Thickening & Dewatering – Xinhai Mineral Processing EPC

Deep Cone Thickener | High-Efficiency Thickener

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 16:57:54 +0000

Why a deep cone thickener

Thickening is the bridge between wet processing and water recovery. After flotation, leaching or gravity recovery, slurries are dilute and must be dewatered so clean water can be recycled and solids sent to filtration or tailings. The deep cone (high-efficiency) thickener achieves this with a steep conical bottom and a tall mud bed that compresses settled solids to a high underflow density, often 60-70% solids or more, far above a conventional flat-bottom thickener.

How it works

Feed enters a central feedwell where flocculant is dosed and mixed. Flocculated particles settle rapidly, clarified overflow weirs off the top for recycle, and the thickening rake slowly consolidates the bed in the deep cone. The combination of bed depth and slow raking dewaters the underflow by self-weight compression, so the discharge can be pumped as a dense paste or thickened slurry.

Selection logic

Sizing is driven by settling rate, target underflow density and flocculant response, usually confirmed by a settling test on your actual slurry. As a rule of thumb, finer and more clayey tailings settle slower and need more area or more flocculant. Xinhai sizes tank diameter, cone angle and rake torque to your throughput and required underflow, and integrates a bed-level and torque control loop so the rake never overloads.

High underflow density for paste or pumped tailings
Steep cone for compact footprint and gravity discharge
Automatic flocculant dosing and bed-level control
Torque-limited rake drive with lift protection

Where it fits the water circuit

The deep cone thickener cuts fresh-water makeup by recycling clarified overflow and reduces the load on downstream filters by sending them a denser, more consistent feed, which shortens filter cycles and lowers their energy use. For final dewatering of the underflow, pair it with a filter press for the driest cake, or a disc vacuum filter for continuous, lower-cost duty on free-filtering concentrate. The dense underflow it produces is normally pumped on to those units rather than flowing by gravity.

See the full thickening and dewatering range, and for help choosing between thickener and filter our guide on tailings dewatering compares the options. To size a unit to your slurry, contact our engineers.

Disc Vacuum Filter | Ceramic Filter for Dewatering

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 16:57:54 +0000

The role of the disc vacuum filter

The disc vacuum filter is the continuous, low-cost workhorse for dewatering free-filtering concentrates such as iron, copper and other metal slurries. Where a filter press batches material to the driest possible cake, a disc filter runs nonstop and is ideal when you have steady tonnage of a material that filters readily. Several discs share one shaft, so a single compact machine offers a large filtration area.

How it works

Each disc is built from filter sectors covered in cloth or, in the ceramic version, fine ceramic plates. The lower part of each disc dips into a slurry tank; vacuum drawn through the shaft pulls filtrate through the media and forms cake on the disc face. As the disc rotates out of the slurry the cake dries, then a scraper or blow-back releases it into a discharge chute. The cycle repeats continuously as the shaft turns.

Ceramic vs conventional disc filters

Conventional cloth disc filters are simple and economical. Ceramic-plate filters use micro-porous media whose capillary action holds liquid but blocks air, so they need only a fraction of the vacuum energy and produce a noticeably drier cake with very clear filtrate. As a rule of thumb, ceramic units suit fine concentrates where moisture and energy cost matter; cloth units suit coarser, higher-tonnage duty. Xinhai sizes disc number and total area to your dry-tonnage target either way.

Continuous operation at steady tonnage
Large area from multiple discs on one shaft
Ceramic option for low moisture and low vacuum power
Self-cleaning media with backwash or scraper discharge

Where it fits the dewatering circuit

A disc vacuum filter follows a deep cone thickener that pre-dewaters and stabilizes the feed density, which keeps cake formation even and the filtrate clear. A steady, dense feed is the single biggest factor in consistent disc-filter output, so the thickener and filter are designed as a pair. For the driest possible cake, or for batch duty on slow-filtering tailings that do not dewater well under vacuum, compare the filter press instead.

Browse the full thickening and dewatering range, and see our tailings dewatering guide for how vacuum filters compare with presses and thickeners. To match a unit to your concentrate, contact our engineers.

Filter Press | Plate-and-Frame & Membrane Filter Press

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 16:57:54 +0000

What a filter press does

The filter press is the final dewatering stage when you need a dry, handleable cake rather than a pumpable slurry. It takes thickener underflow or concentrate and produces cake at the lowest residual moisture of any mechanical dewatering device, typically 12-25% depending on the material. That makes it standard for filtering metal concentrates for shipment and for producing dry-stack tailings where water recovery and storage rules are strict.

How it works

Recessed plates are pressed together by a hydraulic ram to form a stack of sealed chambers lined with filter cloth. Slurry is pumped in under pressure; solids build up as cake against the cloth while filtrate passes through and drains away. When the chambers are full the press opens and the cakes drop. A membrane (squeeze) press adds an inflatable diaphragm behind each cloth that presses the cake at high pressure to drive out additional water, lowering moisture by several more points.

Selection logic

Sizing is set by the dry tonnes per cycle, the cake-forming rate of your material and the cycle time, all best confirmed by a filtration test. As a rule of thumb, fast-filtering coarse concentrates give short cycles and high throughput, while fine, clayey tailings filter slowly and need more cloth area or membrane squeeze. Xinhai sizes plate count, chamber depth and feed pressure to your dry-tonnage target.

Lowest cake moisture of mechanical dewatering
Membrane plates for an extra moisture drop
Manual, semi-auto or fully automatic plate shifting
Polypropylene plates and cloths selected to the material

Where it fits and what it costs to run

A filter press almost always follows a deep cone thickener, which removes the bulk of the water cheaply so the press handles a dense feed and runs faster. For continuous, lower-cost dewatering of free-filtering concentrates, compare the disc vacuum filter. Filtrate is recycled and cake is conveyed away; cloth life and cake release are the main running concerns, so cloths are quick-change.

See all thickening and dewatering options, and our tailings dewatering guide for how presses compare with thickeners and vacuum filters. To size a press to your slurry, contact our engineers.