Mineralization device and flotation apparatus

Abstract

Provided are a mineralization device (10) and a flotation apparatus. The mineralization device (10) comprises: a mineralization tank (1) and a rotor assembly (2). The mineralization tank (1) is internally provided with a mechanical stirring cavity (13); the bottom of the mineralization tank (1) is provided with a slurry inlet (11) used for supplying mineral slurry into the mechanical stirring cavity (13); the top of the mineralization tank (1) is provided with a slurry outlet (12) used for discharging mechanically stirred mineral slurry; in the longitudinal section of the mineralization tank (1), the peripheral wall of the mineralization tank (1) comprises a plurality of line segments (14) connected in sequence, and the inclination angles of adjacent line segments (14) are different from each other; the rotor assembly (2) comprises a rotating shaft (21) and a rotor (22); the lower end of the rotating shaft (21) extends into the mechanical stirring cavity (13); and the rotor (22) is located in the mechanical stirring cavity (13) and is mounted at the lower end of the rotating shaft (21) so as to be driven by the rotating shaft (21) to rotate so as to perform mechanical stirring in the mechanical stirring cavity (13). The mineralization device (10) allows a strong turbulent flow field to be formed in the mechanical stirring cavity (13), thereby reducing weak mineralization regions and improving the mineralization effect.

Description

Mineralization equipment and flotation equipment

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This disclosure claims priority to the following Chinese patent applications: 2024116361075, filed November 15, 2024; 2024116361130, filed November 15, 2024; 2024116361183, filed November 15, 2024; 2024116361338, filed November 15, 2024; 2024227979109, filed November 15, 2024; 2024228040390, filed November 15, 2024; and 202422... Priority to Chinese patent applications No. 7979522, filed on November 15, 2024; priority to Chinese patent applications No. 2024227973102, filed on November 15, 2024; priority to Chinese patent applications No. 2024227978820, filed on November 15, 2024; priority to Chinese patent applications No. 202422797958X, filed on November 15, 2024; priority to Chinese patent applications No. 2024228040935, filed on November 15, 2024; and priority to Chinese patent applications No. 2024227973009, filed on November 15, 2024; the entire contents of the above-mentioned Chinese patent applications are hereby incorporated by reference in this disclosure. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates to the field of flotation technology, and more specifically to a mineralization apparatus and flotation equipment. Background Technology

[0004] Flotation is a widely used mineral processing method. When flotation is carried out using flotation equipment, the slurry is fed into the flotation cell and mechanically stirred or aerated to mineralize it. After mineralization, the target particles selectively attach to the bubbles to form mineralized bubbles. The mineralized bubbles float to the surface, while other particles that do not attach to the bubbles are discharged from the bottom of the flotation cell with the slurry, thereby achieving the purpose of separating minerals.

[0005] In related technologies, flotation equipment includes a mechanical stirring chamber where slurry and air are introduced from the outside, and mineralization occurs under mechanical stirring. However, the mechanical stirring chamber in these technologies suffers from problems such as poor mineralization effect and a tendency for localized wear to worsen.

[0006] Public content

[0007] This disclosure aims to at least partially address one of the technical problems in the related art.

[0008] Embodiments of this disclosure provide a mineralization apparatus.

[0009] Embodiments of this disclosure also provide a flotation apparatus.

[0010] The mineralization apparatus of this disclosure includes: a mineralization tank having a mechanical stirring chamber, an inlet for supplying slurry into the mechanical stirring chamber at the bottom of the mineralization tank, and an outlet for discharging the mechanically stirred slurry at the top of the mineralization tank; in the longitudinal section of the mineralization tank, the peripheral wall of the mineralization tank includes a plurality of sequentially connected line segments, and the inclination angles of adjacent line segments are different from each other; and a rotor assembly including a rotating shaft and a rotor, the lower end of the rotating shaft extending into the mechanical stirring chamber, and the rotor located in the mechanical stirring chamber and installed at the lower end of the rotating shaft to be driven to rotate by the rotating shaft to perform mechanical stirring in the mechanical stirring chamber.

[0011] Another embodiment of the flotation apparatus of this disclosure includes: a mineralization device, wherein the mineralization device is any one of the mineralization devices described in the embodiments of this disclosure; a tank, wherein the mineralization device is disposed in the tank; and a driving device, wherein the driving device is disposed above the tank and connected to the rotating shaft of the mineralization device to drive the rotating shaft to rotate.

[0012] Another embodiment of the flotation equipment disclosed herein includes: a mechanical stirring device, the mechanical stirring device including a first tank and a mineralization device, the mineralization device being the same as any one of the embodiments of this disclosure, the mineralization device further including a bubble scraping component, the first tank having a mechanical stirring area and a first foam area, the first foam area being located above the mechanical stirring area, the mineralization tank being located in the mechanical stirring area, and the bubble scraping component being located in the first foam area; a column separation device, the column separation device including a second tank and an aeration device, the second tank being located outside the first tank, the second tank having a column separation area and a second foam area, the second foam area being located above the column separation area, the aeration device being connected to the column separation area and used to inject gas into the column separation area to perform column separation on the slurry entering the column separation area; a first connecting pipe, the first connecting pipe being connected to the mechanical stirring area and the column separation area, used to transport mineral particles in the mechanical stirring area that have not been attached to bubbles to the column separation area to the column separation area; and a second connecting pipe, the second connecting pipe being connected to the first foam area and the second foam area, used to transport mineralized foam in the second foam area to the first foam area. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a flotation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a flotation apparatus according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a flotation apparatus according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 4 is a schematic longitudinal section of a mineralization apparatus according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0017] Figure 5 is a perspective view of a mineralization apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 6 is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of a mineralization apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the rotor of the mineralization apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 8 is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of the rotor of the mineralization apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the rotor of a mineralization apparatus according to another embodiment of this disclosure.

[0022] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the turbulence enhancement plate of the mineralization device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 11 is a top view of the flotation tank and the froth scraping assembly of an embodiment of the flotation apparatus of this disclosure.

[0024] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the connection between the rotor and the first rake frame of the mineralization device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the mineralization tank of a mineralization apparatus according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of the mineralization tank of a mineralization apparatus according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of a flotation apparatus according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of a flotation apparatus according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of the mineralization cell and rotor of a flotation apparatus according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of a flotation apparatus according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of a flotation apparatus according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of the mechanical stirring device of a flotation apparatus according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] Reference numerals: 1. Mineralization tank; 11. Slurry inlet; 12. Slurry outlet; 13. Mechanical stirring chamber; 14. Line segment; 15. Turbulence reinforcement plate; 151. Second perforated hole; 16. Drainage plate; 171. First baffle plate; 172. Second baffle plate; 181. Cylinder; 182. Tank bottom; 2. Rotor assembly; 21. Shaft; 211. Air supply channel; 22. Rotor; 221. Hub; 222. Disc; 2220. First air jet channel; 2230. Second air jet channel; 223. Blade; 2231. Upper blade; 2232. Lower blade; 2233. First perforated hole; 2234. Vertical section; 2235. Arc-shaped section; 224. Top plate; 225. Bottom plate; 31. Cover plate; 311. Flow hole; 32. Feed pipe; 33. Feed box; 34. Anti-settling assembly; 341. First rake frame; 342. Anti-settling spray gun; 35. Drive device; 36. Pre-mineralization device; 37. Turbulence suppression grid; 371. Upper turbulence suppression grid; 38. Flow guiding assembly; 381. Flow guiding pipe; 39. Second rake frame; 4. Tank; 41. Lower area; 42. Upper area; 421. Transport separation zone; 422. Foam zone; 43. Connecting area; 44. Discharge port; 45. Conical section; 5. Aeration device; 51. Aeration spray gun; 511. First spray gun; 512. Second spray gun; 513. Third spray gun; 6. Foam scraping assembly; 61. Scraper; 7. First tank; 711. Mechanical mixing zone; 712. First foam zone; 8. Second tank; 81. Column separation area; 82. Second foam zone; 91. First connecting pipe; 92. Second connecting pipe; 93. First auger shaft; 94. Buffer tank; 95. Stirring device; 10. Mineralization device; 20. Mechanical stirring device; 30. Column separation device. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The embodiments of this disclosure are described in detail below, with examples of the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain this disclosure, and should not be construed as limiting this disclosure. In the description of this disclosure, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," "axial," "radial," "circumferential," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships, are based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this disclosure and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or component referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limiting this disclosure.

[0035] As shown in Figures 1 to 6, the mineralization apparatus of this embodiment includes a mineralization tank 1 and a rotor assembly 2. The mineralization tank 1 has a mechanical stirring chamber 13, which is used for mineralization, referred to here as mechanical stirring mineralization. That is, under the mechanical stirring action of the rotor assembly 2, the target particles in the slurry and the air supplied into the mechanical stirring chamber 13 cause the target particles to adhere to the air bubbles to form mineralization bubbles, thereby realizing mechanical stirring flotation. In other words, the flotation function of the flotation equipment is realized.

[0036] The bottom of the mineralization tank 1 is provided with a slurry inlet 11, which is used to supply slurry into the mechanical stirring chamber 13. The top of the mineralization tank 1 is provided with a slurry outlet 12 for discharging slurry. It can be understood that the slurry coming out of the mechanical stirring chamber 13 includes target particles attached to the air bubbles and other particles (target particles not attached to the air bubbles or other non-target particles).

[0037] Within the longitudinal section of the mineralization tank 1, i.e., along the axial direction (up and down in Figure 3) of the mineralization tank 3, the peripheral wall of the mineralization tank 1 comprises multiple line segments 14 connected in sequence, and the inclination angles of adjacent line segments 14 are different from each other. In other words, the peripheral wall of the mineralization tank 1 is not a smooth parabolic wall, but is composed of multiple straight line segments with different inclination angles. Here, it is important to understand that the peripheral wall of the mineralization tank comprises multiple line segments connected in sequence, meaning that the inner peripheral wall surface of the mineralization tank (i.e., the outer peripheral surface of the mechanical stirring chamber 13) is composed of multiple line segments connected in sequence, rather than a smooth surface such as a parabola. The outer peripheral wall surface of the mineralization tank may or may not be parallel to the inner peripheral wall surface.

[0038] The rotor assembly 2 includes a shaft 21 and a rotor 22. The lower end of the shaft 21 extends into the mechanical stirring chamber 13, and the rotor 22 is mounted on the lower end of the shaft 21 and located within the mechanical stirring chamber 13. The rotor 22 is driven to rotate by the shaft 21 to perform mechanical stirring within the mechanical stirring chamber 13. Preferably, the air used for mineralization can be supplied into the mechanical stirring chamber 13 through the shaft 12. Alternatively, a separate air supply line can be provided to supply air into the mechanical stirring chamber 13.

