Week 7 Flotation Circuits and Machines

3/25/2014
MinE 410 Mineral Processing II [3] Basic Flotation Circuit

• Commercially it’s a continuous process
Dr. Ishaq Ahmad
• Cells arrangend in a series called bank
Assistant Professor
• The froth column in first few cells kept high as the
Dept. of Mining Engineering
hydrophobic minerals are more and to collect those and to
University of Engineering and Technology, get more recovery
Peshawar • Pulp level is raised from cell to cell by increasing the tailings
Basic Flotaton Circuits weir height as flotation minerals are depleted
Flotation Machines • The last few cells contains low grade froths, as there are
less hydrophobic particles left, called scavenger cells
Spring Semester, 2014 • In the last scavenger cells, the weir height is almost near to
Week 7 the cell lip to get more recovery and to recovery all weakly
MinE 410 Mineral Processing II Dr.Ishaq
1
floating minerals MinE 410 Mineral Processing II Dr.Ishaq 2
Ahmad Ahmad
Bank of Flotation Cells

Froth depth
• Simple flotation is shown in fig
• This circuit is successful if the gangue is relatively
unfloatable
MinE 410 Mineral Processing II Dr.Ishaq MinE 410 Mineral Processing II Dr.Ishaq
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Ahmad Ahmad
Rougher-Scavenger-Cleaner (R-S-C) system

(R-S-C) system • The concentrate from the first few cells is diluted, which
becomes rougher concentrate
• Rougher concentrate is refloated in cleaner cells
• The weirs kept low and produce a deep froth and high
grade cocentrate is produced
• To obtain max recovery from scavenger cells, more air is
passed
• Tailings of cleaner usaully contains hydrophobic particles
are recirculate to roughers along with the scavengers
concentrate
• This circuit is useful if the gangue is floatable and is
difficult to separateMinE
minerals
410 Mineral Processing II Dr.Ishaq
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Ahmad Ahmad

Ahmad 1
3/25/2014
Flotation Machines
• To avoid above issue one or more recleaning
stages are added. E.g. recleaning circuit is • Many machines have been developed and
shown. discarded for the purpose
• Now a days two are important for designing a
flotation plant
– Pneumatic
– Mechanical
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Ahmad Ahmad
FLOTATION MACHINES
Air entered by turbulent Self aerated

pulp additional
(cascade cells)
• PNEUMATIC • MECHANICAL
OR
Air blown in or induced Supercharged (air is
introduced by an
external blower)
(the air must be dispersed aither by baffles or some form of
permeable base within the cell)
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Ahmad Ahmad
PNEUMATIC MACHINES
Cell-to-cell (machines
are separated by weirs • Give a low-grade concentrate.
between each impeller) • Less operating trouble
• Flotation Machines
• Larege amount of air is needed due to:
– create aeration and produce froth
Open flow (free- – Maintain the pulp in suspension and
flow) = Unstricted circulate it
flow • Therefore Pneumatic cells have been
little used
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Ahmad Ahmad

Ahmad 2
3/25/2014
Davcra Cell
• Tank is segmented by a vertical baffle.
• Air and feed are injected into the tank through a
PNEUMATIC cyclone type dispersion nozzle.
1. Segment (highly agitated region of tank) . For
dispersion of air and collection of particle by
bubbles.
2. Segment (quiescent region). For bubble-pulp
disengagement
Inactive or
quiescent region
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Ahmad Ahmad
Flotation Column [pneumatics]

• Davcra cell can be used for roughing or cleaning • Developed in 1960
applications. It has • Improved separation
- Lower operating costs performance on fine particles
- Reduced flour area • Low capital and operating cost
- Improved metallurgical performance
• Less plant space requirement
• Normally the length is 12 m high
• Dacera cell is not widely used .
and a radius of 3.5 m)
• In Zambia, it has replaced some mechanical
cleaner machines at copper mines (also in New • It can be of square shape but
Guinea). circular is more popular
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Ahmad Ahmad
Flotation Column
2 sections
1-Washing section. Feed Point
- Reduces contamination of the
concentrate. There is a downward
flow in all parts preventing flour of
feed in to the concentrate
2- Recovery section
Particles suspended in a descending
water phase. Floatable particles
adhere to the air buble and
transported to the washing section
above the feed point.
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Ahmad Ahmad

Ahmad 3
3/25/2014
• In Canada, for Molybdenum circuit :

– Square cross section . 91,5 cm x 46 cm
– In British Columbia : Cu-Mo separation
• Much more industrial use, primarly in Canada for
Mo. – In U.S.A : Chromite ore, fine coal.
• In the future , due to their froth washing
• It gives much better separations than cell-type capability (entrained fines removed), columns
machines, particularly when operating on fine may find increasing use for treating ores that
particles. need extensive fine grinding, followed by de-
sliming and multi-stage cleaning.
• Very much successful now a days and is being
used in many parts of the world
• Researches are working on column flotation of
flourite, manganese, Pt, Pd, Ti etc
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Ahmad Ahmad
Froth Separators
• Developed in the (ex.)USSR in 1961.

