Fan Genertated Vortex Sluice

[Duckwalk]

So as im sitting here at work procrastinating, i looked over at a large fan that is installed in a HUGE HP server. Then it hit me... i think i have a genius idea but im not sure and im looking for advice on it. ALL suggestions or thoughts would be helpful before i start this project. Its essentially going to be a box with a fan on the top side. there will be a 4 to 5 inch space underneath for water and heavies to settle. The water flow coming through the directional pipe will cause the fan to spin and the water inside (and underneath) to vortex causing all heavy material to settle in the very bottom and middle of the case and all light (blond) sands to fly out of the top outflow slot. There is no question that you would have to classify to get this running efficiently. Here is a very quick design that i drew up sitting at my desk here. Forgive the terrible art and poor handwriting skills. Tell me what you guys think! I have access to all of this stuff here at work free of charge so this would literally cost me nothing to build. In reality this could be built large scale or small scale, even smaller than a blue bowl.

 

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[KevinInColorado]

Cool idea..try it!

The fan would (I hope) help accelerate stratification of material so it could work as a replacement for the skid plate in a fluid bed system.

 

[Goodyguy]

"The proof is in the pudding"

So go make the pudding and then see how it turns out.
Hope it's good stuff.

I've made lots of pudding and some of my recipes looked way better on paper.
GG~

 

[Duckwalk]

If i turn this into a vortex fluid bed system, would i need to have fluidization tubes? the vortex keeps everything moving anyways. The only issue would be to keep everything in center of the trap. if i added tubes, it may interrupt the vortex created. Also, i gotta figure out how to do a clean out. As GG says, looks good on paper

 

[KevinInColorado]

Also have to keep the axle bearing out of the grit and grime so that fan keeps spinning.

Was thinking the fan may need external power to do its job properly btw. The force of the water alone may only be enuf to distribute the material but not keep it all agitated. An alternative to powering the fan would be fluidizing tubes at the bottom.

...lots of stuff to experiment with!

 

[Duckwalk]

well when i saw the fan at my desk i thought (hmm swirling in water that could create a vortex and force all the heavies to the bottom of a home built box! with you mentioning that i guess i could just make a cylinder to swirl the water. just trying to think of an alternate box to use with a hose to help with my cons.

 

[Duckwalk]

Well this is why i posted my idea here, im looking for peoples opinion on success, any improvements, or Hey, they make this already and this is what its called. Just looking for some input.
Duck

Also nitric, i think what youre talking about is a bluebowl.

 

[Duckwalk]

Okay. So for more clarification, im looking for something like this but for a stream or garden hose generated waterflow. Maybe the key here is to have a second box with fluidization tubes going through it UNDER the fan box. then i just lift the fan box out of the stream and all my cons on safely trapped below.
Ugh i dunno, maybe i should just keep it all a dream and tell myself it was good on paper.


Also nitric, is it the gold cyclone?

 

[Duckwalk]

Not neccesarily a sluice but a fluid bed. i guess i used the wrong term for the topic. So, the fan is hit by water, the fan spins and creates a constant vortex. the fan and box the fan is in has a hole in the middle and sits on top of a fluid bed. scoop the pre-classified dirt into the top of the fan vortex. the heavies are forced to the center of the vortex down the hole into the fluid bed where it stays.

 

[Goodyguy]

Not neccesarily a sluice but a fluid bed. i guess i used the wrong term for the topic. So, the fan is hit by water, the fan spins and creates a constant vortex. the fan and box the fan is in has a hole in the middle and sits on top of a fluid bed. scoop the pre-classified dirt into the top of the fan vortex. the heavies are forced to the center of the vortex down the hole into the fluid bed where it stays.

