The sluice work in gold recovery

The sluice work in gold recovery may be one of most important stages. Nobody wish to loose gold. If there is production every day, few grams of lost gold may not mean nothing. Yet if the gold is lost over and over again for many days, weeks and months, the loss gold is of considerable value and care must be taken to retain it.

• Technical Analysis of Sluice Setup Factors in Gold Recovery
  This is a technical and scientifically reasoned expansion of the major factors in a sluice setup, based on your guidance and aligned with best practices in gravity separation for small- to medium-scale gold recovery. This analysis integrates fluid dynamics, particle behavior, and engineering principles to explain why each factor is critical to optimal gold retention and overall sluice efficiency. A sluice box is a gravity-based concentration device used to separate gold from alluvial or placer material by exploiting differences in specific gravity (density) between gold (~19.3 g/cm³) and gangue minerals (typically 2.5–3.0 g/cm³). The effectiveness of a sluice depends not on a single variable but on the interdependent optimization of multiple physical and operational parameters. Improper configuration can result in gold loss, especially fine or flour gold, due to inadequate settling, turbulence, or washout.
• Sluice almost finished
  One can see here two sluice inserts that fit into each other. We put great stress that any well known and researched parts of the sluice are applied and that turbulences are avoided and that several multiple gold recovery methods are used to bring about the best gold concentrate one can find.
• Finalization of sluices
  Sluices need to be bent and prepared to fit one into each other. Each sluice has its entry, its exit, its first entrance dimension where inner width is important and its exit width where the outer width is important to be measured and properly applied. Only carefuylly measured sluices may fit one into each other. We always start with the basic chequered alluminum sheets and then apply several methods for gold recovery of every possible particle size and shape. Majority of materials, in its low quality…
• Sluice bending in Geita, Tanzania
  The workshop in Geita, Tanzania is open air workshop, with person that is enough skilled to listen to our dimensions and to bend sluices on an improvized metal brake or metal bending device. As all sluice inserts need to fit one into each other, this is not an easy task to do. Skilled technicians can understand the requirement and simply make it happen.
• Miners shoveling sand into the sluice
  Miners are shoveling the sand into the sluice for fine gold recovery.
• Spray bars are washing quickly the soil
  Soil is washed on these spray bars and it is giving quite good output of about 4-5 tonnes per hour. Fine gold can be captured with this water flow. Sluices are wide enough and water flow is not disturbing the recovery.
• The work on the sluice
  There was some work on the sluice primarily for the purpose to collect a lot of black sand for later work, yet fine gold particles and fine mercury particles were there as well. Mercury will be collected for proper disposal and is not used in gold recovery.
• One shovel is finished within seconds, about 40-50 kilograms is washed in one minute
  Just about 40-50 kilogram is washed within a minute, one person is enough to feed this sluice. That alone makes 4-5 tonnes per hour. Sluice may collect fine gold particles, mercury for disposal purposes, and larger nuggets.
• Using candle, plyers and nail to make the simplest spray bars
  Simplest spray bars are easily constructed on the spot by using the candle, matchboxes, pliers and the nail. Nail is heated and used to pierce the plastic pipes. We are using enough holes for about 60% of the water to come out, which makes nice shower. I guess we shall put few more holes for some 70% - 75% of the water supply.
• The turbulence on the sluice
  Water turbulences on the sluice are not wished and wanted. Such turbulences shall be lessened by adjustments of the spray bars. Fine gold does not like being pushed with sudden bursts of water.
• The vortex matting is being washed to dissolve any water tension
  Various particles on the vortex matting may create the tension so that water cannot enter the small wells or dimples. That includes the black sand and fine gold particles, they may run over the matting without being captured. Washing it with the environmentally friendly dish soap breaks the tensions and helps the fine gold to settle nicely.
• Miner working with hydro-nozzle in Uganda
  The hydro-nozzle is used here to suck the sand into the pipe and then straight into the sluice. Miner is getting used to it.
• Miners working with hydro-nozzle
  The hydro-nozzle is used here to wash the sand on the river beach for the test of the sluice and water supply.
• The hydro-nozzle setup
  This was the simple and improvized hydro-nozzle setup on the sand beach of the river Okame. The hydro-nozzle was first time utilized in this location. People were curious to see that new mzungu technology.
• The pump is working surprisingly well
  The Chinese WD or WX-20 pump, whatever, is re-branded pump and sold by many various different companies. It is working surprisingly well. And is giving more water than enough for our purposes.
• The setup of the pump for the dredge test on river Okame in Uganda
  The pump was set up as on this picture for the dredge test on the river okame. The hydro-nozzle was tested and is able to pick up a lot of sand. It requires a strong pump of 2 inch and on almost the full speed.
• The hydro-nozzle in action in Uganda
  The hydro-nozzle is being tested on the sand beach in Uganda. Fine gold and fine mercury was found in the beach. Too many people were there over few last years washing both gold and mercury particles. River is thus polluted.
• Preparation of the bottom part of the sluice
  The bottom part of the sluice is being prepared for testing stage.
• Wooden sawhorses, the HDPE pipe and timber on the site
  The wooden goats, the HDPE pipe and timber is ready on the site to be used for processing of the tailing.
• Wooden goats for various applications
  Wooden goats may be used for various applications, such as improvized desks, even beds, work benches, and the sluice setup for recovery of the gold.
• The vortex matting on the sluice
  The vortex matting is on the sluice. One piece on the left side looks like incorrectly cut, we could say so. Yet the sides will be covered and pushed down by pieces of wood, and that is not essential.
• Cutting and preparing the vortex matting for the sluice
  We are cutting and preparing the vortex matting for the sluice. With some lack of proper tools and within this environment we did it pretty well. Cutting is not as easy.