A countercurrent flotation column and its feeding structure

Abstract

The present invention discloses a countercurrent flotation column and its feeding structure, aiming to improve the sorting efficiency and unit processing capacity of the flotation column. The countercurrent flotation column feeding structure comprises a stator, which is arranged in the upper part of the flotation column body; an air-filled chamber, which is arranged at the bottom of the flotation column body, and the air-filled chamber is provided with a slurry feeding pipe and an air-filled pipe, and the air-filled chamber is connected to the bottom of the stator through a lifting pipe; a centrifugal impeller, which is arranged in the stator, and the side wall of the stator is evenly distributed with slurry discharge holes around the centrifugal impeller; a driving mechanism, which is arranged on the flotation column body, and is used to drive the centrifugal impeller to rotate relative to the stator; after the slurry enters the stator through the lifting pipe, the slurry changes its flow direction under the action of the centrifugal impeller and is discharged from the slurry discharge holes of the stator into the flotation column body.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of mineral processing, and in particular relates to a countercurrent flotation column and a feeding structure thereof. Background Art

[0002] There are two types of feeding devices for existing countercurrent flotation columns: one is to set up a pulp feeding pool at a certain height above the flotation column to feed the pulp, and the other is to use a pump to directly feed the pulp into the column body and use a certain feeding pressure to disperse the pulp in the body. Both of the above feeding methods cannot achieve the ideal mineralization effect. The main problems are:

[0003] 1. The feeding pressure is limited, the slurry cannot be sent far away, and there are many slurry flows falling rapidly near the feeder. The formed slurry flow may pass through the foam layer and be discharged directly from the tailings, which is similar to the "short circuit" phenomenon of the flotation machine;

[0004] 2. The foam around the flotation column has fewer opportunities to collide with the feed, and the utilization rate of foam mineralization is low, especially when the concentrate yield is high, which affects the foam's carrying capacity for floating minerals;

[0005] 3. Although the slurry flow has the opportunity to be mineralized during the descent process, the coarse particles of the mineralized foam are very easy to fall off during the floating process due to the impact of the downward flowing slurry. This is also the main reason for the low recovery rate of the coarse particles in the countercurrent flotation column. Summary of the invention

[0006] The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a countercurrent flotation column and a feeding structure thereof, aiming to strengthen the mineralization of the feed, improve the separation efficiency of the flotation column and the unit processing capacity of the pulp.

[0007] To this end, the present application provides, on one hand, a countercurrent flotation column feeding structure, comprising:

[0008] A countercurrent flotation column feeding structure, characterized by comprising:

[0009] A stator is arranged in the upper part of the flotation column body;

[0010] An aeration chamber is arranged at the bottom of the flotation column body, the aeration chamber is provided with a slurry feeding pipe and an aeration pipe, and the aeration chamber is connected to the bottom of the stator through a lifting pipe;

[0011] A centrifugal impeller is arranged in the stator, and pulp discharge holes are evenly distributed on the side wall of the stator around the periphery of the centrifugal impeller;

[0012] A driving mechanism, disposed on the flotation column body, for driving the centrifugal impeller to rotate relative to the stator;

[0013] Under the action of the centrifugal impeller, the slurry changes its flow direction and is uniformly discharged from the slurry discharge holes into the flotation column body.

[0014] Specifically, the lifting pipe is vertically arranged in the flotation column body.

[0015] Specifically, the inflation chamber is arranged outside the bottom of the flotation column body.

[0016] Specifically, the inflation tube is aligned with the lifting tube.

[0017] Specifically, the slurry feeding pipe is connected to the slurry feeding pool.

[0018] Specifically, a turbulator is provided in the riser.

[0019] Specifically, the turbulator includes a plurality of turbulators alternately arranged on the inner walls of both sides of the riser.

[0020] A countercurrent flotation column adopts the countercurrent flotation column feeding structure. The top of the flotation column body is provided with a concentrate outlet, the bottom is provided with a tailings outlet, and a bubble generator is also provided in the lower part.

