The inter-and intra-particle porosity of heaps have two distinct length scales (of order millimetres between the particles versus 10s of microns within the particles) and therefore the dominant flow mechanisms within and around the particles are quite different. This paper investigates the effect of particle porosity on heap hydrodynamics by comparing the behaviour of a model system consisting of non-porous glass beads with a system of actual ore particles. The overall liquid holdup behaviour of these two systems initially appears quite different. However, when the effect of the liquid holdup around the particles is separated from that within the particles, the same theoretical flow model can be applied to both the model and real ore systems. This demonstrates that correlating the liquid flow to the overall liquid holdup is problematic and that the effect of the inter- and intra-particle liquid holdup should be considered separately.
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