Method and apparatus for electrostatic separation

Claim 1

AN ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION MACHINE COMPRISING A SOURCE OF UNIDIRECTIONAL ELECTRICITY, AT LEAST A FIRST PAIR OF ELECTRODES ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO BE OF LIKE POLARITY AT LEAST A SECOND PAIR OF ELECTRODES ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO BE OF THE SAME POLARITY, SAID POLARITY BEING OPPOSITE TO THAT OF SAID FIRST PAIR OF ELECTRODES, EACH OF SAID ELECTRODES IN CROSS SECTIONAL CONFIGURATION BEING FORMED WITH A STRAIGHT BODY PORTION AND A SHOULDER FORMED AS A SEGMENT OF A CIRCLE, THE VARIOUS PAIRS OF ELECTRODES BEING ARRAGNED WITH STRAIGHT BODY PORTIONS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL AND WITH SHOULDERS DIVERGING, SAID PAIRS OF ELECTRODES OF OPPOSITE POLARITY BEING ARRANGED WITH SHOULDERS ADJOINING ONE ANOTHER AND WITH STRAIGHT BODY PORTIONS IN SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT LINE ALIGNMENT, MEANS TO FEED ORE PARTICLES BETWEEN SAID ELECTRODES OF OPPOSITE POLARITY, AND COLLECTION HOPPERS FOR RECEIVING SEPARATED MATERIAL.

Claim 3

A METHOD OF ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION OF OPPOSITELY ELECTRICALLY CHARGED PARTICLES WHICH COMPRISES DROPPING ING AN ELONGATED ZONE OF UNIFORM POSITIVE POTENTIAL AND AN OPPOSITELY EXTENDING ELONGATED ZONE OF UNIFORM NEGATIVE POTENTIAL IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE FIRST MENTIONED ZONE, THE PARTICLES BEING INTRODUCED BETWEEN THE TWO ZONES AND IN SUBSTANTIAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE TWO ZONES THUS GIVING THE POSITIVELY CHARGED PARTICLES A HORIZONTAL THRUST IN A DIRECTION TO IMPART TO SUCH POSITIVELY CHARGED PARTICLES A MOVEMENT HAVING A HORIZONTAL COMPONENT THROUGH SAID ELONGATED ZONE OF UNIFORM NEGATIVE POTENIAL, AND GIVING THE NEGATIVELY CHARGED PARTICLES A HORIZONTAL THRUST IN A DIRECTION TO IMPART TO SUCH NEGATIVELY CHARGED PARTICLES A MOVEMENT HAVING A HORIZONTAL COMPONENT THROUGH SAID ELONGATED ZONE OF UNIFORM POSITIVE POTENTIAL, AND COLLECTING THE SEPARATED PARTICLES FALLING THROUGH AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ZONES.

Claim 4

A METHOD OF ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION OF OPPOSITELY ELECTRICALLY CHARGED PARTICLES WHICH COMPRISES DROPPING ING AN ELONGATED ZONE OF UNIFORM POSITIVE POTENTIAL AND AN OPPOSITELY EXTENDING ELONGATED ZONE OF UNIFORM NEGATIVE POTENTIAL IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE FIRST MENTIONED ZONE, THE PARTICLES BEING INTRODUCED BETWEEN THE TWO ZONES AND IN SUBSTANTIAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE TWO ZONES THUS GIVING THE POSITIVELY CHARGED PARTICLES A HORIZONTAL THRUST IN A DIRECTION TO IMPART TO SUCH POSITIVELY CHARGED PARTICLES A MOVEMENT HAVING A HORIZONTAL COMPONENT THROUGH SAID ELONGATED ZONE OF UNIFORM NEGATIVE POTENIAL, AND GIVING THE NEGATIVELY CHARGED PARTICLES A HORIZONTAL THRUST IN A DIRECTION TO IMPART TO SUCH NEGATIVELY CHARGED PARTICLES A MOVEMENT HAVING A HORIZONTAL COMPONENT THROUGH SAID ELONGATED ZONE OF UNIFORM POSITIVE POTENTIAL, AND COLLECTING THE SEPARATED PARTICLES FALLING THROUGH AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ZONES.