Improvements of a low-field, high-intensity matrix separator

A high-intensity magnetic separator, which employs a ferromagnetic wire matrix in a low magnetic field, has been described and analysed, previously. In this paper, the improvement in performance with the reduction in magnetic field is shown to be limited to the field HL. wherek (= M/2\mu_{o}H_{L})becomes equal to unity.Mbeing the magnetization of the matrix strands. However, it is shown that it is possible to obtain further improvements in performance, at magnetic fields lower than this limit, by the use of an hysteretic matrix. This involves first magnetizing the matrix in a high field before reducing the field to a low operating value, which may even be zero. The captured material is removed after the matrix is demagnetized.