[0039] In the mineralization apparatus of this embodiment, slurry is introduced into the mineralization tank 1 from bottom to top through the slurry inlet 11. The rotor 22 rotates and stirs in the mechanical stirring chamber 13, and the air is broken into tiny bubbles. The target particles adhere to the bubbles to form mineralization bubbles. Because the perimeter wall of the mineralization tank 1 consists of multiple line segments 14 connected in sequence within its longitudinal section, the reflection, rectification, and turbulence effects of the inner wall of the mineralization tank 1 on the slurry and bubbles are enhanced, thus improving the mineralization and flotation effects. Moreover, since the inclination angles of adjacent line segments 14 are different, that is, the inclination angles of different parts of the perimeter wall of the mineralization tank 1 are different, the angles of reflection of different parts of the perimeter wall are different. Compared with a parabolic perimeter wall, the effect of collision between the slurry flow reflected by the perimeter wall parts with different inclination angles and between the slurry and bubbles in the mineralization tank 1 is enhanced. This further enhances the turbulence generated in the mineralization tank 1, reduces the weak mineralization zone, and further increases the generation of bubbles and the probability of them adhering to the target particles, thereby improving the mineralization and flotation effects. In addition, it can reduce local wear of the mineralization tank 1. Therefore, the mineralization apparatus of this embodiment can form a strong turbulent flow field in the mechanical stirring chamber 13, reduce the weak mineralization zone, improve the mineralization and flotation effect, reduce local wear of the mineralization tank 1, and adapt to different slurries by changing the inclination angle of different peripheral wall parts, thus improving applicability.

[0040] It is understandable that mineralization refers to the selective adhesion process between target particles and bubbles. After mineralization, the slurry includes mineralized bubbles (mineralized bubbles can be called mineralized foam after aggregation; in the following description, mineralized bubbles and mineralized foam can be used interchangeably) and other particles that are not attached to the bubbles. Mineralized bubbles are the target particles that have been attached to the bubbles. Here, the target particles that have been attached to the bubbles can also be called mineralized particles. Other particles can include target particles that have not been attached to the bubbles, non-target mineral particles that have not been attached to the bubbles, and tailings particles.

[0041] Compared with related technologies, such as mechanically stirred mineralization spaces with parabolic sidewalls, the mineralization apparatus of this disclosure improves the turbulence intensity and enhances the stirring effect by changing the shape of the peripheral sidewalls of the mineralization space, thereby improving the mineralization and flotation effects.

[0042] For example, as shown in Figures 1 to 4, the cross-sectional area of ​​the mechanical stirring chamber 13 gradually decreases from top to bottom, and the mineralization tank 1 can have a generally segmented basin-shaped structure. The segmented basin-shaped mechanical stirring chamber 13 can provide reflections in multiple directions for the slurry and bubbles stirred by the rotor, thereby enhancing the collision effect of the slurry flow, increasing the turbulence intensity, and improving the mineralization and flotation effects.

[0043] Compared to the parabolic mineralization tank 1 in related technologies, the mineralization tank 1 of the mineralization device in this embodiment is easier to process and obtain multiple reflection focal points. In other words, the mineralization tank 1 in this embodiment is more likely to achieve multiple reflection focal points close to the theoretical design, improving the practical application effect. For mineralization tanks 1 of different sizes, by adjusting the number and inclination angle of line segments 14 in the longitudinal section of the mineralization tank 1, a scheme close to the theoretical focal point can still be obtained, making it easier to realize the theoretical flow field model, that is, folding and surging along the inner wall of the mineralization tank 1 in multiple directions, thereby forming a strong turbulent flow field. The mineralization tank 1 in this embodiment can strengthen the overall mineralization and reduce the weak mineralization area 13 in the mechanical stirring chamber, reducing the situation of excessive local wear of the mineralization tank 1.

[0044] For example, for coarser particles, the distance between the upper edge of the mineralization tank 1 and the inner bottom wall (i.e., the depth of the mineralization tank 1) can be adjusted so that the particles can participate in the circulation and mixing mineralization multiple times, reducing the falling of coarse particles and avoiding the phenomenon of slurry settling to the bottom and clogging the pipeline.

[0045] The angle of the slurry outlet 12 of the mineralization tank 1 in this embodiment can be adaptively adjusted to avoid the slurry from being washed out of the mineralization tank 1 due to an excessively large angle, which is beneficial to improving the mineralization efficiency and effect of the mineralization tank 1.

[0046] Preferably, as shown in Figures 1 and 4, the angle of inclination between line segment 14 and the horizontal plane is α, where 10° ≤ α < 90°. For example, the angle of inclination α between line segment 14 and the horizontal plane can be 10°, 20°, 30°, 40°, 50°, 60°, 70°, or 80°. Alternatively, the angle of inclination α can be close to and less than 90°. The inventors of this disclosure have discovered through research and experimental verification that when the angle of inclination α between line segment 14 and the horizontal plane is within the above-mentioned angle range, the ore can participate better in circulation and mixed mineralization, enhancing the turbulence effect generated within the mineralization tank 1, and preventing the slurry from rushing out of the mineralization tank 1 along the sidewall, which is beneficial to improving the mineralization efficiency and effect of the mineralization tank 1.

[0047] Optionally, in some embodiments, the number of line segments 14 is proportional to the area of ​​the slurry outlet 12. It is understood that a larger area of ​​the slurry outlet 12 results in a greater number of line segments 14, thereby improving the reflection and rectification effect of the mineralization tank 1 and creating a strong turbulent flow field. When designing the mineralization tank 1, its structure can be adjusted as the tank size increases and the mineral type changes to meet the mineralization requirements of the mineralization device and improve the mineralization effect.

[0048] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 6 to 8, the rotor 22 is in the form of an impeller. The impeller includes a hub 221, a disk 222, a top plate 224, a bottom plate 225, and blades 223, wherein the blades 223 include an upper blade 2231 and a lower blade 2232.

[0049] A hub 221 is mounted on the lower end of a rotating shaft 21. A disc 222, a top plate 224, and a bottom plate 225 are mounted on the hub 221, with the disc 222 located between the top plate 224 and the bottom plate 225. Multiple upper blades 2231 and multiple lower blades 2232 are arranged between the upper surface of the disc 222 and the top plate 224, and are spaced apart circumferentially along the disc 222. Multiple lower blades 2232 are arranged between the lower surface of the disc 222 and the disc 222, and are spaced apart circumferentially along the disc 222. The upper blades 2231 and lower blades 2232 are either one-to-one corresponding or staggered circumferentially along the disc 222. Preferably, the upper blades 2231 and lower blades 2232 are staggered, meaning they are not aligned with each other along the impeller's axial direction.

[0050] When the impeller rotates, the upper blade 2231 on the upper side of the impeller 222 and the lower blade 2232 on the lower side of the impeller 222 rotate simultaneously. On the one hand, this can enhance the impeller's suction capacity (the ability to draw slurry from the inlet 11 into the mechanical stirring chamber 13). On the other hand, it can enhance the intensity of internal slurry circulation, improve the mineralization effect of the slurry, and enhance the selectivity in the flotation process.

[0051] For example, the upper blade 2231 and the lower blade 2232 are arranged radially, with the number of both upper blade 2231 and lower blade 2232 ranging from 4 to 16, and they are evenly distributed. It should be noted that the number of upper blade 2231 and lower blade 2232 may be equal or unequal, and this embodiment of the present disclosure does not limit this.

[0052] Since the upper blade 2231 is located between the upper surface of the impeller 222 and the top plate 224, and the lower blade 2232 is located between the lower surface of the impeller 222 and the impeller 222, the intensity of the internal slurry circulation can be further enhanced, the energy utilization rate of the impeller rotation can be improved, and the effect of bubbles capturing target particles can be enhanced, thereby enhancing the selectivity in the flotation process.

[0053] For example, the outer periphery of the top plate 224 is substantially the same in size as the outer periphery formed by the plurality of upper blades 2231. The outer periphery of the bottom plate 225 is substantially the same in size as the outer periphery formed by the plurality of lower blades 2232.

[0054] In another example, as shown in Figure 9, the rotor 22 is located within the mechanical stirring chamber 13. The rotor 22 includes a disk 222 and multiple blades 223. The disk 222 is mounted on the lower end of the rotating shaft 21. The multiple blades 223 are spaced apart along the circumferential edge of the disk 222. In the longitudinal section of the rotor 22, the outline of the outer surface of the blades 223 includes a vertical segment 2234 and an arc segment 2235. The upper end of the arc segment 2235 connects to the upper end of the vertical segment 2234 and gradually extends inward. Thus, when the rotor 22 rotates, the stirred slurry area flips upward along the arc segment. By configuring the blades 223 with the above-described structure, the mineralization apparatus of this embodiment can improve and enhance the turbulence effect of the slurry within the mechanical stirring chamber 13, enhance the bubble capture effect on target particles, strengthen the internal slurry circulation, and improve the energy utilization rate of the impeller rotation.

[0055] Optionally, as shown in Figures 16 and 17, the mechanical stirring chamber 13 is provided with a plurality of first baffles 171. These first baffles 171 are arranged circumferentially around the mineralization tank 1 and are higher than the impeller. Within the horizontal projection of the mineralization tank 1, the first baffles 171 extend inward beyond the outer circumferential contour line of the impeller. It can be understood that the outer end of the first baffle 171 is connected to the outer wall of the mineralization tank 1 or the turbulence-enhancing plate 15, and the inner end of the first baffle 171 extends towards the centerline of the rotating shaft 21 and extends directly above the impeller. Therefore, when the impeller rotates, the first baffles 171 can stop the upward-flowing slurry in the mechanical stirring chamber 13 and redirect it back into the mechanical stirring chamber 13, thereby improving the turbulence effect of mechanical stirring and mineralization, resulting in better mixing of the slurry and bubbles.

[0056] Optionally, as shown in Figures 16 and 17, the mechanical stirring chamber 13 is provided with a plurality of second baffles 172. These second baffles 172 are arranged circumferentially around the mineralization tank 1 and are lower than the impeller. Within the horizontal projection of the mineralization tank 1, the second baffles 172 extend inward beyond the outer circumferential contour line of the impeller. It can be understood that the outer end of the second baffle 172 is connected to the outer wall of the mineralization cylinder or the turbulence reinforcing plate 15, and the inner end of the second baffle 172 extends towards the centerline of the rotating shaft 21 and extends directly below the impeller. Therefore, when the impeller rotates, the second baffles 172 can stop the downward flow of the slurry in the mechanical stirring chamber 13 and deflect the slurry upward, thereby improving the turbulence effect of mechanical stirring mineralization and resulting in better mixing of the slurry and air bubbles.

