Outotec (Finland) Oy

Outotec Oyj

Metso Outotec Finland Oy

Other

Outokumpu Oyj

Supaflo Technologies Pty. Ltd

Metso Finland Oy

Peter Gerard Bourke

Antti Rinne

David Taylor

Steve Schmidt

Rob Coleman

A flotation line for treating mineral ore particles suspended in slurry is disclosed. The flotation line includes a scavenger part and a scavenger cleaner part. The flotation line is characterized in that the scavenger part or the scavenger cleaner part includes a flotation cell with blast tubes for introducing slurry infeed into the flotation cell; or in that the scavenger part or the scavenger cleaner part is followed by a flotation cell with blast tubes for introducing slurry infeed into the flotation cell. Further, a use of the flotation line is presented, as well as a flotation plant including a flotation line according to the invention.

Flotation line

A flotation line for treating mineral ore particles suspended in slurry, including at least three flotation units arranged in fluid connection with each other for allowing gravity-driven slurry flow between flotation units, and a feed inlet for supplying slurry into a first flotation unit; wherein at least three flotation units are configured to be uniplanar, each flotation unit includes at least one flotation cell; and wherein the launder lip height of each uniplanar flotation unit is lower than the launder lip height of the preceding uniplanar flotation unit in the direction of the slurry flow, so that an angle of sloping between a first uniplanar flotation cell, equipped with a launder lip and being larger than 150 m, and a last uniplanar flotation cell, equipped with a launder lip and being larger than 40 m, is formed; and the angle is 1.5 to 10 degrees relative to horizontal.

Flotation line and a method

A flotation arrangement for treating mineral ore particles suspended in slurry. The arrangement includes a primary line including at least two primary flotation cells, a first secondary line, and a second secondary line downstream of the first secondary line. In the arrangement, underflow from a secondary line is arranged to flow to the last of the at least one primary flotation cells from which the primary overflow was received, or to a primary flotation cell downstream of the last of the at least one primary flotation cells from which the primary overflow was received. The disclosure further relates a use of a flotation arrangement, to a flotation plant and to a flotation method.

Flotation arrangement, its use, a plant and a method

A flotation method for recovering valuable metal containing ore particles from ore particles suspended in slurry is disclosed. In the method, the slurry is treated in an at least one overflow flotation cell and the valuable metal containing ore particles are recovered by conducting the continuous upwards flow of slurry out of the at least one overflow flotation cell as slurry overflow. At least part of the slurry overflow is conducted to a further treatment step in a treatment system.

Flotation method

A flotation arrangement for treating mineral ore particles suspended in slurry includes a primary flotation line with a rougher part including at least two rougher primary flotation cells and a scavenger part including at least two scavenger primary flotation cells, and a secondary flotation line including at least two secondary flotation cells. A first secondary flotation cell is arranged to receive primary overflow from the at least one rougher primary flotation cell, and a further secondary flotation cell to receive primary overflow from the at least one further rougher primary flotation cell. The further secondary flotation cell is arranged in fluid communication with a previous secondary flotation cell, and underflow from the first secondary flotation cell is arranged to flow into the further secondary flotation cell, or arranged to be combined with secondary underflow of the further secondary flotation cell.

Flotation arrangement

A flotation arrangement for treating mineral ore particles suspended in slurry includes a primary flotation line with a rougher part and a scavenger part. Overflow of at least one rougher primary flotation cell is arranged to flow directly into a rougher cleaner cell. Underflow from a first rougher cleaner flotation cell is combined into overflow from a rougher primary flotation cell downstream from the rougher primary flotation cell from which the first rougher cleaner flotation cell receives primary overflow; or into combined overflows from rougher primary flotation cells downstream from the rougher primary flotation cell from which the first rougher cleaner flotation cell receives primary overflow; or into overflow from an additional rougher cleaner cell which receives primary overflow from at least one rougher primary flotation cell downstream from the rougher primary flotation cell from which the first rougher cleaner flotation cell receives primary overflow.

Provided are a method and apparatus for treating a feed stream for a flotation device comprising a mechanical agitator in a tank, the feed stream comprising solid particles. The method comprises generating microbubbles in a diluation water stream, mixing the diluation water stream with the feed stream to facilitate attachment of the microbubbles to the solid particles in the feed stream and generate bubbles for attachment to microbubble-attached solid particles, and fluidly connecting the feed stream to the flotation device. The apparatus comprises a feed stream conduit fluidly connected to the flotation device, a diluation water stream conduit fluidly connected to the feed stream conduit for conveying the diluation water stream to the feed stream, and a microbubble generator connected to the diluation water stream conduit for generating microbubbles in the fluid stream.

