Hydrometallurgy technical guides: leaching, solid-liquid separation, solvent extraction, evaporation and crystallization. Sizing, calculations and troubleshooting from Lexin-tech engineers.
- OSLO Crystallizer: Design, Sizing and Selection
OSLO crystallizer design guide: fluidized-bed principle, sizing method, 0.5-3 mm crystal size, bed volume worked example, and FC vs DTB selection verdicts. - Phase Disengagement: 8 Causes of Slow Settling in SX
Slow phase disengagement in solvent extraction drives organic losses and EW problems. Learn the 8 root causes, settling tests, and settler design fixes. - Vacuum Belt Filter Selection: Sizing and Cake Wash
How to select a vacuum belt filter: sizing at 500-1500 kg/m2·h, 90-95% wash efficiency, and belt filter vs filter press comparisons for mining plants. - Resin in Pulp: Process Design, Equipment and Selection
Resin in pulp design guide: resin selection, 10-25 g/L resin concentration, 5-8 stages, fouling control, and when RIP beats carbon adsorption circuits. - Evaporator Heat Transfer Area: Calculation With Example
A 20 t/h sodium sulfate duty at 80 °C closes at 396 m² of evaporator heat transfer area, 501 m² after margins and 700… - Filter Cloth Blinding: 7 Causes and How to Fix Them
Filter cloth blinding: 7 causes ranked by frequency, coupon tests that confirm it, cloth selection rules, and a wash program that restores permeability. - Zinc Purification: Cementation Design for Cd, Cu and Co
Zinc purification by cementation: 45 minutes in three tanks, 2.0-2.5 kg/m3 of zinc dust, and stage targets that hold Cu, Cd and Co below… - Thickening Area Calculation: Thickener Sizing Example
Thickening area calculation worked end to end: a 120 t/h feed of 28% w/w solids closes at 0.123 m² per t/d and selects a… - Bioleaching Copper: 7 Fixes When Recovery Stalls
Bioleaching copper recovery stalling? Diagnose chalcopyrite passivation, ferric collapse, pH drift and heap aeration limits with 7 fixes from Lexin-tech. - Filter Press for Mining: Selection, Sizing, and Cycle Math
Select a filter press for mining duty: worked 40 t/h sizing example, membrane vs plate-and-frame choice, cloth selection, and CAPEX-OPEX ranges. - Sodium Sulfate Crystallization: Yield & Heat Balance
Sodium sulfate crystallization, worked end to end: 10 m³/h of 40 °C saturated liquor yields 223 t/d of mirabilite against a 1,034 kW cooling… - Mother Liquor Recovery: 7 Causes of Yield Loss
Mother liquor recovery stops crystallizer yield loss - a 120 t/d nickel sulfate plant cut rejects from 6% to 1.5% while recovering 92% of… - Brine Concentrator Selection: Sizing and Energy per m³
Size a brine concentrator from the site water balance: 25 m³/h worked example, MVR energy of 18-30 kWh per m³ of water removed, materials… - McCabe-Thiele Extraction Isotherm: Stage Count by Hand
Build a McCabe-Thiele extraction isotherm from shakeout data: three worked examples (copper SX, Ni-Co scrubbing, stripping) size a 2-stage circuit. - Extractant Degradation: 6 Causes of Rising SX Costs
Diagnose extractant degradation early with density, interfacial tension and shakeout tests - before organic make-up climbs from 0.5 to 2 kg/t of metal. - Mixer Settler Efficiency: Design for 92% Stage Recovery
Mixer settler efficiency guide: Murphree values of 85–95% per stage, the four design levers, testwork methods, and the cost of every efficiency point lost. - Decanter Centrifuge Mineral Slurry: Duty Selection Guide
Decanter centrifuge mineral slurry duty guide: g-force and differential speed selection, 15–25% cake moisture on gypsum, US$1.5–4/t operating cost range. - Slurry Yield Stress: Measurement, Calculation, Design
Slurry yield stress measured by vane and slump tests: Bingham and Herschel-Bulkley fitting, rake torque sizing, and pipeline restart pressures up to 12.5 MPa. - Thickener Flocculant Dosage: Cut Cost, Keep Clarity
Thickener flocculant dosage troubleshooting: fix turbid overflow and thin underflow, dose on dry solids, cut polymer cost 20–40% with a monthly audit. - Paste Thickener Design: Deep Cone Sizing & Underflow
Paste thickener design guide: bed depth, cone angle and rake torque at yield stress, 60–70 wt% underflow rheology targets and indicative CAPEX and OPEX. - Shrinking Core Model for Leaching Kinetics: Worked
Shrinking core model in practice: three regime equations, linear fitting plots, a 10 mm copper oxide worked example, and how fitted τ drives equipment… - Cyanide Leaching Equipment: 9 Downtime Causes
Cyanide leaching equipment: 9 recurring CIL downtime causes with fixes, maintenance intervals and the real cost of one lost day for a gold plant. - Gold Leaching Tank Sizing & Selection Guide
Sizing a gold leaching tank starts with test-work residence time, typically 24–48 h in CIL. Guide to tank count, agitator power, materials and screens. - Mechanical Vapor Recompression: Working Principle & Energy
Mechanical vapor recompression cuts evaporator energy to 15-30 kWh per tonne of water. See the working principle, COP math, BPE limits and selection guidance. - Copper Solvent Extraction: Process Design & Troubleshooting
Copper solvent extraction transfers 90-95% of copper per stage. Learn SX circuit design, O/A control, crud treatment, and aldoxime vs ketoxime selection. - Heap Leaching: Pad Design & Operating Guide
Heap leaching recovers 60–90% of copper from oxide ores. An engineer's guide to pad design, agglomeration, drip irrigation and SX-EW recovery. - Mining Equipment Zambia: Copper-Cobalt Buyer’s Guide