[0021] Specifically, the countercurrent flotation column also includes:

[0022] The lifting agitator comprises a stirring tank body and a lifting impeller arranged in the stirring tank body, wherein the stirring tank body is provided with a slurry inlet and a slurry outlet;

[0023] A liquid level detection device, disposed on the flotation column body, for sensing the liquid level in the flotation column body;

[0024] A controller, used to receive a feedback signal from the liquid level detection device and control the rotation speed of the lifting impeller according to the received feedback signal;

[0025] A slurry discharge pipe, one end of which is connected to the tailings outlet at the bottom of the flotation column, and the other end of which is connected to the slurry inlet;

[0026] The ore slurry entering from the slurry discharge pipe is lifted to a set height by the lifting impeller and then discharged from the slurry outlet.

[0027] Specifically, the stirring tank body is provided with a reagent addition port, and the slurry outlet is connected to the slurry feeding pipe of the flotation column body located downstream, so that the stirring tank body directly serves as the slurry feeding pool of the flotation column body downstream.

[0028] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0029] Compared with the existing slurry feeding pool, the slurry has a smaller fluid density than the incoming slurry due to the mixing of air. It can lift the slurry to a position higher than the inlet liquid level similar to an air lifting device, and can replace auxiliary pumping equipment, facilitate production operations and save energy.

[0030] Compared with the existing slurry feeding pool, the solid, liquid and gas three-phase flow fluid is mineralized twice through the riser and the stirring device, so that the slurry flow entering the column has a good mineralization effect and the ore dressing recovery rate is improved.

[0031] In addition, due to the decompression effect of the centrifugal impeller and the fixed stator on the slurry, as well as the good separation effect on the slurry, a relatively stable slurry layer and foam layer are produced at a lower stirring intensity. When the slurry is mineralized at the upper part of the flotation column, the bubbles rising from the bottom of the column can facilitate the timely discharge of the mineralized foam, which is conducive to improving the recovery rate of the floating minerals, especially the recovery of coarse particles. It can greatly improve the separation efficiency of the flotation column and the slurry processing capacity per unit volume of the flotation column. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0033] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a countercurrent flotation column provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of another countercurrent flotation column provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Among them: 1. stator; 2. inflation chamber; 3. centrifugal impeller; 4. driving mechanism; 5. flotation column body; 6. slurry feeding pipe; 7. inflation pipe; 8. lifting pipe; 9. concentrate outlet; 10. turbulator; 11. tailings outlet; 12. bubble generator; 13. control valve; 14. liquid level detection device; 1401, ultrasonic liquid level sensor; 1402, float; 15. controller; 16, slurry discharge pipe; 17. stirring tank body; 18. stirring shaft; 19. lifting impeller; 20. motor; 21. slurry feeding tank. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0037] See also Figure 1 A countercurrent flotation column feeding structure includes a stator 1, an air charging chamber 2, a centrifugal impeller 3 and a driving mechanism 4. The stator 1 is fixedly arranged in the upper part of the flotation column body 5 and is opened at the top. The air charging chamber 2 is arranged at the bottom of the flotation column body 5. A slurry feeding pipe 6 and an air charging pipe 7 are arranged on the air charging chamber 2. The air charging chamber 2 is connected to the bottom of the stator 1 through a lifting pipe 8. The centrifugal impeller 3 is arranged in the upper opening of the stator 1. The side wall of the stator 1 is evenly distributed with slurry discharge holes around the centrifugal impeller 3. The driving mechanism 4 is arranged on the flotation column body 5 to drive the centrifugal impeller 3 to rotate relative to the stator 1.

[0038] In this embodiment, an air-filling chamber 2 is provided at the bottom of the flotation column body 5, and an agitator composed of a centrifugal impeller 3 and a stator 1 is provided at the top. The air-filling chamber 2 and the stator 1 arranged above and below are connected by a lifting pipe 8. The slurry of the slurry feeding pipe 6 enters from the bottom of the flotation column body 5, is mixed with gas in the air-filling chamber 2, and the solid-liquid-gas three-phase flows through the lifting pipe 8 and enters the stator 1. When the slurry rises to the top of the flotation column body 5, mineralization occurs under the action of the agitator composed of the centrifugal impeller 3 and the stator 1, and at the same time, the fluid kinetic energy generated by the rising of the slurry is eliminated, and the flow direction of the slurry is changed, so that the slurry is ejected from the slurry discharge hole of the stator 1 in the radial direction of the flotation column and is evenly dispersed in the flotation column.