[0057] Optionally, as shown in Figure 9, the rotating shaft 21 has an air supply channel 211 for supplying air for mechanical stirring and mineralization into the mechanical stirring chamber 13, and the wheel 222 has a first jet channel 2220 communicating with the air supply channel 211 in the rotating shaft 21. The jet outlet of the first jet channel 2220 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the wheel 222 and is arranged at intervals along the circumference of the wheel 222. Since the jet outlet of the first jet channel 2220 in the wheel 222 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the wheel 222 and is arranged at intervals along the circumference of the wheel 222, the mixing degree of slurry and air bubbles can be improved, thereby improving the mineralization effect of the mineralization component.

[0058] Optionally, as shown in FIG9, the blade 223 is provided with a first perforated hole 2233 extending along its thickness direction. By designing the blade 223 of the mineralization device of this embodiment of the present disclosure as a perforated structure, it is easier to generate microbubbles when the impeller rotates, resulting in better circulation and mixing of slurry and bubbles, which is more conducive to the mineralization of fine-grained minerals.

[0059] For example, the first perforation 2233 can be a strip-shaped hole or a round hole. The strip-shaped hole can extend obliquely, horizontally, or vertically. There can be multiple first perforations 2233, which are arranged discretely.

[0060] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 4 and 6, a plurality of turbulence-enhancing plates 15 may be provided inside the mechanical stirring chamber 13. These plates are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the mechanical stirring chamber 13, and are in contact with and tangentially surround the rotor 22 around the inner wall of the mechanical stirring chamber 13. When the rotor 22 rotates, the turbulence-enhancing plates 15, arranged at intervals along the circumference of the mechanical stirring chamber 13, stop and collide with the circumferentially flowing slurry within the mechanical stirring chamber 13, thereby improving the turbulence effect of the slurry within the mechanical stirring chamber 13 and thus enhancing the mineralization effect.

[0061] Optionally, as shown in Figure 4, the rotor 22 is in the form of an impeller with an outer diameter of A and a radial clearance of B between the outer edge of the impeller and the inner edge of the turbulence-enhancing plate 15 on the rotating shaft 21, wherein 0.03A ≤ B ≤ 0.2A. In other words, the clearance between the impeller and the inner edge of the turbulence-enhancing plate 15 is 3%-20% of the impeller diameter. For example, B equals 0.03A, 0.08A, 0.12A, 0.15A, or 0.2A. The inventors of this disclosed embodiment have discovered through research and experimental verification that when the impeller and the turbulence-enhancing plate 15 adopt the above structural parameters, it makes it easier for air to generate microbubbles during slurry mineralization, and the circulation mixing effect is better, which is more conducive to the flotation of fine particles.

[0062] Optionally, as shown in FIG10, the turbulence reinforcing plate 15 is provided with a second perforated hole 151 extending along its thickness direction. By designing the turbulence reinforcing plate 15 of the mineralization apparatus of this embodiment as a perforated structure, it is easier to generate microbubbles when the impeller rotates, resulting in better mixing of slurry and bubbles, which is more conducive to the flotation of fine-grained minerals, with less resistance and less energy dissipation during slurry flow.

[0063] The opening size of the second perforated hole 151 can be designed according to the mineral properties, and this embodiment does not limit this. For example, the second perforated hole 151 can be a strip hole or a round hole. The strip hole can extend obliquely, horizontally, or vertically. There can be multiple second perforated holes 151, and the multiple second perforated holes 151 are arranged discretely.

[0064] In other examples, the turbulence-enhancing plate 15 may also be a solid plate.

[0065] In some embodiments, the turbulence-enhancing plate 15 can be divided into multiple segments in the radial direction of the mineralization tank 1. These segments can be connected to each other as a whole, or they can be segmented and spaced apart. Multiple turbulence-enhancing plates 15 can be aligned radially or staggered in the radial direction. The structural form of the turbulence-enhancing plate 15 can be conveniently selected according to the characteristics of the mineral, thus improving its applicability.

[0066] Optionally, as shown in Figures 4 and 6, the upper end face of the turbulence-enhancing plate 15 is flush with the upper end face of the mineralization tank 1, and the lower end face of the turbulence-enhancing plate 15 is flush with the lower end face of the mineralization tank 1. Since the lower end face of the turbulence-enhancing plate 15 is flush with the lower end face of the mineralization tank 1, it ensures that the slurry at the bottom of the mechanical stirring chamber 13 has a good turbulence effect. The fact that the upper end face of the turbulence-enhancing plate 15 is flush with the upper end face of the mineralization tank 1 reduces the impact of turbulence within the mechanical stirring chamber 13 on the lower side of the upper region 42 above the mineralization tank 1, which is beneficial for the rising of mineralization bubbles.

[0067] In related technologies, mineralization takes place within the mineralization tank of a flotation device. The slurry is introduced from the outside into the tank, and mineralization occurs under the action of gas supply and mechanical agitation. However, the inventors have found that the large space within the mineralization tank results in poor mineralization and flotation effects and low flotation efficiency. To address this, related technologies have proposed installing a parabolic basin-shaped reflective bottom within the mineralization tank. The slurry and gas are supplied into the reflective bottom, where mechanical agitation is performed to achieve bubble mineralization. The reflective bottom reflects the slurry containing mineralized bubbles upwards, thus improving flotation efficiency. However, the inventors have found that the problems of poor mineralization and flotation effects and low efficiency still exist. Through further research, the inventors discovered that compared to mineralization within the tank, the reflective effect of the reflective bottom can improve flotation efficiency to some extent. However, because the top of the reflective bottom is open, the agitated slurry is quickly discharged from the reflective bottom due to the reflection, resulting in a short residence time and thus affecting the mineralization effect.

[0068] The mineralization apparatus of an embodiment of the present disclosure is described below with reference to Figures 1, 4, 13 and 14.

[0069] The mineralization apparatus 10 of this embodiment includes a mineralization tank 1, a cover plate 31, and a rotor assembly 2. The mineralization tank 1 has a mechanical stirring chamber 13, which is used to mineralize the bubbles generated by mechanical stirring. This is referred to as mechanical stirring mineralization, that is, under the stirring action of the rotor assembly 2, the particles in the slurry adhere to the bubbles to form mineralized bubbles. The mineralization tank 1 is provided with an inlet 11 for supplying slurry into the mechanical stirring chamber 13, and the top surface of the mineralization tank 1 is open to form a top opening.

[0070] The cover plate 31 is located above the top opening and has a gap between it and the top surface of the mineralization tank 1, and / or the cover plate 31 is installed on the top surface of the mineralization tank 1 to cover the top opening and the cover plate 31 is provided with a flow hole 311. The cover plate 31 and the mineralization tank 1 define a confined mineralization area including the mechanical stirring chamber 13. The gap and / or the flow hole 311 constitute a slurry outlet 12 for discharging slurry from the mechanical stirring chamber 13.

[0071] In other words, in some examples, there is a gap between the cover plate 31 and the top surface of the mineralization tank 1, and the gap forms the slurry outlet 12. In other examples, the cover plate 31 is provided with a flow hole 311, which forms the slurry outlet 12.

[0072] It is understood that in the embodiment where "the cover plate 31 is located above the top opening and has a gap between it and the top surface of the mineralization tank 1," this gap constitutes a slurry outlet 12 for discharging slurry from the mechanical stirring chamber 13. In the embodiment where "the cover plate 31 is installed on the top surface of the mineralization tank 1 to cover the top opening and the cover plate 31 is provided with a flow hole 311," the flow hole 311 constitutes a slurry outlet 12 for discharging slurry from the mechanical stirring chamber 13. Of course, when there is a gap between the cover plate 31 and the top surface of the mineralization tank 1, a flow hole 311 can also be provided on the cover plate 31. The above embodiments can be selected according to the specific application.

[0073] According to the mineralization apparatus 10 of this disclosure, slurry is introduced into the mineralization tank 1 from bottom to top through the slurry inlet 11. The rotor 22 rotates and stirs in the mechanical stirring chamber 13, and the air is broken into tiny bubbles. The target particles adhere to the bubbles to form mineralization bubbles. The cover plate 31 and the mineralization tank 1 define a confined mineralization area including the mechanical stirring chamber 13. This can prolong the time for the slurry to reflect, rectify and churn in the mechanical stirring chamber 13, thereby increasing the contact time, contact and impact frequency between the bubbles and the target particles, thereby improving the mineralization and flotation effect, and thus improving the mineralization and flotation efficiency of the mineralization apparatus 10.

[0074] It is understood that the mineralization apparatus 10 of this embodiment improves the sealing of the mechanical stirring chamber 13 by providing a cover plate 31 on the upper side of the mechanical stirring chamber 13. This prolongs the time for the slurry to reflect, rectify, and churn within the mechanical stirring chamber 13, thereby increasing the contact time, number of contacts, and number of impacts between bubbles and target particles, thus improving the mineralization and flotation effects. Furthermore, the flow field disturbances generated by the rotation of the rotor 22 are blocked by the cover plate 31, which reduces the turbulence intensity in the lower side of the upper region 42 above the mechanical stirring chamber 13, which is beneficial for the rising of mineralization bubbles.

[0075] In other words, the slurry flows more intensely in the relatively enclosed and smaller area covered by the cover plate 31, resulting in finer bubbles that are more easily captured by microparticles. The mineralized bubbles flow more smoothly in the lower part of the upper region 42 above the mechanical stirring chamber 13, resulting in more stable adhered particles that are less likely to detach.

[0076] Optionally, the area of ​​the top opening is smaller than the maximum cross-sectional area of ​​the mineralization tank 1. It is understood that the top opening of the mineralization tank 1 is arranged in a gradually narrowing pattern. For example, the cross-sectional area of ​​the mechanical stirring chamber 13 located in the middle of the mineralization tank 1 is larger than the area of ​​the top opening.

[0077] When the rotor 22 rotates, the slurry can flow upward along the inner wall of the mineralization tank 1. Since the top opening of the mineralization tank 1 is arranged in a gradually narrowing manner, a portion of the upward-flowing slurry can be returned to the mechanical stirring chamber 13 for further mechanical stirring and mineralization. This can prolong the time for the slurry to reflect, rectify, and churn in the mechanical stirring chamber 13, thereby increasing the contact time, contact, and collision frequency between bubbles and target particles, thus improving the mineralization and flotation effect.