Method and apparatus for treating a feed stream for a flotation device

In a froth flotation method and apparatus an upwardly open circular trough () having outlets () on the outer periphery of the trough is arranged horizontally above the froth phase (F) so that the trough is coaxial with the flotation vessel (), and said circular trough is rotated around its center axis. A stationary water pipe () is arranged above the trough (). Fresh water (W) is fed via the water pipe () into the trough () while the trough is rotating, and the water is let to flow by gravity and centrifugal force from the trough () via the outlets () into the froth phase (F).

Froth flotation method and an apparatus for extracting a valuable substance from a slurry

The invention provides an agitator () is disposed to agitate slurry within a flotation tank (). The agitator includes a rotor () mounted on one end of a centrally disposed drive shaft () extending axially downwardly into the tank and driven by a motor () and associated gearbox (not shown). The other end of the drive shaft includes a mounting flange () adapted for connection to the motor. A stator () is also provided around the rotor. A froth deflection cone () extends around the drive shaft adjacent the top of the tank. The deflection cone is oriented such that its smallest diameter is located at its lower-most end nearest the rotor (). An auxiliary agitator () is connected to the drive shaft at a position substantially midway between the underside of the deflection cone () and the top of the rotor (), as shown in FIG.and FIG.. The auxiliary agitator () includes agitation blades () extending radially outwardly from diametrically opposite sides of the shaft (). Each blade () intersects the shaft at an angle of incidence of around 45 degrees to the shaft axis ().

Auxiliary agitator for a flotation device

The invention provides a flotation device including a series of flotation tanks () for processing a slurry incorporating valuable minerals for extraction. At least one of the tanks includes a side outlet () adapted for the withdrawal of targeted relatively fine coarse particles from the slurry. The tanks also include a bottom outlet () for the withdrawal of relatively dense or coarse components of the slurry. The incorporation of bottom and side outlets allows the slurry to be separated into two parallel streams, one configured for optimal recovery of the relatively coarse or dense slurry components and the other for optimal recovery of the relatively fine slurry components. In this way, outflow slurry from downstream tanks in the coarse particle stream has a higher proportion of coarser particles than was present in the inflow slurry from the upstream tanks. Consequently, when a flotation reagent is added to the slurry in the downstream tanks, there is a greater probability of coating some of the larger particles. Therefore, the probability of floating these larger particles increases in the downstream tanks. This in turn increases the overall efficiency of the flotation process.

Separate size flotation device

The invention relates to a flotation machine which at least contains a flotation cell having a means for feeding slurry in the flotation cell, a means for feeding air into the slurry and producing froth, a means for removing froth from the flotation cell and a means for removing tailings from the flotation cell. According to the invention the flotation cell () is provided with at least one rotating froth removal device () immersed at least partly in the froth () and so shaped that one end of the froth removal device () is extendible over the launder () attached to the flotation cell () in order to recover the froth () from the flotation cell () using the centrifugal force generated by the froth removal device ().

Flotation machine

The invention relates to a rotor used in the flotation mechanism in the concentration of ores. According to the invention, upper part of the rotor chambers under the rotor cover are formed to be downward inclined from the outer edge of the chambers into the core so that they form an angle between 5 to 70 degrees with the horizontal plane. In addition the upper surface of the rotor cover can be inclined upwards raising from around the rotor shaft towards the outer edge at an angle between 5-70 degrees. With the means inside and above the rotor the slurry is directed upwards through the stator of the flotation mechanism. The developed rotor improves the suspension of coarse particles with high specific gravity within a flotation machine. The invention relates also to a method for inverting the material flow disharging from the rotor.

Rotor for flotation mechanism and method for directing material flow in flotation machine

A flotation device (1) which includes a tank (2) to contain a slurry (3) incorporating minerals which are to be extracted. Aeration of the slurry (3) by suitable structure in the device produces a zone (11) of mineralised froth above the slurry (3). A launder (15) directs the mineralised froth away from the tank (2). At least one porous diffusion surface (16) in direct contact with the froth dispenses a washing liquid directly into the froth zone (11).

Growing community of inventors

Perth, Australia

Peter Gerard Bourke