Exploring the Relationships between Gas Dispersion Parameters and Differential Pressure Fluctuations in a Column Flotation

Abstract

Flotation separation, which is the most important mineral beneficiation technique, is dependent on gas dispersion (hydrodynamic conditions). Thus, many investigations have focused on the precise determination of hydrodynamic conditions such as Reynolds number of the bubbles, bubble velocity, and bubble diameter. However, few studies have examined their relationships with pressure fluctuations in a column flotation. This study introduced the differential pressure fluctuations as an actual variable that could be considered to determine the collection zone’s hydrodynamic conditions in a cyclonic microbubble flotation column. In general, the outcomes indicated that superficial gas velocity had the most substantial relationship with the differential pressure fluctuations among other flotation factors (such as pump speed, superficial gas velocity, superficial water velocity, and frother dosage). Furthermore, a high coefficient of determination ( R 2 > 0.77) for the equation generated to assess the relationships demonstrated that differential pressure fluctuations could be used as a promising tool to determine the hydrodynamic parameters’ characteristics in the flotation columns.

Study on Dispersion and Mixing Mechanism of Coal Slime Particles in Jet Mixing Flow Field

“…This process provides good initial conditions for subsequent flotation operations [1][2][3]. Jet flow field is widely used in the field of multiphase fluid mixing, which has a good dispersion and mixing effect on reagents and bubbles [4][5][6][7][8][9]. In a jet mixing flow field, the air is repeatedly sucked in and dispersed to form microbubbles, and the reagents adhere to the surface of the bubble liquid film, resulting in a strong coupling effect [10][11][12].…”