Designing Fluid Bed sluice / highbanker

[GFC07]

HI All,

Great forum, stumbled upon it a about a year ago, I've been a Long time lurker, only recently joined up to the forum and this is my first half assed serious post about an idea/ripoff i've had in my head for a bit.

Recently moved on from my last position in project management for engineering company here in Bendigo, finding it difficult to find work, and having plenty of time on my hands between looking for work, interviews and timewasters, I relieve the boredom by researching different gold recovery techniques and ideas. i've come up with a few ideas and based on other peoples on the net and what not.

So i've become relatively familiar with google sketch up and have drawn up a few different things (for other projects and dreams around the home and up the river and what not previously), is a very helpful tool for basic design and planning and getting a basic look and feel for something for the simple man, sorry digressing a little.

Im not sure how to upload a pdf of it (the rock washer), i'm not sure i have the permissions as yet.

So im looking at making up a "Fluid bed sluice" and possible manufacturing/producing a qty after i have the design right and get it working correctly.
Having said that i don't want them to cost an arm and a leg either. If i can cover $ for materials + $ for my time + $ for any other costs to manufacture i'll be happy.

So they are basically a twin decked sluice approx 1m long x 400mm wide x 120mm high and taper down to about 160mm wide x 120 high at the discharge end of the sluice. They have a fluid bed at the end with a grate system to classify the larger rocks and stop the clogging the lower section.

So my thoughts (this is all still theoretical at this stage) are this thing is going to need a shit tonne of water flow through this thing for the fluid bed to work properly? So my theory was to catch as much water as practical and funnel it into a smaller area the creating higher water pressure with minimal water restriction and turbulence in the process? the magic happens by the fluidisation of the caught material in the small catch chamber, when the water flows through the multiple pipes each with a enough holes to cover the surface area of the intake of the pipe (hope that makes sense?). Thats my theory anyways.

My other thought is that i would like to make these so that they could be used both in a creek or river, as well as a recirc system at home with a manifold arrangement rigged up to a pump, possibly with a header box.

I also i think im going to change my current design to include a removable concentrates tray/trap so that the sluice is not disturbed when cleaning out, however from what i've seen you can pretty much run one at this size for several hours before needing to clean up, perhaps i'll make two options?

I will probably make a design for a much smaller version that could work in much slower water flow say in some smaller creeks and the like, once i get the gist of the fluid dynamics of it all (That last bit was MUS.).

Once i am able to post pics i will reveal what i have come up with to date,

Feel free to comment or make any suggestions relating to my post,

Cheers GFC07

P.S. In case you where wondering
MUS = Made Up Shit (Quoted from Military TLA's & NTLA's)
TLA = Three letter acronym
NTLA = Non Three letter Acronym

 

[gcause]

Mate, sorry about the job situation, sadly I too know all about those time wasters.

You are going to have to be very careful here not to infringe any trademarked patents on existing products already on the market for some time:

So they are basically a twin decked sluice approx 1m long x 400mm wide x 120mm high and taper down to about 160mm wide x 120 high at the discharge end of the sluice. They have a fluid bed at the end with a grate system to classify the larger rocks and stop the clogging the lower section.

So my thoughts (this is all still theoretical at this stage) are this thing is going to need a shite tonne of water flow through this thing for the fluid bed to work properly? So my theory was to catch as much water as practical and funnel it into a smaller area the creating higher water pressure with minimal water restriction and turbulence in the process? the magic happens by the fluidisation of the caught material in the small catch chamber, when the water flows through the multiple pipes each with a enough holes to cover the surface area of the intake of the pipe (hope that makes sense?). Thats my theory anyways.

You have just described one of the Forum Sponsors trademarked patented products a Bazooka Gold Trap.

My other thought is that i would like to make these so that they could be used both in a creek or river, as well as a recirc system at home with a manifold arrangement rigged up to a pump, possibly with a header box.

You have just described another one of the same Forum Sponsors trademarked patented products a Bazooka Gold Trap High Banker attachment.

Good on you for having a go though. Hopefully you will come up with a new product that everyone will want and make a tonne of cash from it.

Cheers,

Grant

 

[GFC07]

Thanks for the feedback Gcause,

Fully understand where you are coming from, I'll ensure final design is not a chinese ripoff of a sponsor, it will be a reflection of Australian ingenuity and refinement for Aussie conditions.

As i said, this is all theoretical and conceptual at this stage, and i'm doing it more for the design and costing exercise more than anything really, And if i can make myself one first that works i may offer what i have learnt in the way of instructions or a finished item.

I'm Not looking to make a million dollars, but if i can make a working fluid bed sluice that is cost effective, that possibly others may be interested in, LOL that doesn't break any international patencies, or piss off forum members, then it may develop further.

I totally admit the theory is completely based on the sluice affectionately known as a "bazooka", but have you seen how many sit up machines there are out there?
I don't believe that the concept of a fluid bed is patented?, its used is multiple industries including heat treatment and sandblasting, so its no secret.

Also i'm not prepared/can't bloody afford to pay $600 +/- $150 postage from USA for a plastic sluice, and i'm tipping a lot of aussie aren't either.

Cheers

 

[Goldtarget]

I'll be watching with interest, it certainly sounds ambitious, and you are in the right area for testing. I'm more of a KISS person myself, so if someone out there can decipher new methods of recovery I can only give my encouragement.