Eddy current separation

Fig. EC.12 - Eddy current separator

Eddy current separators are indispensible in any metal scrap processing facility as well as in several other
waste treatment facilities (Fig. EC.12). Their main objective is to concentrate non-ferrous metals from a
mixture, but they are used as well for the separation of non-ferrous metals in several types. Foucault (1819-
1868) discovered the existence of eddy currents or Foucault currents by moving a copper disc in a strong
magnetic field. His experiment showed that a force was needed to move a copper disc through a magnetic
field, and that a current was induced in the copper disc, which resulted in a temperature rise of the disc. In
general, one can say that when a conducting object is passing across a changing magnetic field, eddy currents
will arise in the object, generating a magnetic field that opposes the field applied.

Edison (1847-1931), who wanted to apply this technique to the separation of gold from beach sands in
California, patented the first practical application of eddy current separation. Although the idea was
ingenious, even with modern technology it is impossible to move these gold particles smaller than 0.1mm
with the proposed design.

The first industrial eddy current separators, introduced in 1970, were based on electro-dynamic magnetic
fields, either by single coils or linear motor technology. The development of rare earth magnets from 1978
onwards has been so successful that eddy current separators now offered by the various manufacturers are all
based on permanent - rare earth - magnets. Therefore only eddy current separators based on permanent
magnets will be described in the following section.
EC.2.1. Working principle

N S
S N

mild steel

Fig. EC.13 - Magnet arrangement with alternating polarity

To induce a force in a conductive metal particle, the magnetic field must change either by the movement of a
particle or by the movement of magnets with respect to the particle. Assuming one has a magnet arrangement
as in Fig. EC.13, a north pole on the top face of a magnet followed by a south pole on the top face of a
magnet, a north pole, south pole, and so on, continuing these alternating poles for a long line of magnets, we
have a design for an eddy current separator. If all these magnets are fixed on a belt as in Fig. EC.13 (a side
view), with a drive to move the system, we have a design for a magnetic train. If we were to place a train
with an aluminium base on rails very close to the magnets, the train would start moving in the direction of
the moving magnets. In theory the train could reach a speed close to that of the magnets.

The reason for this movement is that the eddy currents in the aluminium base oppose the applied magnetic
field from the permanent magnets on the belt. Not only will the train be moved, but it will also be lifted by
the same forces, eliminating the tribo between the rail and the train. A design for an eddy current train based
on an electro-dynamic design is given in Fig. EC.14.

Rail
Aluminum

N S N S N S N S N S N S N S N S N
S N S N S N S N S N S N S N S N S

Alternating
magnets

Fig. EC.14 – An eddy current or “magnetic” train

Entering a moving field of permanent magnets, a metal will be accelerated by the magnetic field and,
depending on the strength of the magnets and the conductivity of the particle, will even be lifted. In extreme
cases, a particle will almost be shot away on entering a very fast-moving alternating magnetic field. Eddy
currents will be generated inside the metal as long as it is in this field. It undergoes a force caused by the
eddy currents inside the metal that generates a magnetic field that is opposed to the field of the source.

The change of flux (dH/dt) induces eddy currents in the particles. The resulting force is perpendicular to the
flux and direction of current. The direction is the same for the negative as well as the positive change of flux.
The magnitude of the resulting force depends on several variables that are summarised in Eq. 4.2.1:
1 σ B
2

F = M S   Qv [4.2.1]
2 ρ z
They can be subdivided into material variables;
M = mass [kg]
σ = electrical conductivity [1/Ωm]
ρ = density [kg/m3]
S = shape factor

and machine variables;

B = magnet intensity [Tesla]
z = distance to the magnets [m]
Q = quality factor
v = velocity of the particles relative to the magnets [m/s]
ad 1. Material variables
A larger particle undergoes a larger force, but for a well classified feed the particle mass of a given
metal is more or less constant. Shape is of strong influence. Flat particles, especially discs, have a
very favourable shape, while wires react very poor and compact, cubic fragments intermediate. The
combination of electrical conductivity and density as σ/ρ is proportional to F and hence defines the
separability of metals (Table EC.1).

ad 2. Machine variables
F increases when stronger magnets are used. Some values: B=0.35 for BaFe, 0.85 for SmCo and 1.10
for NdFe magnets. F can be increased by speeding up the magnets relative to the particles (v).