[0078] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG4, the slurry inlet 11 is located at the lower part of the mineralization tank 1 and adjacent to the bottom surface of the mineralization tank 1, or the slurry inlet 11 is located on the bottom surface of the mineralization tank 1. It is understood that the bottom wall surface of the mineralization tank 1 is open to form the slurry inlet 11. Alternatively, the slurry inlet 11 may also be located on the side wall of the mineralization tank 1 adjacent to the bottom.

[0079] In some examples, as shown in Figure 4, the slurry inlet 11 is located on the bottom wall of the mineralization tank 1. For example, the slurry inlet 11 is arranged opposite to the bottom surface of the rotor 22, thereby further dispersing the slurry by the rotor 22 to increase the turbulence intensity of the slurry in the mineralization tank 1.

[0080] In other examples, the slurry inlet 11 is located on the side wall of the mineralization tank 1 and is arranged near the bottom of the mineralization tank 1, which can reduce the upward impact force of the slurry, extend the mineralization time of the slurry in the mineralization tank 1, and improve the mineralization effect.

[0081] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 13 and 14, the mechanical stirring chamber 13 is generally spherically notched or ellipsoidally notched. "Spherically notched" means that a notch is provided at the upper end of a sphere to form a top opening. In the longitudinal section of the spherically notched mechanical stirring chamber 13, the outline of the mechanical stirring chamber 13 is a perfectly circular outline with the upper end flush. "Ellipsoidally notched" means that a notch is provided at the upper end of an ellipsoid to form a top opening. In the longitudinal section of the ellipsoidally notched mechanical stirring chamber 13, the outline of the mechanical stirring chamber 13 is an elliptical outline with the upper end flush.

[0082] The mineralization apparatus 10 of this disclosure, by configuring the mechanical stirring chamber 13 with the above-described structure, allows the slurry to tumble and surge multiple times along the inner wall of the mineralization tank 1, thereby forming a strong turbulent flow field. The mineralization tank 1 of this disclosure can be mineralized as a whole and the weak mineralization areas within the mechanical stirring chamber 13 can be reduced, thus reducing the possibility of excessive local wear in the mineralization tank 1.

[0083] Optionally, when the mechanical stirring chamber 13 is spherically shaped, the cover plate 31 is located above the center O1 of the sphere in the mechanical stirring chamber 13. The mineralization apparatus 10 of this disclosure, by configuring the mechanical stirring chamber 13 as described above, allows a portion of the upward-flowing slurry to be returned to the mechanical stirring chamber 13 for further mechanical stirring and mineralization. This extends the time for the slurry to reflect, rectify, and churn within the mechanical stirring chamber 13, thereby increasing the contact time, number of contacts, and number of impacts between bubbles and target particles, thus improving the mineralization and flotation effects.

[0084] Optionally, when the mechanical stirring chamber 13 is ellipsoidally shaped, the minor axis L2 of the mechanical stirring chamber 13 extends vertically, the major axis L1 of the mechanical stirring chamber 13 extends horizontally, and the cover plate 31 is located above the major axis L1. The mineralization apparatus 10 of this disclosure, by configuring the mechanical stirring chamber 13 as described above, allows a portion of the upward-flowing slurry to be returned to the mechanical stirring chamber 13 for further mechanical stirring and mineralization. This prolongs the time for the slurry to reflect, rectify, and churn within the mechanical stirring chamber 13, thereby increasing the contact time, contact frequency, and impact frequency between bubbles and target particles, thus improving the mineralization and flotation effects.

[0085] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG4, the mineralization apparatus further includes a feed box 33, which is disposed below the mineralization tank 1. The feed box 33 has an inlet connected to the feed pipe 32 to supply slurry into the feed box 33 and an outlet connected to the slurry inlet 11 to supply slurry from the feed box 33 to the mechanical stirring chamber 13. The feed box 33 and the mineralization tank 1 are manufactured separately or integrally. It is understood that the feed pipe 32 first supplies slurry into the feed box 33, and then the slurry enters the mineralization tank 1 through the feed box 33. The mineralization apparatus of this embodiment, by providing a feed box 33 below the mineralization tank 1, can buffer the slurry before it enters the mineralization tank 1, allowing the slurry to quickly enter the flow field of the impeller stirring, which is beneficial to improve the turbulence effect of the slurry in the mechanical stirring chamber 13, enhance the capture effect of bubbles on target particles, and enhance the intensity of internal slurry circulation.

[0086] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 4 and 12, the mineralization apparatus further includes an anti-settling assembly 34, which includes at least one of a first rake 341 and a spray gun 342. The first rake 341 is disposed at the bottom of the mechanical mixing chamber 13 and below the rotor 22, and the first rake 341 can be driven to rotate by a rotating shaft 21. The spray gun 342 extends to the bottom of the mechanical mixing chamber 13 for spraying water and / or gas, preferably air, onto the bottom of the mechanical mixing chamber 13.

[0087] When the anti-settling component 34 is in the form of a first rake 341, the first rake 341 is located at the bottom of the mechanical mixing chamber 13 and below the rotor 22, and is driven to rotate by the rotating shaft 21. When the anti-settling component 34 is in the form of a spray gun 342, the spraying end of the spray gun 342 extends into the bottom of the mechanical mixing chamber 13 to spray water and / or gas onto the bottom of the mechanical mixing chamber 13. The first rake 341 and the spray gun 342 can agitate the minerals at the bottom of the mechanical mixing chamber 13, preventing minerals from settling and clogging the mechanical mixing chamber 13, which is beneficial to improving the mineralization effect of the slurry. Moreover, the air sprayed by the spray gun 342 can further agitate and mineralize, thereby improving the mineralization effect. Preferably, an air passage can also be provided in the first rake 341, so that a portion of the agitating gas supplied through the rotating shaft 21 is sprayed onto the bottom of the mechanical mixing chamber 13 through the first rake 341, which not only improves the effect of preventing particle settling and agglomeration, but also improves the mineralization effect.

[0088] In other examples, the cross-sectional area of ​​the mechanically stirred chamber 13 gradually increases from both ends toward the middle of the mechanically stirred chamber 13 along the longitudinal direction of the mineralization tank 1. Taking the central longitudinal section of the mechanically stirred chamber 13 as the dividing line, the cross-sectional area of ​​the upper half of the mechanically stirred chamber 13 gradually increases from top to bottom, while the cross-sectional area of ​​the lower half of the mechanically stirred chamber 13 gradually decreases from top to bottom. This reduces the probability of the slurry flowing out along the inner wall of the upper edge of the mechanically stirred chamber 13, enhances the turbulence effect of the slurry within the mechanically stirred chamber 13, and results in lower turbulence intensity in the lower part of the upper region 42 above the mechanically stirred chamber 13, which is beneficial for improving the mineralization effect and efficiency.

[0089] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the rotating shaft 21 has a gas supply channel 211 for supplying mineralizing gas to the mechanical stirring chamber 13. It is understood that the gas in the mechanical stirring chamber 13 can be supplied through the gas supply channel 211 in the rotating shaft 21, so that the rotating shaft 21 can both drive the rotor 22 to rotate and provide mineralizing gas to the mechanical stirring chamber 13, and the structure is compact, reducing the number of parts used.

[0090] In other examples, the mineralization device can also introduce mineralization gas into the mechanical stirring chamber 13 through a pipeline at the slurry inlet 11 of the mineralization tank 1, or the gas can be introduced into the mechanical stirring chamber 13 by self-priming.

[0091] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the flotation equipment of this disclosure includes: a mineralization device, a tank 4, and a drive device 35. The mineralization device is the same as that of this disclosure. The mineralization device is disposed inside the tank 4, and the drive device 35 is disposed above the tank 4 and connected to the rotating shaft 21 of the mineralization device to drive the rotating shaft 21 to rotate.

[0092] The flotation equipment of this embodiment can form a strong turbulent flow field in the mechanical stirring chamber 13, reduce the weak mineralization zone, improve the mineralization effect, and reduce local wear of the mineralization tank 1.

[0093] In some embodiments, the flotation equipment further includes an aeration device 5. The tank 4 has an upper region 42 and a column separation region 81. The upper region 42 is located above the mineralization tank 1. The column separation region 81 includes a lower region 41 and a connecting region 43. The lower region 41 is located below the mineralization tank 1. The connecting region 43 is located between the outer peripheral wall of the mineralization tank 1 and the inner peripheral wall of the tank 4. The aeration device 5 is connected to the lower region 41 and is used to inject gas into the lower region 41 to perform column separation on the slurry entering the column separation region 81 from the mechanical stirring chamber 13. Thus, the flotation equipment of this embodiment realizes the dual functions of flotation equipment and flotation column, improving the flotation effect.

[0094] Understandably, mineralized foam accumulates in the upper region 42, while the lower region 41 is used for column separation. Mineralized bubbles in the slurry discharged from the mechanical stirring chamber 13 rise into the upper region 42. The slurry containing other particles (target particles not attached to the bubbles, and non-target mineral particles not attached to the bubbles) enters the lower region 41 through the connecting region 43. The aeration device 5 is connected to the lower region 41 and is used to introduce gas into the lower region 41 to perform column separation on the slurry entering the lower region 41. The drive device 35 is located above the tank 4 and connected to the rotating shaft 21 of the mineralization device to drive the rotating shaft 21 to rotate.

[0095] According to the flotation equipment of the present disclosure, mechanical stirring mineralization and column flotation can be carried out in the mechanical stirring chamber in the mineralization tank and in the lower region 41 located below the mechanical stirring chamber in the tank body 4, respectively. This can further improve the mineralization effect of the flotation equipment, and the combination of mechanical stirring mineralization and gas stirring mineralization improves the mineralization and flotation effect and improves the applicability to minerals.

[0096] During the mineralization of the slurry in the flotation equipment, the slurry is introduced into the mineralization tank 1 from bottom to top through the inlet 11. The rotor 22 rotates and stirs the slurry in the mechanical stirring chamber 13, breaking up the air into tiny bubbles. The target particles adhere to these bubbles to form mineralization bubbles. Because the perimeter of the mineralization tank 1 consists of multiple sequentially connected line segments 14 in its longitudinal section, and the inclination angles of adjacent line segments 14 are different, the slurry can achieve a better mineralization effect under the multi-directional reflection and rectification effect of the inner wall of the mineralization tank 1. The mineralization bubbles flow out from the outlet 12 of the mineralization tank 1 and flow upward to the upper region 42. Particles that do not adhere to the bubbles can flow out from the outlet 12 of the mineralization tank 1 and enter the lower region 41 through the connecting area 43 under the action of gravity. Under the action of the aeration device 5, column separation can be carried out in the lower region 41. The mineralized bubbles after column separation flow upward to the upper region 42 through the connecting area 43. The tailings fall to the bottom of the tank 4 under the action of gravity and are discharged out of the tank 4 through the discharge port 44.