[0039] Compared with the existing slurry feeding pool, the slurry has a smaller fluid density than the incoming slurry due to the mixing of air. It can lift the slurry to a position higher than the inlet liquid level similar to an air lifting device, and can replace auxiliary pumping equipment, facilitate production operations and save energy.

[0040] In addition, due to the decompression effect of the centrifugal impeller 3 and the stator 4 on the slurry, the slurry has a good mineral separation effect. Under a lower stirring intensity, a relatively stable slurry layer and foam layer are generated. When the concentrate outlet 9 of the slurry is installed on the upper part of the flotation column body 5, it is convenient to discharge the mineralized foam in time. These are all conducive to improving the recovery rate of the floating minerals, especially the recovery of the coarse particle size, and can greatly improve the sorting efficiency of the flotation column body 5 and the unit processing capacity of the slurry.

[0041] In some possible implementation schemes, a turbulator 10 may be further provided in the riser 8. Due to the effect of the turbulator 10 in the riser 8, the fluid in the riser 8 continuously changes its flow direction to form turbulence, thereby causing initial mineralization of the slurry and improving the flotation efficiency.

[0042] In this embodiment, the turbulator 10 includes a plurality of turbulent plates staggered on the inner walls of both sides of the riser 8. Due to the effect of the guide plates in the tube, the flow direction of the fluid is continuously changed to form turbulence, thereby producing a certain mineralization effect. Of course, the turbulator 10 can also adopt other structures that can cause the fluid to generate turbulence, which will not be described in detail here.

[0043] It can be understood that in order to further improve the lifting effect and reduce the lifting resistance, the lifting pipe 8 adopts a straight pipe and is vertically arranged in the flotation column body 5. One end of the lifting pipe 8 is connected to the top of the inflation chamber 2, and the other end is connected to the bottom of the stator 1, and the inflation pipe 7 is directly aligned with the lifting pipe 8.

[0044] In actual design, in order to facilitate the installation and connection of the lifting pipe 8, the inflation pipe 7 and the slurry feeding pipe 6, the inflation chamber 2 is arranged outside the bottom of the flotation column body 5.

[0045] In some possible implementation schemes, the slurry feeding pipe 6 is connected to the slurry feeding pool 21, and the slurry feeding pool 21 is set at a certain height for feeding. Compared with the original slurry feeding pool 21 feeding, the installation height requirement of the slurry feeding pool 21 can be effectively reduced. Of course, for those skilled in the art, the slurry feeding pipe 6 can also be directly connected to the feeding pump, and the slurry can be directly fed by pumping, and the slurry can be dispersed in the main body by using a certain feeding pressure, which can reduce the feeding pressure requirement compared with the original pump feeding.

[0046] See also Figure 1 A countercurrent flotation column adopts the above countercurrent flotation column feeding structure, a concentrate outlet 9 is provided at the top of the flotation column body 5, a tailings outlet 11 is provided at the bottom, and a bubble generator 12 is also provided in the lower part.

[0047] In this embodiment, the function of the centrifugal impeller 3 is to stir the ore pulp and gas coming from the outside, and evenly disperse the sheared and mineralized ore pulp into the flotation column body 5. A bubble generator 12 is arranged at the lower part of the flotation column body 5. The rising bubbles continuously collide with the sinking ore pulp, capture the floating minerals in the ore pulp, and the foam rises to the upper part to support the rapid discharge of the upper foam; the non-floating ore pulp passes through the floating foam and is discharged from the bottom of the flotation column body 5. The feeding and mineralization of the ore pulp are arranged at the upper part of the flotation column body 5, which is convenient for the timely discharge of the mineralized foam, which is conducive to improving the recovery rate of the floating minerals, especially the recovery of the coarse particle size.

[0048] In practical applications, in order to ensure uniformity of gas distribution, multiple bubble generators 12 can be evenly arranged along the outer contour line of the cross section of the flotation column body 5, and the bubble generator 12 can be a microporous bubble generator 12 or an air gun foamer. The driving mechanism 4 includes a driving motor and a gear transmission mechanism connected to the main shaft of the driving motor and the stirring shaft. Of course, the transmission mechanism between the driving motor and the stirring shaft can also be a belt drive or a chain drive mechanism.

