Influence of Inclined Plates in the Froth Zone on the Flotation Performance of a Flotation Column

ABSTRACT

In this study, the influence of installing a set of inclined plates within the froth zone (IFC) on flotation performance of a flotation column (FC) was investigated. The inclined plates were tilted from the center of the column to the periphery. For a comparison, a conventional FC was tested in parallel. It was found that the recovery of fine slimes particles obtained with the IFC decreased by 3.16% compared with the FC. Furthermore, the clean coal ash of the IFC was lower than that of the FC, while the flotation efficiency index of the IFC was significantly higher than that of the FC under the suitable aeration flow. Both the recovery of fine slime particles and clean coal ash reduced since the arrangement of the inclined plates in the froth zone enhanced the drainage behavior of the froth layer, and reduced the water entrainment of the fine slime particles. A FC within the built-in inclined plates in the froth zone presented advantages in reducing the entrainment of fine slime particles, thereby upgrading the concentrate grade.

KEYWORDS:

• flotation column
• inclined plates
• froth zone
• slimes
• entrainment

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to express their thanks to Dr. Liu Bo, Bu Xiangning, Zhang Tuantuan, and He Wenzhen for their contributions to this work.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation [grant number 2017M621879]; the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) [grant number 51474213], [grant number 51704289]; and a Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions.