Flotation cell
AssigneeNewcastle Innovation Limited
InventorNoel William Alexander Lambert
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A flotation cell for separating hydrophobic particles from hydrophilic particles uses a mixer (1) with an air inlet (8) and slurry feed (7) to form a bubbly mixture in a u-tube mixer (4, 5, 6) and feed the mixture into a separation vessel (2). Plant cost and operating efficiencies are optimised by gravity feed of slurry and admitting air at atmospheric pressure. The separation vessel (2) has an upper inclined plate (9) which guides the froth layer (33) containing the hydrophobic particles to an overflow launder (11) without any significant turbulence or change in direction optimising the retention of hydrophobic particles in the froth, while the hydrophilic particles drop down in the liquid layer (34) guided along a lower inclined plate (24) to a tailings outlet (14).
Claims15
A flotation vessel of the type wherein mixed particles are separated into hydrophobic particles generally discharged from the vessel in a froth layer in the form of bubbles with attached particles, and hydrophilic particles generally discharged as tails, the vessel including a mixer arranged to mix gas with a feed slurry carrying the mixed particles and form a bubbly mixture, and a separation vessel arranged to allow the bubbly mixture to separate into a froth bearing the hydrophobic particles for discharge from the upper part of the vessel, and a liquid containing the hydrophilic particles for discharge from the lower part of the vessel as tails, the mixer and the separation vessel being arranged such that the bubbly mixture enters the separation vessel in a generally upward direction and the separation vessel is provided with an upwardly inclined surface above the point of entry of the bubbly mixture such that the bubbly mixture follows the underside of this surface separating into a froth layer at the top of the separation vessel and liquid in the lower part of the separation vessel, with the result that the bubbles with attached hydrophobic particles continue to move upwardly into the froth layer in the vessel without a significant change in direction of movement.
(canceled)
(canceled)
A flotation vessel of the type wherein mixed particles are separated into hydrophobic particles generally discharged from the vessel in a froth layer in the form of bubbles with attached particles, and hydrophilic particles generally discharged as tails, the vessel including a mixer arranged to mix air with a feed slurry carrying the mixed particles and form a bubbly mixture, the mixer including a first substantially upright conduit where the feed slurry is mixed with the air introduced at substantially atmospheric pressure to form a bubbly mixture moving downwardly through the first conduit, and a second upright or inclined conduit having its lower end in communication with the lower end of the first conduit, wherein the bubbly mixture moves upwardly in the second conduit, the upper end of the second conduit being lower than the upper end of the first conduit, and a separation vessel arranged to receive the bubbly mixture discharged from the second conduit to separate into a froth bearing the hydrophobic particles for discharge from the upper part of the vessel and tails containing the hydrophobic particles for discharge from the lower part of the vessel.
13-14. (canceled)
16-19. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.