Mixing and dispersion strategies for the inline production of amine flotation reagents is explored for 2.54 cm and 5.08 cm process lines and flow rates comparable to current commercial production systems. Through video analysis of injection into a clear pipe, the dispersion effectiveness was visualized and quantified as a variability intensity, and compared for natural-stream turbulence, orifice-plate and structured static mixing elements. The results suggest that a single point of energy dissipation was more effective in dispersing the injected amine, with the orifice plates consistently yielding fully-dispersed reagent solutions. The results suggest that while a structured mixing device with 6 elements did improve dispersion relative to an empty pipe, more mixing elements or a smaller characteristic length (i.e. 2.54 cm mixer) would be better suited to this specific application.

A continuous spectroscopy-based monitoring approach of the amine reagent preparation prior to flotation processing was investigated. The process involved the neutralization of a long carbon chain amine, C16-C20, with hydrochloric acid. Current methods of monitoring the degree of neutralization, controlling the HCl addition, and monitoring the amine content were based on pH measurements, with out-of-line sample lab-validation carried out using titrationbased methods. Industry feedback indicated this method was prone to error and had resulted in challenges in process control. This work demonstrates a novel method of measuring both amine content and degree of neutralization using a mini-fluidic reactor and FT-NIR system equipped with a flow-through heated transmission cell. Analysis of the spectral response for wavenumbers in the range of 4,258-4,400 cm -1 yielded amine content and degree of neutralization measurements accurately to within ± 0.065 wt%, and ± 6.0% margin of errors, respectively. This led to monitoring intensification to increase KCl recoveries in flotation processing.

Fourier transform near-infrared spectroscopy is presented as a novel method for monitoring anti-caking reagent preparation and loading ratio on granular potash samples during loadout. Using commercial anti-caking agents and granular samples obtained from an operational loadout facility, amine weight percent in the anti-caking solution was determined between 0 and 7 wt% to an accuracy of ± 0.1 wt%, while the loading ratio was determined between 0 and 4.3 lb/ton to within an accuracy of 0.1 to 0.3 lb/ton, depending on the sample heterogeneity. These errors are comparable to current analysis techniques, with minimal sample preparation and an analysis time of seconds. FT-NIR is thus presented as a novel monitoring method for these applications within the potash processing industry