Improving separation efficiency of galena flotation using the Aerated Jet Flotation Cell
Si Li 1
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School of Minerals Processing & Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, No. 932 Lushan south Road, Hunan 410083, China
 
 
Publication date: 2020-04-06
 
 
Corresponding author
Si Li   

School of Minerals Processing & Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, No. 932 Lushan south Road, Hunan 410083, China
 
 
Physicochem. Probl. Miner. Process. 2020;56(3):513-527
 
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ABSTRACT
The low separation efficiency of traditional mechanical flotation cells for galena flotation primarily was caused by the low collision probability between bubbles and fine particles and high detachment probability of coarse particles. A flotation device named Aerated Jet Flotation Cell (AJFC) was adopted to improve the separation efficiency of galena flotation. Reducing bubble size and optimizing turbulence distribution were respectively confirmed as effective ways to improve fine galena-bubble collision efficiency and decrease detachment probability of coarse galena. In AJFC, micro-bubbles in diameter of 0.1-0.3 mm were generated by forcing compressed air to pass through porous high-density polyethylene tube, and high shear rate and appropriate turbulence were provided by installing a sparger with holes at the end of downcomer. The key parameters, including sparger hole number, turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), air-slurry ratio and superficial gas velocity (Jg) were optimized to achieve a desired separation performance of galena flotation. Separation efficiency of 62.54 % at a residence time of 2.25 min was achieved by AJFC, while separation efficiency of 59.12 % at a residence time of 7.5 min was achieved by mechanical flotation cell. Besides, AJFC had less loss of Pb in tailings than mechanical flotation cell in the whole particle size range, especially for fine (-25 μm) and coarse (+74 μm) size fractions.
eISSN:2084-4735
ISSN:1643-1049
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