That sounds like a bucket concentrator that I once made (not my invention) You take a 5 gallon bucket and cut a 2" diameter hole in the center of the bottom.
Then you place the plastic end cap off a 2" mailing tube into the hole, cup side up. put that bucket into another 5 gallon bucket then fill the top bucket half way up with water. Next you put a half gallon or so of your concentrates into the top bucket and swirl your hand around the inside walls of the bucket creating a water tornado, stop and let it completely settle and then do it again. All the gold will now be inside the end cap at the bottom of the top bucket.

Reach in and pull out the cap, all the non gold material will run through the hole in the bottom and into the bucket underneath.
The cap will now contain all of the gold from the concentrates and if you don't believe it check the material in the bottom bucket to see if you missed any gold. Believe me, all the gold will be in the cap.

It's a fast way to reduce your cons into a super super gold concentrate.

GG~

 

[Oregon Viking]

That sounds like a bucket concentrator that I once made (not my invention) You take a 5 gallon bucket and cut a 2" diameter hole in the center of the bottom.
Then you place the plastic end cap off a 2" mailing tube into the hole, cup side up. put that bucket into another 5 gallon bucket then fill the top bucket half way up with water. Next you put a half gallon or so of your concentrates into the top bucket and swirl your hand around the inside walls of the bucket creating a water tornado, stop and let it completely settle and then do it again. All the gold will now be inside the end cap at the bottom of the top bucket.

Reach in and pull out the cap, all the non gold material will run through the hole in the bottom and into the bucket underneath.
The cap will now contain all of the gold from the concentrates and if you don't believe it check the material in the bottom bucket to see if you missed any gold. Believe me, all the gold will be in the cap.

It's a fast way to reduce your cons into a super super gold concentrate.

GG~

Kinda like this? Gold Panning Kits and Equipment - Gold Rush Nugget Bucket

 

[Duckwalk]

"That sounds like a bucket concentrator that I once made (not my invention)"

Thats basicly what im looking to do, only use the fan as a constant and automatic water tornado. instead of the cap, i want to leave the hole open and make a fluid bed under the first "bucket" so that the lighter material would hopefully flow out. This way i can just keep it running without having to swirl it with my hands.... talk about lazy! ill upload a picture of the fan at least tonight. It would be amazing if i could make this thing run on 110v so i could just use he here at the house. Go collect my dirt, bring it home, and do it all here.

 

[bakergeol]

First off- I admire folks who think outside the box. I am an innovator myself.
However, what you are describing has been done before. It is the same principle
as concentrating hydrocyclones. Decades ago they were all the rage. Heck I still
have one in my mining graveyard room. Basically a vortex made by spinning water
in a funnel. The heavies would fall to the bottom. They were abandoned when studies
showed they were not effective for production with -1/4" feed. The small amount of
G's produced by a vortex was not enough to offset gold's flatness factor.
Now you can get good results for a vortex if you narrowly classify e.g. Blue Bowl or
Gold Hogs cyclone for small amounts of concentrate. However, narrowly classifying
buckets and buckets of bank run material would not be feasible for production.

George

 

[Duckwalk]

Even if the vortex feeds into a fluid bed environment? I'm just trying to work with materials I already have.

 

[chlsbrns]

"That sounds like a bucket concentrator that I once made (not my invention)"

Thats basicly what im looking to do, only use the fan as a constant and automatic water tornado. instead of the cap, i want to leave the hole open and make a fluid bed under the first "bucket" so that the lighter material would hopefully flow out. This way i can just keep it running without having to swirl it with my hands.... talk about lazy! ill upload a picture of the fan at least tonight. It would be amazing if i could make this thing run on 110v so i could just use he here at the house. Go collect my dirt, bring it home, and do it all here.

If you leave the hole on the bottom of the top bucket open the bottom bucket will just fill up with sand.

If you want a constant vortex instead of using a stick like he used in the two bucket method video use a hose and an electric or gas pump. Put the hose at an angle in the bucket and the water coming out of the hose will make the vortex. Put a hole on the top side of the bucket and the lighter stuff will drain from the bucket. It will run continusually.