Ultrasonic flotation
is useful for fine low-rank coal purification;
however, the efficiency of ultrasonic flotation still needs to be
improved. Because the dynamic behavior of flotation bubbles has significant
effects on their flotation efficiency, it was investigated under different
gas input conditions with and without ultrasound using the volume
of fluid method and h-speed imaging. The results indicated that the
gas input method can influence the final kinetic behavior of the flotation
bubbles by changing the morphology of the initial bubble. With an
increase in the size and aspect ratio of the bubble, the bubble deformation
and velocity increased, and the range of motion of the bubble increased
and then decreased. Meanwhile, the size of the bubble increased with
an increase in the thickness of the vibrating plate of the ultrasonic
transducer owing to the aggregation of the bubbles under the influence
of ultrasound.