Gas recirculation in mineral flotation
AssigneeOutotec (Finland) Oy
InventorJukka Lakanen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An arrangement for recirculation of flotation gas in a mineral flotation process wherein the flotation gas volume fluctuations are handled by a closed pressure equalization loop including an apparatus for storing gas and adsorbing changes of gas pressure; a flushing line for connecting the pressure side of the primary gas recirculation loop to the apparatus for storing gas and adsorbing changes of gas pressure for allowing expulsion of a fraction of the flotation gas from the primary gas recirculation loop; and a suction line for connecting the suction side of the primary gas recirculation loop to the apparatus for storing gas and adsorbing changes of gas pressure, whereby the suction line comprises a pressure reducer for restricting flotation gas flow through the suction line.
Claims31
An arrangement for recirculation of flotation gas in a mineral flotation process, comprising:
- a primary gas recirculation loop comprising:
- in a pressure side of the primary gas recirculation loop a gas feed manifold for providing recirculating flotation gas into a flotation cell unit,
- a gas pressurizer for pressurising recirculating flotation gas flow at said gas feed manifold,
- in a suction side of the primary gas recirculation loop a gas suction manifold for collecting flotation gas from a gas collection space(s) of a mineral flotation arrangement comprising the flotation cell unit, and transferring the collected flotation gas to the gas pressurizer;
- wherein the arrangement further comprises:
- a closed pressure equalization loop comprising:
- an apparatus for storing gas and adsorbing changes of gas pressure,
- a flushing line for connecting the pressure side of the primary gas recirculation loop to the apparatus for storing gas and adsorbing changes of gas pressure for allowing expulsion of a portion of the volume of the recirculating flotation gas from the primary gas recirculation loop, and
- a suction line for connecting the suction side of the primary gas recirculation loop to the apparatus for storing gas and adsorbing changes of gas pressure, either directly or via the flushing line, for allowing flotation gas, present in the apparatus for storing gas and adsorbing changes of gas pressure and/or in the flushing line, to be withdrawn into the suction side of the primary gas recirculation loop through the suction line,
- wherein the suction line comprises first pressure reducer for at least one of restricting flotation gas flow through the suction line thereby maintaining and providing gauge vacuum to the suction side of the primary gas recirculation loop.
A method for recycling flotation gas in a mineral flotation process, comprising:
- supplying flotation gas from a primary gas recirculation loop to one or more flotation cell units;
- collecting flotation gas from the gas collection space(s) of a mineral flotation arrangement comprising the flotation cell unit(s) and recirculating the collected flotation gas back to the flotation cell unit(s) via the primary gas recirculation loop comprising a gas pressurizer;
- the method comprising:
- allowing a portion of the volume of the recirculating flotation gas to be bled from pressure side of the primary gas recirculation loop via a flushing line to a closed pressure equalization loop comprising an apparatus for storing gas and adsorbing changes of gas pressure, in particular a gas buffer tank;
- maintaining the pressure of the closed pressure equalization loop at a predetermined gauge pressure level by utilizing the apparatus for storing gas and adsorbing changes of gas pressure;
- allowing flotation gas to be withdrawn from the closed pressure equalization loop into the suction side of the primary gas recirculation loop via a suction line comprising pressure reducing means for restricting gas flow through the suction line and preventing back flow of the flotation gas from the suction side of the primary gas recirculation loop, thereby providing gauge vacuum to the suction side of the primary gas recirculation loop and the flotation cell unit(s);
- and
- optionally providing at least one of process gas into the primary gas recirculation loop and to the closed pressure equalization loop.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.