Simulating the trajectory of conductive particles in positive high-voltage electrostatic separators and optimizing parameters

Abstract

To enhance the sorting efficiency of electrostatic separation for various conductive particles, a numerical model for the trajectory of conductive particles under the combined electric and gravitational fields was established. Initially, the distribution of the spatial electric field was analyzed using COMSOL Multiphysics, followed by the development of a program in MATLAB to calculate particle trajectories. The effects of particle size, voltage, angular velocity of the grounding roller, and the distance from the collection trough to the center of the grounding roller on the sorting efficiency of conductive particles (with radii larger than 1 mm) under positive high-voltage conditions were examined. Then the single-factor changing method and the response surface methodology were used to optimize the above parameters. The results showed that there was an inflection point for the angular velocity of the grounding roller; below this point, the sorting efficiency increased with the angular velocity, but beyond it, the efficiency decreased as the angular velocity continued to increase. Additionally, after the response surface methodology was used to optimize the parameters, the sorting efficiency was increased by 9 times. This study provides a theoretical foundation for the design and parameter control of new electrostatic separators.