[0097] Specifically, the drive device 35 can be a combination structure of a drive motor and a pulley assembly, that is, the drive motor drives the pulley assembly to rotate, and the pulley assembly drives the rotating shaft 21 to rotate synchronously.

[0098] Optionally, the flotation equipment in this embodiment of the present disclosure may not include the aeration device 5, so that the flotation equipment performs flotation only by mechanical stirring.

[0099] As shown in Figure 1, the bottom of the tank 4 can be any shape such as conical (funnel-shaped), pyramidal, or wedge-shaped to guide the tailings and thus improve the efficiency of tailings being discharged from the discharge port 44.

[0100] Optionally, as shown in Figures 1 to 4, the flotation equipment further includes multiple guide plates 16. The guide plates 16 are disposed within the connecting region 43 between the outer wall of the mineralization tank 1 and the inner wall of the tank body 4, and are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the mineralization tank 1. The guide plates 16 can guide the slurry containing particles not attached to the bubbles downwards into the lower region 41, and can also guide the mineralized bubbles after column separation upwards into the upper region 42. The guide plates 16 can reduce the turbulence intensity within the connecting region 43, which is beneficial for improving the mineralization and flotation effects of the flotation equipment.

[0101] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG11, the flotation device further includes a froth scraping assembly 6, which includes a rotatable scraper 61. The scraper 61 is disposed within the tank 4 and located in the froth zone above the upper region 42. The scraper 61 is arc-shaped or involute-shaped, and the angle between the scraper 61 and the vertical plane is 0-30 degrees. It is understood that the rotation axis of the scraper 61 is collinear with the axis of the tank 4. When the scraper 61 rotates, it can scrape the mineralized froth in the froth zone to collect and discharge the mineralized froth.

[0102] As shown in Figure 11, since the scraper 61 is arc-shaped or involute-shaped, its extension path can be extended, reducing the resistance during its movement and lowering energy consumption. Furthermore, the angle between the scraper 61 and the vertical plane can be 0-30 degrees, for example, 1 degree, 10 degrees, 15 degrees, 20 degrees, 25 degrees, and 30 degrees. This allows for rapid foam scraping by the scraper 61, and it can scrape a thicker foam layer, thus improving its foam scraping efficiency.

[0103] Optionally, the scrapers 61 are arranged in at least two layers at intervals in the vertical direction, with multiple scrapers 61 in each layer, and the multiple scrapers 61 in each layer are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the tank 4. By setting at least two layers of scrapers 61, the flotation equipment of this embodiment can improve the separation effect of mineralized bubbles and improve the bubble scraping efficiency of the scrapers 61.

[0104] For two adjacent scraper layers 61, the number of scraper layers 61 in the upper layer can be greater than the number of scraper layers 61 in the lower layer. Understandably, the upper scraper layers 61 are arranged more densely, while the lower scraper layers 61 are arranged more sparsely. The sparsely arranged scraper layers 61 in the lower layer can sort the mineralized foam in the upper region 42, while the densely arranged scraper layers 61 in the upper layer can increase the amount of mineralized foam scraped when rotating, allowing for the scraping of a thicker foam layer and improving the foam scraping efficiency of the scraper layers 61.

[0105] Optionally, the scraper 61 can be adjusted along the axial position of the tank 4 so that the scraped layer of the scraper 61 is adapted to the grade of the ore, thereby improving the compatibility and applicability of the flotation equipment and expanding its application range. For example, the scraper 61 can be mounted on the rotating shaft 21 with a clamp-type structure, and the position of the scraper 61 along the rotating shaft 21 can be adjusted up and down.

[0106] Optionally, the scraper 61 is provided with a third perforated hole (not shown) that runs through its thickness direction, i.e., it is designed as a perforated structure, which can make the scraper 61 scrape bubbles more smoothly.

[0107] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG3, the flotation equipment further includes a pre-mineralization device 36, which is used to pre-mineralize the slurry. The pre-mineralization device 36 is located outside the tank 4 and communicates with the slurry inlet 11 of the mechanical stirring chamber 13 to supply the pre-mineralized slurry into the mechanical stirring chamber 13. The pre-mineralization device 36 can be a mechanical stirring mineralization type or an aerated mineralization type. It can be understood that when the flotation equipment is used, the slurry is first pre-mineralized by the pre-mineralization device 36, that is, a portion of microbubbles are first formed in the slurry, so that some target particles are attached to the bubbles. Then, the pre-mineralized slurry is fed into the mineralization tank 1 through the feed pipe 32 for mechanical stirring mineralization flotation, and then enters the lower region 41 for column flotation. This can further improve the mineralization effect, which is particularly beneficial for the flotation of fine particles.

[0108] Optionally, a turbulence suppression grid 37 is provided inside the tank 4, located in the lower region 41 and adjacent to the upper region 42. It is understood that the turbulence suppression grid 37 is located on the upper side of the lower region 41 to reduce the turbulence intensity in the connecting region 43 and improve the flotation effect and efficiency of the flotation equipment.

[0109] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG2, the turbulence suppression grid 37 may be located below the upper region 42. The turbulence suppression grid 37 can suppress the turbulence intensity within the upper region 42, thereby improving the flotation effect.

[0110] For example, the tank 4 is provided with an upper turbulence suppression grid 371, which is located above the mineralization tank 1 and spaced at a predetermined distance from it. This reduces the turbulence of the slurry above the mineralization tank 1, allowing mineralization bubbles to flow smoothly upwards into the upper region 42. This prevents the slurry flow above the mineralization tank 1 from becoming more chaotic, thus improving the mineralization and flotation effects of the flotation equipment.

[0111] Optionally, the position of the turbulence suppression grid 37 in the vertical direction is adjustable. Thus, the flotation equipment can adjust the turbulence suppression grid 37 to an appropriate position according to different flotation minerals or flotation effects, thereby expanding the application range of the flotation equipment and achieving better turbulence suppression effect.

[0112] Another embodiment of the flotation apparatus of this disclosure is described below with reference to Figures 1 and 15.

[0113] The flotation equipment of this embodiment includes: a tank 4, a mineralization device 10, an aeration device 5, a drive device 35, and a flow guiding assembly 38. The inner cavity of the tank 4 includes an upper region 42, a mechanical stirring region 711, and a column separation region 81. The mineralization device 10 includes a rotor assembly 2 and a mineralization tank 1.

[0114] The mineralization tank 1 is located inside the tank body 4. The column separation area 81 includes a lower area 41 and a connecting area 43. The upper area 42 is located above the mineralization tank 1, the lower area 41 is located below the mineralization tank 1, and the connecting area 43 is located between the outer peripheral wall of the mineralization tank 1 and the inner peripheral wall of the tank body 4. It can be understood that the upper area 42, the connecting area 43, and the lower area 41 are arranged sequentially from top to bottom.

[0115] The mineralization tank 1 has a mechanical stirring chamber 13 that constitutes a mechanical stirring zone 711. The bottom of the mineralization tank 1 is provided with a slurry inlet 11 for supplying slurry into the mechanical stirring chamber 13, and the top of the mineralization tank 1 is provided with a slurry outlet 12 for discharging the mechanically stirred slurry. It is understood that the slurry coming out of the mechanical stirring chamber 13 includes target particles (mineral particles attached to bubbles) and other particles (target particles not attached to bubbles or other non-target particles).

[0116] The rotor assembly 2 includes a shaft 21 and a rotor 22. The lower end of the shaft 21 extends into the mechanical stirring chamber 13. The rotor 22 is located inside the mechanical stirring chamber 13 and is installed at the lower end of the shaft 21 so that it is driven to rotate by the shaft 21 to perform mechanical stirring and mineralization within the mechanical stirring chamber 13. That is, under the mechanical stirring action of the rotor assembly 2, the target particles in the slurry and the air supplied into the mechanical stirring chamber 13 cause the target particles to adhere to the air bubbles to form mineralized bubbles, thereby achieving mechanical stirring flotation.

[0117] The rotating shaft 21 may be provided with an air supply channel 211 for supplying mineralizing gas to the mechanical stirring chamber 13. Alternatively, a separate air supply pipeline may be provided to supply air to the mechanical stirring chamber 13.

[0118] As shown in Figure 15, the aeration device 5 is connected to the lower region 41 and is used to fill the lower region 41 with gas to perform column separation on the slurry entering the column separation region 81 from the mechanical stirring chamber 13. The drive device 35 is located above the tank 4 and connected to the rotating shaft 21 to drive the rotating shaft 21 and the rotor 22 to rotate. The upper end of the flow guiding component 38 is connected to the upper region 42 and the lower end of the flow guiding component 38 is connected to the lower region 41. The flow guiding component 38 is used to transport the mineralized bubbles in the lower region 41 to the upper region 42.

[0119] According to the flotation equipment of this disclosure, during mineralization, slurry is introduced into the mineralization tank 1 from bottom to top through the slurry inlet 11. The rotor 22 rotates and stirs in the mechanical stirring chamber 13 to generate mineralization foam. The mineralization foam can flow out from the slurry outlet 12 of the mineralization tank 1 and flow upward to the upper region 42. Other mineral particles that are not attached to the bubbles flow out from the slurry outlet 12 of the mineralization tank 1 with the slurry and, under the action of gravity, enter the lower region 41 through the connecting region 43. Under the action of air supplied by the aeration device 5, other mineral particles that are not attached to the bubbles (target particles or other non-target particles that are not attached to the bubbles) can be column-separated in the lower region 41. The mineralization bubbles after column separation flow upward from the lower region 41 to the upper region 42 through the flow guiding component 38. The tailings after column separation fall to the bottom of the tank 4 and are discharged under the action of gravity. Since other particles that are not attached to the bubbles enter the lower region 41 through the connecting region 43, and the mineralized foam after column separation enters the upper region 42 through the flow guiding component 38, the problem of convection interference between the two is avoided, resulting in good flotation effect and high flotation efficiency.