Table EC.1- Sensitivity for eddy currents for selected metals and materials

Metal/Material σ/ρ 103. M2/Ω.kg

conductivity/density
Aluminium 14.0
Magnesium 12.9
Copper 6.7
Silver 6.0
Zinc and Zamak 2.4
Gold 2.1
Brass 1.8
Tin 1.2
Lead 0.45
Stainless steel 0.18
Glass 0.00
Plastics 0.00
σ = electrical conductivity x106Ω-1m-1
ρ = density x103 kg/m3

The particles P1 and P2 in Fig. EC.15 have different trajectories because they have different rates of
acceleration in the magnetic field. This variation is caused by the difference in conductivity of the metals
used for the experiment, or more precisely, the conductivity divided by the density. In Table EC.1, the ratio
of conductivity, σ, and density, ρ, is given, and tells us that, at low frequencies of a changing magnetic field,
the acceleration of an aluminium particle will be twice as much as that of a copper particle having the same
dimensions. It is also clear from Table EC.1 that poor conductors, such as lead and stainless steel, will
respond with a slow acceleration to a changing magnetic field, whereas non-conductors, such as glass and
plastics, will not acquire any acceleration from the magnetic field. At high frequencies of the magnetic field
the acceleration of particles will be dominated by their density.

type 1 type 2

p2
p1 p1
p2

configuration A configuration B
N S N S
N S
S N S N
Fig. EC.15 - Rotating magnetic fields in an eddy current separator
In addition to σ/ρ of the particles, acceleration in an alternating magnetic field is influenced by the size of the
magnets, the frequency of the magnetic field as well as by the size and shape of the particle (Fig. EC.16). On
the vertical axis is shown the acceleration on a particle in arbitrary units, while the size of the poles and of a
particle are shown on the horizontal axis. The graph indicates that if we have an aluminium or any other
metal particle much smaller than a north pole, the acceleration will be almost zero, which by coincidence is
the reason that Edison's separator for gold particles smaller then 100µm failed.

Al: 14.000
a2

a 1, a 4
Cu: 7.000

a3
Zn: 2.400

1 2

N S N S N S
S N S N S N

Fig. EC.16 - Influence of conductivity and shape on the acceleration line

By increasing the size of the aluminium particle, acceleration will also increase until the particle has the
same diameter as the length of a pole pair. For larger particles, acceleration will be constant; i.e.,
independent of the particle size. This condition is important for metal separation.

In Fig. EC.16 the same relation is shown for copper and zinc. If particles P1 and P2 were copper, half the
pole pair and a pole pair width, the acceleration on P1 is half P2. It can also be seen that if P1 is an
aluminium particle and P2 is a copper particle, the acceleration of the two particles is the same, which tells
us that separation is not possible if these particles have the same shape. Shape also has an influence on the
acceleration of a metal particle, which means that separation of one metal from another metal is determined
not only by the size range of the metal particle but also by its shape.

EC.2.3. Eddy Current design

Fig. EC.17 - Eddy Current Separator (ECS) with concentric rotating magnets. Magnet assembly with
alternating polarity

Today almost exclusively horizontal roll eddy current separators with permanent magnets are used. (Fig.
EC.17). A magnetic drum is rotated by a separate engine inside the hollow belt drum. This design combines
high capacity with efficiency and robustness. When designed properly it is unsensitive for disturbance by
fine magnetics in the feed, which are carried away from the field by the conveyor, which for this purpose is
often equipped with a small riffle perpendicular to the direction of the belt. Rotation speed is typically 2000
– 3000 rpm and belt speed typically 1.5 – 3 m/s. Theoretically this type could also concentrate ferrous metals
in the same pass by adding a third compartment (weak magnetic, at the left of Fig. EC.17) but this is
seldomly practised for efficiency reasons. Separation of ferrous metals is more efficient and cost effective
with a magnetic separator and too much ferrous present in the feed could disturbe the eddy current
separation.