Mining equipment Zambia buyers' guide: SX-EW plants, thickeners and leach circuits for Copperbelt copper-cobalt, plus 6–10 week transit and cost benchmarks. - Acid Consumption Calculation: Leach & POX Acid Balance
Step-by-step acid consumption calculation for leach and POX circuits, with worked examples: a pyrite concentrate yielding a 770 kg H2SO4 surplus per tonne. - Autoclave Scaling: Causes & Control in POX and HPAL
Autoclave scaling control for POX and HPAL: gypsum, jarosite and silica chemistry, ΔT trending, gamma scanning, and wash cycles on a 30-day interval. - Pressure Oxidation Autoclave: Design & Material Selection
Pressure oxidation autoclave guide: 190–230 °C operating window, titanium vs brick-lined metallurgy by zone, and $12,000–$25,000 per m³ CAPEX ranges. - Crystallizer Design: Yield & Supersaturation Control
Worked crystallizer design numbers: 48.8% CuSO4 pentahydrate yield cooling 60-25 C, sigma 0.5-2% windows, MSMPR sizing. Book a pilot test to lock your data. - Entrainment in Mixer Settler: Causes & Emulsion Fixes
Hold SX entrainment below 50 ppm: trim mixer power, stabilise O/A ratio, treat crud early. See limits, causes, fixes — pilot-test before you retrofit. - Filter Press Cycle Time: Mining Throughput Calculation
Calculate mining filter press throughput from cycle time: plate area, cake thickness, four cycle stages, and t/d sizing — includes a worked example. - Specific Energy Consumption Evaporator Guide: kWh per Tonne
Learn how to calculate the specific energy consumption evaporator systems need, in kWh per tonne of water, with worked single-effect, MEE and MVR examples. - Evaporator Scaling Control: Causes, Cleaning & Prevention
Evaporator scaling control guide: diagnose CaSO4, silica and carbonate deposits, restore U-value, and cut capacity losses of 15-30% with antiscalant and CIP. - MVR Evaporator Selection: A Process Engineer’s Sizing Guide
A practical MVR evaporator selection guide for process engineers: sizing parameters, compressor choice, scaling risks, CAPEX and OPEX benchmarks, and a worked example. - O/A Ratio Solvent Extraction: Calculation Guide
Calculate O/A ratio in copper SX with a worked example: 200 m³/h PLS, 91.3% Cu extraction, 1.07:1 extraction O/A and 1.4:1 strip O/A, step… - Crud Treatment Solvent Extraction: Causes & Fixes
Crud treatment solvent extraction guide: cut organic losses of 0.5–2% per month via 7-step diagnosis, clay treatment, and proven prevention controls. - Mixer Settler Design: Sizing, Stages & Selection Guide
Mixer settler design guide: mixer residence time of 2–3 min, settler area sizing, stage count, materials and cost ranges for copper SX plants. - CCD Wash Ratio Calculation: Step-by-Step With Example
Step-by-step CCD wash ratio calculation with a worked 5-stage copper leach residue example, soluble recovery formulas, and sensitivity to wash water rate. - Filter Cake Moisture Content: Causes and Fixes
Why filter cake moisture content runs high in presses and vacuum filters, plus a diagnostic checklist, ranked fixes, and the cost of each moisture… - How to Select and Size a High Rate Thickener
How to select and size a high rate thickener for leach residues, tailings and CCD circuits: rise rate, flocculant dose, torque, CAPEX and a… - Leaching Recovery Calculation: Worked Examples (2026)
- Acid Consumption in Copper Leaching: Causes and Fixes (2026)
- Agitated Leaching Tank Design: A 2026 Engineer’s Guide
- What Is Hydrometallurgy? Definition, Process, Applications
Hydrometallurgy explained: leaching, solution purification and metal recovery, compared with smelting, with commodity routes, costs and flowsheet numbers. - Evaporator Crystallizer Systems for Mining Brines | Guide
Evaporator crystallizer guide for mining brines: MVR vs multiple-effect vs forced circulation, boiling point rise, kWh per tonne evaporated, ZLD trains. - Solvent Extraction in Hydrometallurgy: Process & Equipment
Solvent extraction in hydrometallurgy: extractant families for Cu, Ni-Co and U, mixer-settler vs centrifugal contactors, O/A ratio, crud control and costs. - Solid Liquid Separation in Hydrometallurgy: Equipment Guide
Solid liquid separation in hydrometallurgy: thickener, filter press, vacuum filter and centrifuge selection, CCD circuits, design parameters and costs. - Leaching Process & Equipment: Routes, Design, Selection
Leaching routes compared: agitated tank and CIL-CIP, heap leaching, pressure oxidation and bioleaching — ore fit, design parameters, costs, selection logic. - Copper SX-EW Plant Cost: CAPEX and OPEX per Tonne
Copper SX-EW plant cost broken down per annual tonne of cathode: heap leach, SX, tankhouse and infrastructure CAPEX, plus acid, power and organic OPEX… - Pressure Vessel Wall Thickness Calculation: Worked Example
Pressure vessel wall thickness calculation per ASME VIII Div 1: UG-27 shell, UG-32 head, corrosion allowance, MAWP and hydrotest, with three worked examples. - Weld Overlay Failure in Hydrometallurgical Vessels
Why weld overlay fails in autoclaves and leach vessels: dilution, disbonding, sigma phase and reheat cracking, with NDE methods, repair steps and repair cost. - Pressure Vessel Material Selection for Hydrometallurgy
Pressure vessel material selection for leach, SX and autoclave service: chloride limits, corrosion allowance, code constraints, CAPEX and lead-time impact.