Study On Eddy Current Separation Of Copper And Aluminum Mixed Particles In Waste Broken Refrigerator

Electronic and electric products have become our basic needs in modern society, but a large number of electronic waste have been a great threat to the environment. Therefore, it has become a globally urgent problem that how to effectively deal with and re-use the electronic waste.Eddy Current Separation is an efficient and environmental method which can recycle non-ferrous metals from the electronic waste.We firstly introduce the recycling craft of the broken refrigerator cabinet, and then we elaborate the operation principle and application of Eddy Current Separation. From the prior research, we find that vortex separation method is of low efficiency when applied in the separation of multi-shaped non-ferrous metal. Finally, in an attempt to manifest and solve the problem, we conduct an experiment that separating the mixed copper and aluminum particles in a refrigerator, using vortex separation method. It is obtained through the experiment that he relationship between three controllable factors, belt speed, rotor speed and shutter angle, and separation efficiency. Based upon our results, we can improve the separation efficiency of mixed copper and aluminum particles in a refrigerator by adjusting the three factors, and finally design a high-efficiency vortex separation equipment.The results of the Eddy Current separation experiment are as following:(1) When the shutter angle is 45°, the separation efficiency increases as the rotor speed increases. When the rotor speed is 700-1000r/min, the separation efficiency of the cylinder copper particles is relatively high; when the rotor speed is 650-1000r/min, the separation efficiency of the cylinder aluminum particles is relatively high; when the rotor speed is 600～1000r/min, the separation efficiency of spherical aluminum particles is relatively high; when the rotor speed is 750～1000r/min, the separation efficiency of the round aluminum particles is relatively high; when the rotor speed is 600～1000r/min, the separation efficiency of the triangular aluminum particles is relatively high.(2) When the shutter angle is 47°, the separation efficiency increases as the rotor speed increases. When the rotor speed is 700-1000r/min, the separation efficiency of the cylinder copper particles is relatively high; when the rotor speed is 700-1000r/min, the separation efficiency of the cylinder aluminum particles is relatively high; when the rotor speed is 750-1000r/min, the separation efficiency spherical aluminum particles is relatively high; when the rotor speed is 700-1000r/min, the separation efficiency round aluminum particles is relatively high; when the rotor speed is 750-1000r/min, the separation efficiency of the triangular aluminum particles is relatively high.(3) When the shutter angle is 45°, the separation efficiency increases as the belt speed increases, but the slope of the curve is very flat.(4) The separation efficiency decreases as the shutter angle increases.(5) Separation efficiency varies across the metal particles of different shapes. When constant rotor speed, belt speed and shutter angle are set, the rank list of separation efficiency with a descending order is spherical particles, cylindrical particles, the round particles, triangular particles. Holding the other conditions the same, the separation efficiency of the copper particles is lower than that of the aluminum particles.