[0120] Understandably, by setting the flow guiding component 38, the mineralized foam generated after column separation mainly enters the upper region 42 from the lower region 41 through the flow guiding component 38. Of course, a small portion of the mineralized bubbles can also pass through the connecting region 43 and enter the upper region 42 from the lower region 41.

[0121] As shown in Figure 15, a discharge port 44 is provided at the bottom of the tank 4. Mineral particles that have not adhered to air bubbles after column separation fall to the bottom of the tank 4 under the action of gravity and are discharged through the discharge port 44. The drive device 35 can be a combination structure of a drive motor and a pulley assembly, that is, the drive motor drives the pulley assembly to rotate, and the pulley assembly drives the rotating shaft 21 to rotate synchronously.

[0122] Optionally, the flow guiding component 38 is disposed within the tank body 4, with its lower end located in the lower region 41 and its upper end extending upward through the connecting region 43 into the upper region 42. It is understood that disposing of the flow guiding component 38 within the tank body 4 reduces the overall space occupied by the flotation equipment. Because the flow guiding component 38 passes through the connecting region 43, the space of the transport and separation channel can be utilized. That is, particles that have not adhered to air bubbles after mechanical stirring can flow downward through the connecting region 43 to the lower region 41, while the mineralized foam after column flotation is guided by the flow guiding component 38 through the connecting region 43 and upward into the upper region 42. This avoids the problem of particles not adhered to air bubbles interacting with the mineralized foam generated by column flotation through vertical convection, thus improving the flotation effect and efficiency of the flotation equipment.

[0123] In another example, as shown in Figure 15, the flow guiding component 38 is located outside the tank 4. The lower end of the flow guiding component 38 is connected to the lower region 41, and the upper end of the flow guiding component 38 is connected to the upper region 42. It can be understood that the flow guiding component 38 is arranged outside the tank 4 and does not occupy the space of the connecting region 43. This improves the efficiency and speed at which particles that have not adhered to air bubbles after mechanical stirring flow downwards through the connecting region 43 into the lower region 41.

[0124] Compared to the scheme of placing the flow guiding component 38 inside the tank 4, the embodiments disclosed herein can reduce the radial dimension of the connecting area 43, that is, the distance between the mineralization tank 1 and the tank 4 can be appropriately reduced, so that the installation structure of the tank 4 and the mineralization device 10 is more compact.

[0125] In some embodiments, the flow guiding assembly 38 includes a flow guiding pipe 381 and a flow guiding pump (not shown), with the flow guiding pump mounted on the flow guiding pipe 381. It is understood that the lower end of the flow guiding pipe 381 communicates with the lower region 41, and the upper end of the flow guiding pipe 381 communicates with the upper region 42. The mineralized foam formed in the lower region 41 can be transported to the upper region 42 through the flow guiding pipe 381, and the flow guiding pump can drive the mineralized foam to flow within the flow guiding pipe 381. The flotation device of this disclosure, by configuring the flow guiding assembly 38 in the above form, has a simple structural design, is easy to assemble, and has a good flow guiding effect.

[0126] For example, as shown in Figure 15, the lower end of the guide tube 381 can be funnel-shaped. It can be understood that having a funnel-shaped opening at the lower end of the guide tube 381 can increase the opening area of ​​the lower port of the guide tube 381, so that the mineralized foam can enter the guide tube 381 better through the lower end of the guide tube 381, thereby improving the guiding efficiency of the guide tube 381.

[0127] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG15, the upper region 42 may include a transport separation zone 421 and a foam zone 422. The foam zone 422 is located at the top of the upper region 42, and the transport separation zone 421 is located in the general middle of the upper region 42. Preferably, the upper end of the flow guiding component 38 is connected to the transport separation zone 421. It can be understood that the upper opening of the flow guiding component 38 is generally located in the middle of the upper region 42 and is at a certain distance from the foam zone 422. Therefore, when the flow guiding component 38 introduces mineralized foam into the transport separation zone 421, it then enters the foam zone 422 from above, avoiding the influence of the flow of mineralized bubbles discharged by the flow guiding component 38 on the foam in the foam zone 422 and improving the flotation effect.

[0128] Another embodiment of the flotation apparatus of this disclosure is described below with reference to Figures 16 and 17.

[0129] The flotation equipment of this embodiment includes: a tank 4, a mineralization device 10, an aeration device 5, and a drive device 35. The mineralization tank 1 is located inside the tank 4 and is disposed on the bottom wall of the tank 4. The area between the outer peripheral wall of the mineralization tank 1 and the inner peripheral wall of the tank 4 constitutes a column separation area 81 surrounding the mineralization tank 1.

[0130] The mineralization device 10 includes a rotor assembly 2 and a mineralization tank 1. The mineralization tank 1 has a mechanical stirring chamber 13 for mechanically stirring the slurry. The bottom of the mineralization tank 1 is provided with an inlet 11 for supplying slurry into the mechanical stirring chamber 13, and the top of the mineralization tank 1 is provided with an outlet 12 for discharging slurry. It is understood that the slurry coming out of the mechanical stirring chamber 13 includes target particles attached to the air bubbles and other particles (target particles not attached to the air bubbles or other non-target particles).

[0131] The rotor assembly 2 includes a shaft 21 and a rotor 22. The lower end of the shaft 21 extends into the mechanical stirring chamber 13, and the rotor 22 is installed at the lower end of the shaft 21 and located within the mechanical stirring chamber 13. The shaft 21 is provided with an air supply channel 211 for supplying gas to the mechanical stirring chamber 13. Under the mechanical stirring action of the rotor assembly 2, the target particles in the slurry and the air supplied to the mechanical stirring chamber 13 cause the target particles to adhere to the air bubbles, forming mineralized bubbles, thereby achieving mechanical stirring flotation.

[0132] The aeration device 5 is connected to the column separation zone 81 and is used to introduce gas into the column separation zone 81 for column separation of the slurry entering the column separation zone 81 from the mechanical stirring chamber 13. The drive device 35 is located above the tank 4 and connected to the rotating shaft 21 to drive the rotating shaft 21 and the rotor 22 to rotate.

[0133] According to the flotation apparatus of the present disclosure, during mineralization, slurry is introduced into the mineralization tank 1 from bottom to top through the slurry inlet 11. The rotor 22 rotates and stirs in the mechanical stirring chamber 13, breaking up air to form microbubbles. Target particles adhere to the bubbles to form mineralization bubbles. The slurry containing mineralization bubbles and particles not attached to bubbles can flow out from the slurry outlet 12 of the mineralization tank 1, with the mineralization bubbles flowing upward. The area between the outer peripheral wall of the mineralization tank 1 and the inner peripheral wall of the tank body 4 constitutes the column separation region 81 surrounding the mineralization tank 1. Therefore, slurry containing other particles not attached to bubbles can flow directly into the column separation region 81 after exiting from the slurry outlet 12 of the mineralization tank 1. Under the action of gas supplied by the aeration device 5, particles not attached to bubbles can be column separated in the column separation region 81, and the mineralization bubbles generated after column separation flow upward. The flotation equipment of the present disclosure adopts an inner and outer nested combination structure, which can reduce the axial dimension of the flotation equipment and reduce the problem of the upward and downward convection of particles that have not adhered to the bubbles after mechanical stirring and mineralized bubbles after column separation, which is beneficial to improving the flotation effect and flotation efficiency.

[0134] Specifically, the tank 4 has an upper region 42 located above the mineralization tank 1. The mineralization bubbles generated after mechanical stirring and after column separation both flow upward to the upper region 42.

[0135] In the relevant technology, the upper region 42, the mechanical stirring zone and the column separation zone 81 are arranged sequentially along the vertical direction of the tank 4. The flow direction of the mechanically stirred slurry into the column separation zone 81 is opposite to the direction of the mineralization bubbles from the column separation zone 81 into the upper region 42, which affects the mineralization and flotation effect.

[0136] The flotation equipment of the present disclosure forms a column flotation area 81 surrounding the mineralization tank 1 in the area between the outer peripheral wall of the mineralization tank 1 and the inner peripheral wall of the tank body 4. This allows the column flotation mineralization process to mainly take place between the inner walls of the mineralization tank 1 and the tank body 4, which helps to reduce the overall height of the equipment and reduces the adverse effects of the vertical convection of particles that have not adhered to the bubbles after mechanical stirring and the mineralization bubbles in the column flotation on the flotation effect.

[0137] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG17, the mineralization tank 1 includes a cylinder 181 and a tank bottom 182, with the tank bottom 182 connected to the lower end of the cylinder 181. Because the peripheral wall of the mineralization tank 1 has a cylindrical structure 181, it can increase the horizontal turbulence of the slurry, making the energy of the slurry flow more concentrated and its utilization efficiency higher. When fine-particle minerals can achieve the same mineralization effect, it can reduce energy dissipation, or, with the same energy, provide sufficient mineralization kinetic energy, and more easily form microbubbles.

[0138] Optionally, as shown in Figure 17, the bottom of the tank 182 is a cone that gradually tapers from top to bottom. For example, the bottom 182 of the mineralization tank 1 is generally a segmented basin-shaped structure. The segmented basin-shaped bottom 182 can provide a vertically upward reflective force for the slurry thrown out by the impeller, which is more conducive to the rise of bubbles.

[0139] Another embodiment of the flotation apparatus of this disclosure is described below with reference to Figures 1 and 12.

[0140] The flotation equipment of this embodiment includes: a tank 4, a mineralization device 10, and an anti-settling device. The mineralization device 10 includes a rotor assembly 2 and a mineralization tank 1.

[0141] The mineralization tank 1 is located inside the tank body 4. The mineralization tank 1 has a mechanical stirring chamber 13, which is used for mineralization. This is called mechanical stirring mineralization. Under the mechanical stirring action of the rotor assembly 2, the target particles in the slurry and the air supplied into the mechanical stirring chamber 13 cause the target particles to adhere to the air bubbles to form mineralization bubbles, thereby realizing mechanical stirring flotation.

[0142] The bottom of the mineralization tank 1 is provided with a slurry inlet 11, which is used to supply slurry into the mechanical stirring chamber 13. The top of the mineralization tank 1 is provided with a slurry outlet 12, which is used to discharge the mechanically stirred slurry. It is understood that the slurry coming out of the mechanical stirring chamber 13 includes target particles attached to the air bubbles and other particles (target particles not attached to the air bubbles or other non-target particles).

