Feed material, typically from a ball mill discharge or cyclone underflow bleed, is fed as a slurry toward the centre of the bowl from above.
The feed slurry contacts the base plate of the vessel and, due to its rotation, is thrust outward.
During operation the lighter material flows upward over the grooves and heavy mineral particles (usually of economic value) become trapped within them.
Pressurized water is injected through a series of tangential water inlets along the perimeter of each groove to maintain a fluidized bed of particles in which heavy mineral particles can be efficiently concentrated.
The Knelson concentrator typically operates as a batch process, with lighter gangue material being continuously discharged via overflow and a heavy mineral concentrate periodically removed by flushing the bowl with water.