Importance

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Abstract

A carnallite-containing crude salt is separated into a carnallite fraction, a sylvite fraction and an abandonable residue by grinding the salt to an average particle size of about 1.5 mm., conditioning the particles in a conventional manner with from 5-300 g/t of a conventional conditioning agent adjusting the relative humidity of the conditioned particles to 5-25%, and subjecting the resulting particles to electrostatic separation in two stages, wherein in the first stage the particles are subjected to a high voltage electric field having a field length of 0.4 to 1.2 m to separate a carnallite fraction by imparting to the carnallite fraction a high sidewards velocity relative to the initial downward velocity upon entering the field, thereby causing deflection of the carnallite away from a middlings fraction, and wherein in the second stage the first stage middling fracton is subjected to a second high voltage electric field having a field length of 1.5 to 2.5 m to f or m a sylvite fraction, a second middlings fraction which also has a high sidewards velocity imparted thereto relative to the initial downward velocity upon entry into the second field thereby causing deflection of the sylvite fraction away from and an abandonable residue which has a sidewards velocity imparted thereto opposite in direction to the sidewards velocity of the sylvite for deflection therefrom and from the second middlings fraction.

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First Claim