[0143] The rotor assembly 2 includes a shaft 21 and a rotor 22. The lower end of the shaft 21 extends into the mechanical stirring chamber 13 through the slurry outlet 12. The rotor 22 is installed at the lower end of the shaft 21 and is located in the mechanical stirring chamber 13. An anti-settling device is installed in the mechanical stirring chamber 13 and is located below the rotor 22. It is used to stir the mineral particles that have settled at the bottom of the mechanical stirring chamber 13.

[0144] According to the flotation equipment of this disclosure, during mineralization, the slurry is fed into the mineralization tank 1 from bottom to top through the slurry inlet 11. The rotor 22 rotates and stirs within the mechanical stirring chamber 13, breaking up air to form microbubbles. Mineral particles adhere to these bubbles, forming mineralized bubbles. The slurry containing both mineralized bubbles and mineral particles not attached to bubbles flows out from the slurry outlet 12 of the mineralization tank 1, with the mineralized bubbles flowing upwards. Since the anti-settling device is installed within the mechanical stirring chamber 13 and located below the rotor 22, it can agitate the mineral particles settled at the bottom of the mechanical stirring chamber 13, thereby preventing the problem of settled mineral particles within the mechanical stirring chamber 13 and ensuring the flotation effect of the flotation equipment.

[0145] When a large amount of mineral particles settle at the bottom of the mechanical stirring chamber 13, the effective volume within the mechanical stirring chamber 13 decreases, thereby affecting the mixing effect of the slurry and bubbles within the mechanical stirring chamber 13, and consequently reducing the yield of mineralized foam, thus impacting the final flotation effect of the flotation equipment. Therefore, the flotation equipment of this embodiment can use an anti-settling device to agitate the mineral particles settled at the bottom of the mechanical stirring chamber 13, thereby avoiding the problem of mineral particles settling within the mechanical stirring chamber 13.

[0146] Optionally, the anti-settling device includes a first rake frame 341, which is located at the lower end of the rotor 22 and is drively connected to the rotating shaft 21. It is understood that both the first rake frame 341 and the rotor 22 are mounted on the rotating shaft 21, and when the rotating shaft 21 rotates, it can simultaneously drive both the first rake frame 341 and the rotor 22 to rotate. In other words, the first rake frame 341 and the rotor 22 share a single power source, thereby making the flotation equipment more compact and cost-effective.

[0147] In some embodiments, the rotating shaft 21 has a gas supply channel 211 for supplying gas to the mechanical stirring chamber 13, and the first rake frame 341 is provided with an anti-settling first jet channel 2220, which is connected to the gas supply channel 211. The jet nozzle of the anti-settling first jet channel 2220 is vertically downward or inclined downward toward the bottom wall of the mineralization tank 1. It is understood that the gas in the mechanical stirring chamber 13 is supplied through the gas supply channel 211 in the rotating shaft 21, thereby allowing the rotating shaft 21 to both drive the rotor 22 to rotate and provide mechanical stirring mineralization gas to the mechanical stirring chamber 13. Since the anti-settling first jet channel 2220 is connected to the gas supply channel 211, and the jet nozzle of the anti-settling first jet channel 2220 is vertically downward or inclined downward toward the bottom wall of the mineralization tank 1, the mechanical stirring mineralization gas can impact the bottom wall of the mineralization tank 1, thereby resuspending the mineral particles settled at the bottom of the mechanical stirring chamber 13 and allowing them to participate in mineralization, thus improving the mineralization effect of the mineralization tank 1.

[0148] In addition, the rotation of the first rake frame 341 and the airflow ejected from the first anti-settling jet channel 2220 on the first rake frame 341 can jointly agitate the mineral particles at the bottom of the mechanical mixing chamber 13, which can further prevent the problem of mineral particles settling in the mechanical mixing chamber 13.

[0149] Optionally, a water supply channel (not shown) is provided inside the rotating shaft 21, and a water spraying channel (not shown) is provided inside the first rake frame 341. The water spraying channel is connected to the water supply channel, and the spray nozzles of the water spraying channel are vertically downward or inclined downward toward the bottom wall of the mineralization tank 1. It is understood that an external water source can be connected to the water supply channel, which can introduce water into the water spraying channel so that the water flow impacts the bottom wall of the mineralization tank 1, thereby resuspending the mineral particles settled at the bottom of the mechanical stirring chamber 13 and participating in mineralization.

[0150] In addition, the rotation of the first rake frame 341 and the water sprayed from the water spray channel on the first rake frame 341 can jointly agitate the mineral particles at the bottom of the mechanical mixing chamber 13, which can further prevent the problem of mineral particles settling in the mechanical mixing chamber 13.

[0151] Optionally, as shown in Figure 4, the anti-settling device can be an anti-settling spray gun 342. One end of the anti-settling spray gun 342 is connected to an air source or a water source, and the other end of the anti-settling spray gun 342 extends into the mechanical mixing chamber 13 and is arranged near the bottom of the mechanical mixing chamber 13. It is understood that the anti-settling spray gun 342 can spray air or water into the bottom of the mechanical mixing chamber 13 to agitate the mineral particles at the bottom of the mechanical mixing chamber 13, thereby preventing the problem of mineral particles settling within the mechanical mixing chamber 13. The spraying end of the anti-settling spray gun 342 can face the side wall or bottom wall of the mechanical mixing chamber 13.

[0152] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG9, the rotor 22 includes a disk 222 and a plurality of blades 223. The disk 222 is mounted on the lower end of the rotating shaft 21, and the plurality of blades 223 are arranged at intervals along the circumferential edge of the disk 222. By configuring the blades 223 with the above-described structure, the flotation equipment of this embodiment can improve the turbulence effect of the slurry in the mechanical stirring chamber 13, enhance the capture effect of bubbles on target minerals, strengthen the internal slurry circulation, and improve the energy utilization rate of the impeller rotation.

[0153] Specifically, as shown in Figures 9 and 12, the rotating shaft 21 has a gas supply channel 211 for supplying gas to the mechanical stirring chamber 13. The wheel 222 has a first jet channel 2220 communicating with the gas supply channel 211 in the rotating shaft 21. The first jet outlet of the first jet channel 2220 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the wheel 222 and is arranged at intervals along the circumference of the wheel 222. The blade 223 has a second jet channel 2230 communicating with the first jet channel 2220, and the second jet outlet of the second jet channel 2230 is formed on the surface of the blade 223. This allows the mechanically stirred mineralizing gas to be injected into the mechanical stirring chamber 13 through multiple jet outlets, which is more conducive to the mixing of the slurry and the mechanically stirred mineralizing gas, thus improving the mineralization effect of the mineralization device 10.

[0154] Another embodiment of the flotation apparatus of this disclosure is described below with reference to Figure 1.

[0155] As shown in Figure 1, the aeration device 5 includes an aeration spray gun 51, which is used to spray gas into the lower region 41 to perform column separation on the slurry that enters the lower region 41 from the mechanical stirring chamber 13. The spraying end of the aeration spray gun 51 extends into the tank 4 and is located below the mineralization tank 1. In the vertical direction, the distance between the spraying end and the bottom wall of the mineralization tank 1 is less than the distance between the spraying end and the discharge port 44.

[0156] Since the distance between the nozzle end of the aeration gun 51 and the bottom wall of the mineralization tank 1 is smaller than the distance between the nozzle end and the discharge port 44, the turbulence of the slurry in the lower region 41 can be enhanced, resulting in a strong turbulent flow field in the lower region 41. This is beneficial to improving the mineralization effect of the flotation equipment and can reduce the problem of the nozzle end of the aeration gun 51 being blocked by mineral particles that have not adhered to the air bubbles.

[0157] Compared to the gas supply method using a gas distribution pipe, the aeration nozzle 51 can increase the gas flow rate, generate stronger turbulence, and is less prone to clogging. Furthermore, since the distance between the nozzle end of the aeration nozzle 51 and the bottom wall of the mineralization tank 1 is smaller than the distance between the nozzle end and the discharge port 44, it can further enhance the turbulence of the slurry in the lower region 41, creating a strong turbulent flow field within the lower region 41, which is beneficial for improving the mineralization effect of the flotation equipment.

[0158] Furthermore, since the nozzle of the air-filling spray gun 51 is positioned as far away from the bottom of the tank 4 as possible, the problem of the nozzle being clogged by mineral particles that have not adhered to the air bubbles can be reduced, which helps improve the reliability of the air-filling spray gun 51. In addition, the air-filling spray gun 51 does not require components such as a drive motor to be installed on the tank 4, making it convenient to use and disassemble, and reducing costs.

[0159] Optionally, as shown in Figure 1, the lower end of the tank 4 has a conical section 45, the cross-section of which gradually decreases from top to bottom. A discharge port 44 is located at the lower end of the conical section 45. The aeration spray gun 51 includes a first spray gun 511, the discharge end of which is located above the conical section 45 and adjacent to the axis of the tank 4. By designing the lower end of the tank 4 as a conical section 45, the flotation equipment of this embodiment can guide the flow of mineral particles not attached to air bubbles, thereby improving the smoothness of the discharge from the discharge port 44 and avoiding the problem of mineral particles accumulating at the bottom of the tank 4.

[0160] Furthermore, since the ejection end of the first spray gun 511 is located above the conical section 45, it will not affect the normal discharge of mineral particles that have not adhered to the air bubbles, thus avoiding the problem of mineral particles that have not adhered to the air bubbles participating in turbulent mineralization again, which is beneficial to improving the flotation efficiency of the flotation equipment. By arranging the ejection end of the first spray gun 511 near the axis of the tank 4, the gas ejected by the first spray gun 511 can be close to the center of the tank 4, so that the gas can be dispersed in all directions, improving the uniformity of gas and slurry mixing.

[0161] For example, there are multiple first spray guns 511, which are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the tank 4 to further improve the mixing effect of gas and slurry.

[0162] Further, as shown in Figure 1, the aeration spray gun 51 includes multiple second spray guns 512, which are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the tank 4. The ejection ends of the second spray guns 512 are located above the conical section 45 and between the ejection ends of the first spray gun 511. It can be understood that the ejection ends of the second spray guns 512 are located below the ejection ends of the first spray guns 511. The first spray gun 511 and the second spray gun 512 simultaneously inject gas into the tank 4 to improve the mixing effect of the gas and slurry in the lower region 41.

[0163] In other words, when the gas ejected by the first spray gun 511 fails to capture the target mineral, the gas ejected by the second spray gun 512 below it can be further mixed with the slurry to ensure sufficient mixing of the gas and the slurry.

[0164] In addition, since there are multiple second spray guns 512, and these multiple second spray guns 512 are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the tank body 4, the mixing effect of gas and slurry is further improved.