• Principle : Conditioned feed is discharged onto the
top of a froth bed,
– hydrophobic particles being retained,
– hydrophilic species pass through.
• Froth separators are particularly suited to the
separation of coarse particles (Typical feed size 75
µm – 2 mm )
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Ahmad Ahmad
MECHANICAL FLOTATION MACHINES

• Most widely used machines
• Capacity : 50 tph • Mechanically driven impeller agitates the
• Pulp density : 50 – 70 % solids slurry and disperses the incoming air into
small bubbles.
• Increasing flotation time reduces the recovery, but 1. Self operating : Air is introduced by the
increasing the grade of concentrate (reverse in positive suction of the impeller
mechanical machines) 2. Supercharged : Air is introduced by an
external blower.
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Ahmad Ahmad

Ahmad 4
3/25/2014
• Cell-to-cell : Weirs between each impeller

• Open flow (free flow) : Unrestricted flow of the slurry. Cell-to-cell Types
(Suited to high throughputs)
• In recent years, e.g., for base metal ores, larger capacity • Most well known is Denver Sub – A machines.
flotation cells are in use, because of reduction in capital
• Used widely in small plants and multi-stage cleaning
and operating costs.
circuits (cell size up to 14.2 m3)
• In the mid-1960 s : Flot cell were 5.7 m3 in volume.
• Pumping action of the impellers permitted the
• Now : 8.5 to 14.2 m3 are widely used.
transfer of pulp, without external pumps. The flow
• Denver Equipment –Largest cell : 36.1 m3
being aided by the suction action of the impeller.
Galigher : 42.5 m3
Wemco : 85 m3
Outokumpu Oy : 38 m3
Sala : 44 m3
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Ahmad Ahmad
• Impeller speed : 7-10 m/sec

• Stationary hood: prevents sanding up of the
impeller if the machine is shut down.
• 4 baffle vanes are attached to hood, extends
almost to the corners of the cell. These prevent
agitation and swirling of the pulp above the
impeller and producing a quiescent zone.
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Ahmad Ahmad
Supercharging Machines ( Air is blow into the pulp)
• Particles which are too heavy to flow over the tailings • Characterised by the absence of intermediate
weir are by-passed through Sand Relief Ports, which partitions and weirs between cells. The pulp is free
prevent the build-up of coarse material in the cell. to flow.
• Wemco Fagergren : Up to 85 m3, consists of rotor-
disperser assembly. • Advantages :
1. Larger tonnages can be handled
2. Flotation efficiency is high
3. Operation is simple
4. Operator attention is minimised
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Ahmad Ahmad

Ahmad 5
3/25/2014
• Pulp level is controlled by a single tailing weir at

the end of the trough.
• Most well known of the supercharged machine is
Galigher Agitair. Criteria in assessing cell performance
1. Metallurgical parformance, RX, Grade %
• Galigher Agitair machine 42.5 m3 volume.
Impeller is rotating in a stationary baffle system. 2. Capacity, in tonnes per unit volume
• Air is blown 175-1000 kg/m2 3. Power consumption, tonne
• Agitair machines produce large froths and 4. Economics, e.g., initial costs, operating and
suitable for handling ores of poor floatability maintenance cost
which require large froth columns.
5. Easy of operation
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Ahmad Ahmad
• Mechanical machines are better suited to difficult

Food for Reading
separations, particularly where fines are present.
The impellers tend to have a scouring effect which • Wemco Fagergren cell
removes slimes from particle surfaces.
• Wemco flotation cell
• Mechanism of particle-bubble attachment which • Outokumpu Machines
may be by coursing bubble contact between an
ascending bubble and falling particle is ideal in
Davcra cell and column machines, but not in
mechanical machines. Mechanical cells are ideal
mixers.
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Ahmad Ahmad
Electroflotation
• For very fine particles (-10 micron) • Bubble density can be controlled by current
• Generation of very fine bubbles not possible density
with mechanical means • Conventional bubbles size is 0.6 to 1 mm with
• Bubbles generated insitu by electrolysis considerable variations
• D.Current passed through the pulp with the • Main application is in sewerage plants
help of electrodes • Also used in floating solids in food industry.
• H and O bubbles are generated
• Bubble size is 10-60 micron
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Ahmad Ahmad

Ahmad 6

Week 7 Flotation Circuits and Machines

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3/25/2014

MinE 410 Mineral Processing II [3] Basic Flotation Circuit

Bank of Flotation Cells

Rougher-Scavenger-Cleaner (R-S-C) system

MinE 410 Mineral Processing II Dr.Ishaq

Air entered by turbulent Self aerated

MinE 410 Mineral Processing II Dr.Ishaq

Flotation Column [pneumatics]

MinE 410 Mineral Processing II Dr.Ishaq

• In Canada, for Molybdenum circuit :

• Developed in the (ex.)USSR in 1961.

MECHANICAL FLOTATION MACHINES

MinE 410 Mineral Processing II Dr.Ishaq

• Cell-to-cell : Weirs between each impeller

• Impeller speed : 7-10 m/sec

Supercharging Machines ( Air is blow into the pulp)

MinE 410 Mineral Processing II Dr.Ishaq

• Pulp level is controlled by a single tailing weir at

• Mechanical machines are better suited to difficult

MinE 410 Mineral Processing II Dr.Ishaq

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