[0049] See also Figure 1 In some possible implementation schemes, the inner bottom end surface of the flotation column body 5 is an inclined surface, and the tailings outlet 11 is arranged at the lowest end of the inclined surface. Such a design method can effectively discharge the tailings. As for the cross-sectional shape of the flotation column body 5, it can be designed to be circular, square or other shapes.

[0050] See also Figure 1 It can be understood that a control valve 13 is provided on the tailings outlet 11, and a liquid level detection device 14 for measuring the liquid level position in the flotation column 5 is provided on the flotation column body 5, and both the liquid level detection device 14 and the control valve 13 are controlled by a controller 15 of the flotation device.

[0051] Among them, the controller 15 can adopt a PLC controller, and the liquid level detection device 14 is composed of an ultrasonic liquid level sensor 1401 and a float 1402. Of course, the liquid level detection device 14 can also adopt other types of liquid level detection devices. The slurry suction port at the bottom of the centrifugal impeller 3 is aligned with the top opening of the stator 1, and the gap between the two can be controlled to be as small as possible.

[0052] See also Figure 1 In this embodiment, the liquid level in the flotation column body 5 can be flexibly adjusted by controlling the opening angle of the control valve 13. When the liquid level in the flotation column body 5 rises, the liquid level detection device 14 feeds back a signal to the controller 15, and the controller 15 sends a control instruction to the control valve 13 to increase the opening of the control valve 13, increase the discharge amount at the bottom of the flotation column body 5, increase the amount of ore pulp discharged from the flotation column body 5, and the amount of ore pulp fed into the flotation column body 5. The slurry level in the flotation column body 5 will drop; similarly, when the slurry level in the flotation column body 5 drops, the liquid level detection device 14 feeds back a signal to the controller 15, and the controller 15 sends a control instruction to the control valve 13 to reduce the opening of the control valve 13, reduce the discharge amount at the bottom of the flotation column body 5, and drop the liquid level, thereby achieving the purpose of liquid level stability.

[0053] See also Figure 2In another possible implementation, the countercurrent flotation column can also adopt a liquid level control system with the following structure, which also includes a lifting agitator, a liquid level detection device 14, a controller 15 and a slurry discharge pipe 16. The lifting agitator includes a stirring tank body 17 and a stirring shaft 18 vertically arranged in the stirring tank body 17. The bottom end of the stirring shaft 18 is provided with a lifting impeller 19. The stirring tank body 17 is provided with a motor 20 for driving the stirring shaft 18 to rotate. The motor 20 and the liquid level detection device 14 are electrically connected to the controller 15. The flotation column body 5 is connected, a slurry inlet and a slurry outlet are provided on the stirring tank body 17, a liquid level detection device 14 is arranged on the flotation column body 5 for sensing the liquid level in the flotation column body 5, a controller 15 is used to receive a feedback signal from the liquid level detection device 14, and control the rotation speed of the lifting impeller 19 according to the received feedback signal, one end of the slurry discharge pipe 16 is connected to the slurry discharge port at the bottom of the flotation column body 5, and the other end is connected to the slurry inlet, the slurry entering from the slurry discharge pipe 16 is lifted to a set height under the action of the lifting impeller 191 and then discharged from the slurry outlet.

[0054] The flotation machine liquid level control system of this embodiment makes full use of the pulp potential energy of the upstream flotation column 5 and can lift the pulp to a certain height with relatively low energy consumption to meet the feeding requirements of the downstream flotation column 5 configured at the same level. It has the advantages of simple structure and convenient operation.

[0055] In some possible implementation schemes, a reagent adding port (not shown in the figure) is further provided on the stirring tank body 17, and the slurry outlet of the stirring tank body 17 is connected to the slurry feeding pipe 6 of the flotation column body 5 located downstream, so that the stirring tank body 17 directly serves as the slurry feeding pool 21 of the flotation column body 5 downstream. In this embodiment, a reagent adding port is provided on the stirring tank body 17, and after the flotation reagent is added from the reagent adding port, the flotation reagent and the slurry are evenly mixed by utilizing the energy dissipation of the slurry lifting impeller 19, without the need for additional reagent stirring equipment.

