1

Single-Phase Flow Fields in a Flotation

Cell
Yihong Yang1, Roe-Hoan Yoon2 and Demetri P. Telionis1
1 Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics
2Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering
Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
Blacksburg, VA 24061 USA

Asa Weber and Don Foreman

FLS Minerals
2850 South Decker Lake Drive
Salt Lake City, Utah 84119-2300 USA

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2
Three Cells with different sizes
Pilot Cell
6 m3

Lab Cell
0.1 m3

Commercial Cell
160 m3

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3

The Flow Pattern

• With no stator, jet

points up
• Stator redirects flow

Numerical Streamlines on the Central Vertical Plane

Without stator (left) With Stator (right)
Re=88,000

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Numerical Streamlines on a Horizontal Plane (y/D=0.135)

Without stator (left) With Stator (right)

•Without stator, large

circumferential component
•Stator redirects flow radially

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5

Turbulent Kinetic Energy

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6 Five-Hole Probe

Tangential 5.0 kg/s

4.0 kg/s
4.5 3.0 kg/s
4
3.5

velocity (m/s)
3
2.5
2
1.5
1

Overflow 0.5
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75
radius (mm)

Slurry Feed
Axial
5.0 kg/s
1.5
4.0 kg/s
3.0 kg/s
1

velocity (m/s)
0.5

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75

-0.5

-1
radius (mm)

Underflow

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7

100
80
60
40
20
y (mm)

0
-20 0 0.5 1 1.5 2

-40
-60
-80
-100

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u (m/s)
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8
Measurement in Commercial Cell

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Coordinate System

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Velocity Profiles on Different Levels (Single-Phase)

0.6
0.5
0.4 y/D=0.167
U/Utip

y/D=0.152
0.3
y/D=0.137
0.2 y/D=0.122
0.1
0
-0.03 -0.02 -0.01 0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04
z/D

Velocity Profiles on Different Levels

Velocity (Single-Phase)

0.25

0.2

0.15
y/D

0.1

0.05

0
-0.2 -0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6
U/Utip

Jet Velocity Profiles

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Pressure distribution on the stator blades

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Measurement in Pilot Cell 6 m3

Sketch of rotor-stator assembly (updated)

Rotor rotating direction: clockwise (overhead view)
Length normalized using Di (Di=490 mm)
Velocity normalized using Utip (Utip=3.3 m/s)
Rotor speed: 128RPM, Re=1.2×105

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Traversing system, Probe and rotor-stator assembly

(Red arrow indicates the rotating direction)

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Top view, rotor rotates clockwise

Traverse along the green line (x is constant)
The green line is from blade-blade middle to blade-blade middle.

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15

A/Di=0.195
1.2
pilot cell
1 commercial cell

0.8
y/Di

0.6

0.4
0.2
0
-0.2 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8
u/utip
Comparison of Velocity Profiles on a vertical line (x/Di= 0.967, z/Di=-0.0714)
Pilot Cell (Re=1.2×105) and Commercial Cell (Re=3.3×106)

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1
0.9
0.8
0.7
z/Di=-0.0714
0.6
z/Di=-0.1122
y/Di

0.5
z/Di=-0.1530
0.4
z/Di=-0.1940
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7
u/Utip

Jet profile for different z (different vertical lines)

Blade is located at z/Di=0

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17 0.7
0.6
Normalized Velocity 0.5
0.4
Comparison of Velocity Components on
Components
u/utip
0.3
v/utip different horizontal lines
0.2
w/utip (y/D=0.727, x/D=0.967, 1.116, 1.216)
0.1
0
Circumferential and axial motions are
-0.25 -0.2 -0.15 -0.1 -0.05
more pronounced further away
-0.1 0
from impeller.
-0.2
z/Di

0.25

0.2
Normalized Velocity

0.15
Components

u/utip
0.1 v/utip
w/utip
0.05

0
-0.25 -0.2 -0.15 -0.1 -0.05 0
-0.05
z/Di

0.16
0.14
Normalized Velocity

0.12
Components

0.1 u/utip
0.08 v/utip
0.06 w/utip
0.04
0.02
0

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-0.2 0 -0.15 -0.1 -0.05
18

A/Di=0.155 (rotor was moved down)

