• From Feeder to Sluice: How a Tiny Built‑In Classifier Gives You More Gold with Less Work
  • • Why the set‑up works – step by step (plain English)
    • Bottom line

From Feeder to Sluice: How a Tiny Built‑In Classifier Gives You More Gold with Less Work

A small feeder feeds ore slurry into an internal classifier that separates heavy particles right away, then pours the cleaned slurry through pipes to sluices – a simple, low‑cost method that miners call the Best Available Technique (BAT).

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Why the set‑up works – step by step (plain English)

1. Feeder spreads the ore‑water mix evenly
   The ore is crushed or excavated, mixed with water, and poured onto a short feeder.
   Why it helps: Even spreading means no big clumps of rock sit on top of each other. Every grain gets the same chance to move down the line, so heavier gold can settle out without being blocked.

2. In‑built classification inside the feeder
   What “classification” means: Sorting particles by how fast they sink or are carried away.

   • Inside the feeder there are a few sloping plates or low‑angle “steps.”
   • As the slurry slides over these plates, the heavier gold‑bearing particles fall into a small trough, while the lighter waste stays in the water and keeps flowing forward.
   • This happens automatically – no screens, no extra machines – just gravity and geometry doing the sorting.

3. The slurry is now ready and gets pushed through pipes
   After the built‑in classifier, the water‑rich slurry that still contains fine gold particles is collected and poured through pipes to the sluice area.

   • Because the classifier has already removed most of the big waste, the slurry that reaches the sluices is lighter, cleaner, and easier to separate.
   • Pipes let the material travel a short distance without extra handling, keeping the flow steady.

4. Slime‑rich slurry meets the sluice bars
   The slurry enters a shallow sluice channel that is lined with a series of bars or plates.

   • The bars catch the heavier, gold‑laden particles that still haven’t settled completely and drop them into a collection trough.
   • The lighter waste continues downstream, eventually leaving the system as tailings.

5. Why this whole chain is called the Best Available Technique (BAT)
   BAT = the most efficient, cheapest, and most environmentally friendly method that is widely accepted.

   • No chemicals – only water and gravity are used.
   • Low energy – a gravitation moves the slurry; no heavy grinding or heating.
   • Higher gold recovery – by removing big waste early, the sluice can focus on fine gold, so more gold ends up in the concentrate.
   • Small footprint & low impact – the whole system can be built from simple steel or rubber parts, making it ideal for small‑scale or artisanal mines.

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Bottom line

A feeder that feeds ore slurry into an in‑built classifier creates a clean, evenly‑sized slurry. That slurry is then piped to sluices where the remaining heavy particles are caught by bars. Because the heavy gold is separated early and the waste is kept moving, the whole process recovers more gold, costs less, and hurts the environment far less – which is exactly why miners call it the Best Available Technique.