[0056] In addition, this embodiment realizes the functions of liquid level control, slurry lifting and reagent stirring by using a lifting agitator in conjunction with a liquid level detection device 14 and a controller 15. Compared with the traditional valve + stirring tank 17 and sand pump structure, the equipment configuration is simplified, the equipment investment cost is reduced, and there is no problem of frequent replacement of easily worn parts such as valves and sand pumps.

[0057] See also Figure 2It can be understood that, in actual application, the slurry inlet is arranged at the middle of the bottom end of the stirring tank body 17, the slurry suction port of the lifting impeller 19 is connected with the slurry inlet, the lifting impeller 19 includes an upper and lower disc and a spiral rib arranged between the upper and lower discs, and the lifting impeller 19 is fixed at the lower part of the stirring shaft 18. When the stirring tank body 17 is working, the rotation of the stirring shaft 18 drives the lifting impeller 19 to rotate, and the slurry between the upper and lower discs of the lifting impeller 19 is thrown out due to the action of centrifugal force. The slurry is replenished in the lifting impeller 19 through the slurry discharge pipe 16 and the slurry inlet, thereby entering the stirring tank body 17, and is continuously pushed upward, and finally enters the downstream flotation column 5 from the slurry outlet of the stirring tank body 17.

[0058] The above embodiments are merely examples for clearly illustrating the present invention, and are not intended to limit the implementation methods. For those skilled in the art, other different forms of changes or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is not necessary and impossible to list all the embodiments here. The obvious changes or modifications derived therefrom are still within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A countercurrent flotation column feeding structure, characterized in that: include: A stator (1) is arranged in the upper part of a flotation column body (5); An aeration chamber (2) is arranged outside the bottom of the flotation column body (5), the aeration chamber (2) is provided with a slurry feeding pipe (6) and an aeration pipe (7), and the aeration chamber (2) is connected to the bottom of the stator (1) via a lifting pipe (8); A centrifugal impeller (3) is arranged in the stator (1); A driving mechanism (4) is arranged on the flotation column body (5) and is used to drive the centrifugal impeller (3) to rotate relative to the stator (1); The side wall of the stator (1) is evenly distributed with slurry discharge holes around the periphery of the centrifugal impeller (3); under the action of the centrifugal impeller (3), the slurry changes its flow direction and is radially and evenly discharged from the slurry discharge holes into the flotation column body (5); The lifting pipe (8) is vertically arranged in the flotation column body (5); the lifting pipe (8) is a straight pipe; The inflation tube (7) is aligned with the lifting tube (8).

2. The countercurrent flotation column feeding structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The slurry feeding pipe (6) is in communication with the slurry feeding pool (21).

3. The countercurrent flotation column feeding structure according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that: A turbulator (10) is provided inside the riser (8).

4. The countercurrent flotation column feeding structure according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The turbulator (10) comprises a plurality of turbulators which are arranged alternately on the inner walls of both sides of the riser (8).

5. A countercurrent flotation column, characterized in that: The countercurrent flotation column feeding structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is adopted, wherein the top of the flotation column body (5) is provided with a concentrate outlet (9), the bottom is provided with a tailings outlet (11), and a bubble generator (12) is also provided in the lower part.

6. The countercurrent flotation column according to claim 5, characterized in that: Also includes: The lifting agitator comprises a stirring tank body (17) and a lifting impeller (19) arranged in the stirring tank body (17), wherein the stirring tank body (17) is provided with a slurry inlet and a slurry outlet; A liquid level detection device (14), arranged on the flotation column body (5), for sensing the liquid level in the flotation column body (5); A controller (15) for receiving a feedback signal from the liquid level detection device (14) and controlling the rotation speed of the lifting impeller (19) according to the received feedback signal; A slurry discharge pipe (16), one end of which is in communication with the tailings outlet (11) at the bottom of the flotation column body (5), and the other end of which is in communication with the slurry inlet; The ore slurry entering from the slurry discharge pipe (16) is lifted to a set height under the action of the lifting impeller (19) and then discharged from the slurry outlet.

7. The countercurrent flotation column according to claim 6, characterized in that: The slurry discharge pipe (16) is provided with a reagent addition port, and the slurry discharge port is connected to the slurry feeding pipe (6) of the flotation column body (5) located downstream, so that the stirring tank body (17) directly serves as the slurry feeding pool (21) of the flotation column body (5) downstream.

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