0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
y/Di

0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8
u/Utip

Velocity profile on vertical line (x/Di= 0.967, z/Di=-0.0510)

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Effect of clearances
1  Jet profile for different z
0.9
0.8 (different vertical lines)
0.7
0.6
z/Di=-0.0714  Clearance: 0.195 and 0.155
z/Di=-0.1122
y/Di

0.5
z/Di=-0.1530
 When the tank runs with
0.4
0.3
z/Di=-0.1940 smaller clearance (0.155),
0.2 the maximum jet velocity
0.1
0
is 15% higher.
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7
u/Utip

1
0.9
0.8
0.7
z/D i=-0.0510
0.6
z/D i=-0.1020
y/D i

0.5
z/D i=-0.1530
0.4
z/D i=-0.2040
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
-0.1 0.1 0.3 0.5 0.7
u/U tip

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0.7
0.6
0.5
u/Utip

0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
-0.25 -0.2 -0.15 -0.1 -0.05 0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25
z/Di

Velocity profile on horizontal line (x/Di=0.967, y/Di=0.7550)

Blade located at z/Di=0, where no valid velocity was detected
Strong jet occurs on the windward side, while separation occurs on the leeward side.

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0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
z/Di=-0.0510
0.5 z/Di=-0.1020
y/Di

0.4 z/Di=-0.1530
z/Di=-0.2040
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8
u/Utip

Jet profile for different z (different vertical lines)

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0.7
0.6
y/Di=0.8061
0.5 y/Di=0.7551
y/Di=0.7040
u/Utip

0.4
y/Di=0.6530
0.3 y/Di=0.6020
0.2 y/Di=0.5510
y/Di=0.4489
0.1
0
-0.3 -0.2 -0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0.3
z/Di

Comparison of jet profiles for different y/Di (different horizontal lines)

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0.7 0.7
0.6 0.6
Normalized velocity

Normalized velocity
0.5 0.5
0.4 0.4
components

components
u/Utip u/Utip
0.3 0.3
v/Utip v/Utip
0.2 0.2
w/Utip w/Utip
0.1 0.1
0 0
-0.3 -0.2 -0.1 -0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 -0.3 -0.2 -0.1 -0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0.3
-0.2 -0.2
z/Di z/Di

y/Di=0.8061 y/Di=0.7551

0.7 0.7
0.6 0.6

Normalized velocity
Normalized velocity

0.5 0.5
0.4

components
0.4
components

u/Utip u/Utip
0.3 0.3
v/Utip v/Utip
0.2 0.2
w/Utip w/Utip
0.1 0.1
0 0
-0.3 -0.2 -0.1 -0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 -0.3 -0.2 -0.1 -0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0.3
-0.2 -0.2
z/Di z/Di

y/Di=0.7040 y/Di=0.6530

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0.7 0.7
0.6 0.6
Normalized velocity

Normalized velocity
0.5 0.5
0.4 0.4
components

components
u/Utip u/Utip
0.3 0.3
v/Utip v/Utip
0.2 0.2
w/Utip w/Utip
0.1 0.1
0 0
-0.3 -0.2 -0.1 -0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 -0.3 -0.2 -0.1 -0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0.3
-0.2 -0.2
z/Di z/Di

y/Di=0.6020 y/Di=0.5510

Comparison of velocity components for different y/Di (different horizontal lines).

In the jet region, the v and w components are negligible, which means fluid comes out radially and
horizontally.
For lower positions, u component is not dominant, which means the flow is three-dimensional.

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25

 Jet also escapes from the gap between rotor and stator.
 u/Utip=0.06, v/Utip=0.14, w/Utip=0.115
 This jet induces circulating motion above the impeller
 The jet may affect the upper toroidal zone.

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26
Comparison with CFD

0.25
pilot cell
0.2 commercial cell

0.15
y/D

0.1

0.05

0
-0.2 -0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7
u/utip

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27

Conclusions

 Approximately the lower 60% of the height of the stator

contains very slow flow, and mostly in the inward radial
direction.
 About 50% or more of the space between stator blades is
immersed in a separated region. This extends further out in the
radial direction.
 The flow in this region is very slow. But it is filled with large
and small eddies, which in multi-phase flow may be
contributing to bubble break-up, and promote bubble-particle
collisions.

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