings. (adapted by Robin Grayson from the patent)

OSTERBERGs E-TOWER

Osterbergs E-tower was invented by Daniel Osterberg of California, patented in 1984 (US #4,451,359), and marketed as the Quick Gold Separator. The device causes black sand to fluidise and particles to hover. For hovering, the water velocity has to slacken upwards impossible in a cylinder is of uniform diameter. Slackening is by the water escaping from the constricted space in the flow distributor. If a teetered bed E-tower then hovering is accompanied by hindered settling in the teetering fluidised bed, displacing lighter particles upward. The author suggests that Osterbergs device is a multiple E-tower with many rising columns jetting upward, each decelerating once free of the flow distributor. Osterbergs E-tower seems capable of achieving high percentage fine gold recovery and merits testing.

Screened concentrate is spooned into the tower from above. The water rises with enough velocity to nonturbulently fluidise the concentrate yet without ejecting particles with the overflow of wash water. The upwelling water must decelerate for black sand to hover as a fluidised bed, the deceleration being due to the rising non-turbulent plumes of wash water have more width once free of the flow distributor. Photos posted by Megan Rose (Gold_Tutor) [112] suggest the device is not a teetered bed settler as hindered settling seems minor. The patent suggests the fluidised bed be stirred gently at the start to encourage gold to fall to the bottom. The upper portion of the fluidised bed is deemed to be depleted of gold and is siphoned off as tailings. The dense gold particles remain behind and more concentrate is spooned into the top of the column. After processing many spoonfuls of material, the enriched gold concentrate is siphoned off from the device.

Adoption by placer gold miners


Osterbergs E-tower gained some popularity in North America among recreational gold miners but production eventually ceased in spite of the clear potential of the device. The device is undergoing technical evaluation by Megan Rose (Gold_Tutor) and details are posted on the Colorado Prospectors Forum [112].

Figure 96.

Recovery of placer gold from black sand concentrate by Osterbergs E-tower, tentatively based on diverse reports. (compiler: Robin Grayson)

GOLD RECOVERY BY OSTERBERGs E-TOWER

122

Você também pode gostar