Processing Plant

The processing plant is basically made up of the flowing parts:

• Chute
• Lander
• Crosscurrent
• Apron
• Riffles

Chute: the design of the feeding chute is one of the most important aspects for the success of this plant. It will need to withhold the wear and tear of the emptying out of the loading and also maintain inclination on the bottom and maintain the water mouth pieces in order for the feeding to be done in a uniform way.

Lander: the width, height and pendant of the canal are in direct proportion with the size of the clasts, the dentritic material and the amount of available water. The length comes about with the most or least cementation of the minerals and the size of fineness of the pebbles of gold. The riffles are placed in the lander during the washing operation.

Crosscurrent: this is formed by a rope of iron rods of 1 ½ inches that is used for classifying the bigger sized clasts (0.4 to 0.25 meters) that go directly to the field and the detritus that have a smaller dimension with the water current go over to the apron. The crosscurrent, as its name indicates, has an inclination of 17 degrees in the direction of the course, and 10 degrees to 7 degrees on the opposite side that has a shape of a funnel at the base that is rectangular of 0.29 x 2.00 meters; this gradient change produces the change in the course of the water, where the dentritic minerals such as the greater density gold, 19.2 in comparison to the other minerals, finer gravel, sand that has less density (2. to 2.6) always goes looking for the lowest part of the water current and materials. The dimension of the crosscurrent canal is of 1.90 meters in length by 0.60 meters in width.

Distributor: the distributor has the shape of a trapezium on the side 0.29 x 2.00 meters that meets with the crosscurrent. The distributor in the minor base has a compartment in the shape of a rectangular, where it changes the course of the water with the crosscurrent that enters with force and produces a whirlpool with the help of the mercury that captures the fine gold when it passes by the cell. The distributor widens at the larger base, it widens with a gradient of 3 degrees of inclination where the water and the load are shared, losing speed and going into canals of the recovery of fine gold.

Canals: the length of the canal has to be enough so as to disintegrate the gravel, sand and free the fine gold to concentrate it by mechanic processes in the riffles.

Riffles: these are traps placed on the bottom of the canals to catch the gold and they fulfil three different functions:

• They delay the movement of the minerals and provide an opportunity for the gold to settle.
• Form cells to retain the gold.
• Form certain whirlpools that classify the minerals that are in the spaces of the riffles. The space between riffle and riffles is of 1 inch, with an inclination of 7 degrees. The riffling needs to be free of sitting loads, no matter what is deposited in the riffles.