Simulation of Electrical and Thermal Properties of Granite under the Application of Electrical Pulses Using Equivalent Circuit Models
Kyosuke Fukushima,
Mahmudul Kabir,
Kensuke Kanda,
Naoko Obara,
Mayuko Fukuyama,
Akira Otsuki
Affiliations
Kyosuke Fukushima
Graduate School of Engineering Science, Department of Mathematical Science and Electrical-Electronic-Computer Engineering, Tegata Campus, Akita University, 1-1 Tegata Gakuen Machi, Akita 010-8502, Japan
Mahmudul Kabir
Graduate School of Engineering Science, Department of Mathematical Science and Electrical-Electronic-Computer Engineering, Tegata Campus, Akita University, 1-1 Tegata Gakuen Machi, Akita 010-8502, Japan
Kensuke Kanda
Graduate School of Engineering Science, Department of Mathematical Science and Electrical-Electronic-Computer Engineering, Tegata Campus, Akita University, 1-1 Tegata Gakuen Machi, Akita 010-8502, Japan
Naoko Obara
Graduate School of Engineering Science, Department of Mathematical Science and Electrical-Electronic-Computer Engineering, Tegata Campus, Akita University, 1-1 Tegata Gakuen Machi, Akita 010-8502, Japan
Mayuko Fukuyama
Graduate School of Engineering Science, Cooperative Major in Life Cycle Design Engineering, Tegata Campus, Akita University, 1-1 Tegata Gakuen Machi, Akita 010-8502, Japan
Akira Otsuki
Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Géologie, GeoRessources, UMR 7359 CNRS, University of Lorraine, 2 Rue du Doyen, Marcel Roubault, BP 10162, 54505 Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France
Since energy efficiency in comminution of ores is as small as 1% using a mechanical crushing process, it is highly demanded to improve its efficiency. Using electrical impulses to selectively liberate valuable minerals from ores can be a solution of this problem. In this work, we developed a simulation method using equivalent circuits of granite to better understand the crushing process with high-voltage (HV) electrical pulses. From our simulation works, we calculated the electric field distributions in granite when an electrical pulse was applied. We also calculated other associated electrical phenomena such as produced heat and temperature changes from the simulation results. A decrease in the electric field was observed in the plagioclase with high electrical conductivity and void space. This suggests that the void volume in each mineral is important in calculating the electrical properties. Our equivalent circuit models considering both the electrical conductivity and dielectric constant of a granite can more accurately represent the electrical properties of granite under HV electric pulse application. These results will help us better understand the liberation of minerals from granite by electric pulse application.