The design of the magnetic roll of an eddy current must be much stronger as that of a magnetic separator as
described in Section 4.1.3.3. The design of the magnetic separator is simpler because the very thick and thus
heavy magnets will rotate only at about 60 rpm, instead of the 1500 to 4000 rpm typical for eddy current
separators. This means that the forces on the magnets on the drum in a magnetic separator are about 0.6
times the force of gravity, whereas for an eddy current separator, the forces on the magnets are about 1500
times the force of gravity. Although it is possible to do magnetic separation on an eddy current, cost-wise
this is not attractive (an eddy current costs much more than a magnetic separator) and besides higher field
strengths are possible for optimised magnetic separators. Due to the absence of a hollow drum the magnets in
a magnetic separator can be much closer to the material compared to an eddy current separator.

Industrial eddy current separators can be divided in two designs, (Fig. EC.15), type 1 and type 2, each with
two magnet configurations A and B, which all have their advantages and disadvantages in a separation plant.
An overview of some producers and patent holders is shown in Table EC.2.

The Steinert design has the advantage that weak and strong magnetic materials will travel with the magnetic
drum until the point where the distance between the inside drum and the belt increases. Furthermore,
material falling on the inside of the belt will not stick to the supporting drum of the conveyer belt, because
the magnetic field is only partially present (Fig. EC.15, type 2). If magnetic material drops on the inside of
the belt or is pulled over the side of the feeding belt to the supporting drum, it cannot leave the field of the
magnetic drum. The swiftly rotating inner magnetic drum will make the magnetic particles rotate on the
circumference of the supporting drum where the feeding belt is not present, and the rotating magnetic
particles will drill holes through the support drum. If a large magnetic particle succeeds in drilling through
the support drum rotating at a speed of 60 rpm it will reach the magnets rotating at 3000 rpm, in the gap
between the magnet surface and the supporting drum of 2-4mm. The damage and ensuing repair costs will be
considerable.

Table EC.2- Magnet configuration and patent holders

type magnet-configurations
Steinert 2* A
Lindemann 1+2 A
Eriez 1** A
Huron Valley 1 A or B***
Andrin 1 A
Bakker Magnetics 1 A
LeNoir 1 A
Newell industries 1 A
Rutherford Light Metals 1 B
* Patent Steinert, ** Patent Eriez ceramic exterior, *** Patent Huron Valley

The position of the splitter plates (Fig. EC.17) strongly determines the composition and grade and recovery
of the different metals. Optimisation of existing eddy current separators is ongoing because the magnetic
materials are still improving and the magnetic field can be enhanced with mathematical modelling to
increase the acceleration of the metal particles. In this way smaller and less conductive particles can be
concentrated and more accurately the different metal types can be separated.

EC.2.4. Applications

Eddy current separation can be applied on mixtures containing conductive metals when:
• Particle size of the metals to be concentrated are larger than about 10 mm.
• The metals are sufficiently liberated.
• Prior sizing, ferrous removal using a magnetic separator with a stronger magnetic force as the eddy
current magnets and optionally prior fluff removal using sifters is applied.

Very efficient separations can be made between binary mixtures of conductors and non-conducors, but for
complex mixtures in a single stage only a compromise between grade and recovery can only be obtained.
Wire shaped metal (copper, aluminium , SS) cannot be concentrated due to their unfavourable shape. Shape
separation and / or automatic sorting should be used instead. Table EC.1 can be used for the evaluation of
separability between different metals. It should be mentioned that the value for aluminium is based on the
conductivity of pure metal. In general the conductivity of aluminium alloys is lower. σ/ρ for aluminium is
than very close to the value for pure copper, making such mixtures difficult to separate. Applications of eddy
current separation are given below:

• Cast aluminium from the non-ferrous fraction of car scrap

• Aluminium cans from domestic waste
• Non-ferrous metal recovery from incinerator bottom ash
• Lead and copper from ground cable
• Non-ferrous metals from E-waste
• Turnings
• Residue mixtures from selective melting processes