Integrally formed heavy media pulping column

1. In a mineral preparation plant receiving a raw mineral feed and separating the raw mineral feed into clean mineral and refuse, an apparatus for mixing the raw mineral feed particles with a slurry of media and water, said apparatus comprising:

a pulping column having a mineral inlet receiving sized raw mineral directly from a deslime screen, a media inlet receiving a slurry of media and water directly from an underpan of at least one of a refuse screen and a clean mineral screen, and an outlet outputting a mixture of the sized raw mineral and slurry, wherein the pulping column mixes the sized raw mineral and the slurry of media and water according to a select proportion having a select specific gravity.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the mineral comprises coal, and wherein the media comprises magnetite.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the pulping column is integrally formed with discharge chute work of the deslime screen, such that the sized raw mineral from the deslime screen feeds directly to the pulping column.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the pulping column is integrally formed with a drain section of the underpan of at least one refuse screen and the clean mineral screen, such that the slurry of media and water from the drain section feeds directly to the pulping column.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the pulping column is integrally formed with both discharge chutework of the deslime screen and a drain section of the underpan of at least one of the refuse screen and the clean mineral screen, such that the sized raw mineral from the deslime screen and the slurry of media and water from the drain section feeds directly to the pulping column for mixing.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a nuclear density gauge measuring the specific gravity of the mixture output by the pulping column and a control system, the control system configured to add water to the output mixture to maintain the output mixture at the select specific gravity measured by the nuclear density gauge.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the control system comprises a water source connected to the pulping column output via at least one valve, wherein the control system adjusts the at least one valve to add water from the water source to the output mixture based upon the measured specific gravity value as measured by the nuclear density gauge.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising a pump for pumping the pulping column output mixture to a heavy media separating device, the pump having a suction connected to the pulping column output and an output connected to an input of the heavy media separating device, wherein the water source is connected between the pulping column output and the pump suction, and wherein the nuclear density gauge is provided between the pump output and the heavy media separating device input.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the pulping column is sized such that no overflow of the sized raw mineral and slurry mixture occurs.

10. A method of mixing raw mineral feed particles and a slurry of media and water, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving at a pulping column sized raw mineral directly from a deslime screen;

receiving at the pulping column a slurry of media and water directly from an underpan of at least one of a refuse screen and a clean mineral screen; and

mixing the sized raw mineral and slurry in the pulping column according to a select proportion having a select specific gravity.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising the steps of:

measuring the specific gravity of the slurry mixture containing the raw sized mineral; and

adding water to the mixture in response to the measured specific gravity of the mixture to maintain the mixture at the select specific gravity.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising the step of:

providing a pump for pumping the sized raw mineral and slurry mixture from the pulping column to a heavy media separating device, the pump provided between the pulping column output and the heavy media separating device input.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein

the measuring step comprises the step of measuring the specific gravity of the slurry containing the sized raw mineral and media downstream of the pump and upstream of the heavy media separating device; and

the adding step comprises the step of adding water to the sized raw mineral and slurry mixture upstream of the pump and downstream of the pulping column output.

14. The method of claim 10 , where the mineral comprises coal, and wherein the media comprises magnetite and/or ferrosilicon.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the pulping column is integrally formed with discharge chutework of the deslime screen, such that the sized raw mineral from the deslime screen feeds directly to the pulping column.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the pulping column is integrally formed with a drain section of the underpan of at least one of the refuse screen and the clean mineral screen, such that the slurry of media and water from the drain section is fed directly to the pulping column.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the pulping column is integrally formed with both discharge chutework of the deslime screen and a drain section of the underpan of at least one of the refuse screen and the clean mineral screen, such that the sized raw mineral from the deslime screen and the slurry of media and water from the drain section is fed directly to the pulping column for mixing.

18. A method of mixing raw mineral feed particles and a slurry of media and water, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a pulping column integrally formed with discharge chutework of a deslime screen, such that the sized raw mineral from the deslime screen is received directly into the pulping column;

receiving at the pulping column a slurry of media and water directly from an underpan of at least one of a refuse screen and a clean mineral screen;

mixing the sized raw mineral and slurry in the pulping column according to a select proportion; and

maintaining the slurry of media and water in the mixture of sized raw mineral and slurry at a select specific gravity.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the maintaining step comprises the steps of:

measuring the specific gravity of the slurry containing media, water and sized raw mineral; and

selectively adding water to the mixture in response to the measured specific gravity of the slurry to maintain the slurry at the select specific gravity.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the pulping column is additionally integrally formed with a drain section of the underpan of at least one of the refuse screen and the clean mineral screen, such that the slurry of media and water from the drain section is received directly into the pulping column.