[0165] Optionally, as shown in Figure 1, the aeration spray gun 51 includes multiple third spray guns 513, which are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the tank 4. The spraying ends of the third spray guns 513 are located within the conical section 45. Since the spraying ends of the third spray guns 513 are located within the conical section 45, when the third spray guns 513 spray gas, they can agitate the slurry at the bottom of the tank 4 that has not been attached to air bubbles to prevent mineral particles from settling. This avoids the problem of blockage at the discharge port 44 caused by mineral particle settling, which is beneficial to ensuring the normal operation of the flotation equipment.

[0166] In addition, since there are multiple third spray guns 513, and these multiple third spray guns 513 are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the tank body 4, the mixing effect of gas and slurry can be further improved, and the problem of blockage of discharge port 44 caused by mineral particle deposition can be avoided.

[0167] Understandably, the first spray gun 511, the second spray gun 512, and the third spray gun 513 work together to perform stepwise mixing of the slurry containing particles that have not adhered to air bubbles, thereby improving the mineralization effect.

[0168] For example, the nozzle of the second spray gun 512 is open in a horizontal direction, and the nozzle of the third spray gun 513 is directed towards the slurry outlet 12. This allows the gas to be evenly distributed in the lower region 41 and reduces the problem of blockage at the discharge port 44 caused by mineral particle deposition.

[0169] Furthermore, the spraying directions of the several second spray guns 512 and the several third spray guns 513 intersect each other. This can enhance the turbulence of the slurry in the lower region 41, creating a strong turbulent flow field in the lower region 41, which is beneficial to improving the mineralization effect of the flotation equipment.

[0170] In one example, the air-filled spray gun 51 consists of an inner tube and an outer tube, with the inner tube fitted inside the outer tube. The inner tube has a first air jet channel, and a second air jet channel is defined between the inner and outer tubes. This allows the gas to be sprayed more evenly and facilitates the formation of tiny mineralization bubbles, resulting in a better mineralization effect.

[0171] In another example, the air-spraying gun 51 is equipped with an air-distributing head (not shown) at the spray end. The air-distributing head has multiple air-distributing holes spaced apart from each other. The multiple air-distributing holes are connected to the spray end, which makes the gas spray more uniform and facilitates the formation of tiny mineralization bubbles, resulting in a better mineralization effect.

[0172] Another embodiment of the flotation apparatus of this disclosure is described below with reference to Figures 18 to 20.

[0173] The flotation equipment of this embodiment includes: a mechanical stirring device 20, a column separator 30, a first connecting pipe 91, and a second connecting pipe 92. The mechanical stirring device 20 includes a first tank 7, a mineralization tank 1, a rotor assembly 2, and a bubble scraping assembly 6. The rotor assembly 2 includes a rotating shaft 21 and a rotor 22. The column separator 30 includes a second tank 8 and an aeration device 5.

[0174] As shown in Figures 18 to 20, the first tank 7 is provided with a mechanical stirring area 711 and a first foam area 712. The first foam area 712 is located above the mechanical stirring area 711. The mineralization tank 1 is located in the mechanical stirring area 711 and has a mechanical stirring chamber 13. The mechanical stirring chamber 13 is used for mineralization within it, which is referred to as mechanical stirring mineralization. That is, under the mechanical stirring action of the rotor assembly 2, the target particles in the slurry and the air supplied into the mechanical stirring chamber 13 cause the target particles to adhere to the bubbles to form mineralization bubbles, thereby realizing mechanical stirring flotation.

[0175] The lower end of the rotating shaft 21 extends into the mechanical stirring chamber 13 through the slurry inlet 11 on the top surface of the first tank 7. The rotor 22 is installed at the lower end of the rotating shaft 21 and located inside the mechanical stirring chamber 13. The foam scraping assembly 6 is located above the first foam zone 712. The second tank 8 is located outside the first tank 7. The second tank 8 has a column separation zone 81 and a second foam zone 82. The second foam zone 82 is located above the column separation zone 81. The aeration device 5 is connected to the column separation zone 81 and is used to inject gas into the column separation zone 81 to perform column separation on the slurry entering the column separation zone 81.

[0176] As shown in Figures 18 to 20, the first connecting pipe 91 is connected to the mechanical stirring zone 711 and the column separation zone 81, and is used to transport mineral particles in the mechanical stirring zone 711 that have not been attached to bubbles to the column separation zone 81. The second connecting pipe 92 is connected to the first foam zone 712 and the second foam zone 82, and is used to transport the mineralized foam in the second foam zone 82 to the first foam zone 712.

[0177] According to the flotation equipment of this disclosure, during mineralization, the slurry is first fed into the first tank 7, and the rotor 22 rotates in the mechanical stirring chamber 13 to generate mineralization bubbles. Mineral particles that are not attached to the bubbles enter the second tank 8 through the first connecting pipe 91. Under the action of the gas supplied by the aeration device 5, the mineral particles that are not attached to the bubbles are subjected to column separation. Then, the mineralized foam after column separation is fed into the first foam zone 712 through the second connecting pipe 92. Then, the mineralized foam is separated in the first tank 7 by the foam scraping assembly 6. Since the first tank 7 and the second tank 8 are independent of each other and the slurry is floated multiple times, the problem of mutual interference between mechanical stirring and column separation can be avoided, thereby improving the flotation effect of the flotation equipment.

[0178] In the example of this disclosure, the mechanical agitator 20 and the column separator 30 are connected in series. The mechanical agitator 20 can mechanically agitate the slurry, and the column separator 30 can perform column separation on the slurry. The mineralized foam after column separation is then transported back to the first tank 7 and enters the first foam zone 712 together with the mechanically agitated mineralized foam. Then, the mineralized foam is separated by the foam scraping assembly 6. Compared with the scheme of integrating mechanical agitation and aeration agitation in the same tank 4, this disclosure can avoid the problem of mutual interference between mechanical agitation flotation and column separation, and improve the flotation effect of the flotation equipment.

[0179] In some embodiments, the rotating shaft 21 has a gas supply channel 211 for supplying gas to the mechanical stirring chamber 13. It is understood that the gas in the mechanical stirring chamber 13 is supplied through the gas supply channel 211 in the rotating shaft 21, so that the rotating shaft 21 can both drive the rotor 22 to rotate and supply gas to the mechanical stirring chamber 13, and the structure is compact, reducing the number of parts used.

[0180] In other examples, the mineralization device 10 can also introduce gas into the mechanical stirring chamber 13 through a pipeline at the outlet 12 of the mineralization tank 1, or the gas can be introduced into the mechanical stirring chamber 13 by self-priming.

[0181] Optionally, as shown in Figures 18 and 19, the flotation equipment further includes a first drive motor (not shown) and a first auger shaft 93. The first auger shaft 93 is disposed within the first connecting pipe 91, and the first drive motor is connected to the first auger shaft 93 to drive the slurry flow within the first connecting pipe 91. It is understood that the first drive motor drives the first auger shaft 93 to rotate. When the first auger shaft 93 rotates, it can drive the slurry within the first connecting pipe 91 from the first tank 7 into the second tank 8, thereby completing the slurry transport. By configuring the first connecting pipe 91 with the above-described structure, the flotation equipment of this embodiment can improve the smoothness of slurry transport and avoid the problem of slurry clogging the first connecting pipe 91.

[0182] In another example, the second tank 8 is located below the first tank 7. Mineral particles in the mechanically agitated zone 711 that are not attached to air bubbles flow by gravity through the first connecting pipe 91 into the column separation zone 81. It is understood that because the first tank 7 is positioned higher, the connection point between the first connecting pipe 91 and the first tank 7 is higher than the connection point between the first connecting pipe 91 and the second tank 8. Therefore, the slurry in the first connecting pipe 91 can flow into the second tank 8 under gravity, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the flotation equipment.

[0183] Optionally, the flotation device further includes a second drive motor (not shown) and a second auger shaft (not shown). The second auger shaft is disposed within the second connecting pipe 92, and the second drive motor is connected to the second auger shaft to drive the flow of mineralized foam within the second connecting pipe 92. It is understood that the second drive motor drives the second auger shaft to rotate. When the second auger shaft rotates, it can carry the mineralized foam within the second connecting pipe 92 from the second tank 8 into the first tank 7, thereby completing the conveying of the mineralized foam. By configuring the second connecting pipe 92 with the above-described structure, the flotation device of this embodiment can improve the smoothness of mineralized foam conveying and avoid the problem of mineralized foam clogging the second connecting pipe 92.

[0184] In another example, the second tank 8 is located above the first tank 7, and the mineralized foam in the second froth zone 82 flows by gravity into the first froth zone 712. Understandably, because the second tank 8 is positioned higher, the connection point between the second connecting pipe 92 and the second tank 8 is higher than the connection point between the second connecting pipe 92 and the first tank 7. Therefore, the mineralized foam in the second connecting pipe 92 can flow into the first froth zone 712 of the first tank 7 under gravity, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the flotation equipment.

[0185] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 18 and 19, the flotation equipment further includes a buffer tank 94, which is equipped with a stirring device 95. The buffer tank 94 is connected in series with the first connecting pipe 91. It is understood that the slurry in the first tank 7 can first enter the buffer tank 94 for buffering before being introduced into the second tank 8. On the one hand, the slurry can be further stirred by the stirring device 95 in the buffer tank 94 to perform remineralization flotation, which is beneficial to improving the upmineralization effect. On the other hand, when the material in the second tank 8 is full, it can be first introduced into the buffer tank 94 for storage, ensuring that the flotation equipment can operate continuously without shutdown.

[0186] In some examples, as shown in Figure 19, multiple mechanical agitators 20 are connected in series, with the last mechanical agitator 20 connected to the second tank 8. It can be understood that the slurry undergoes stepwise mineralization through multiple mechanical agitators 20, and finally, the mineral particles not attached to air bubbles are passed into the column separator 30 (second tank 8), thereby further improving the mineralization effect. Furthermore, since the number of mechanical agitators 20 can be stacked, the number can be selectively increased or decreased depending on the type of slurry, thus broadening the application range of the flotation equipment.

[0187] In other examples, there are multiple column separators 30, connected in series, with the first column separator 30 connected to the first tank 7. It is understood that after the slurry passes through the mechanical agitator 20, it can be fed into the column separator 30 for column separation. Since there are multiple column separators 30, they can perform tiered column separation on the mechanically agitated slurry to further improve the mineralization effect. Furthermore, because the number of column separators 30 can be stacked, the number of mechanical agitators 20 can be selectively increased or decreased depending on the type of slurry, thereby broadening the application range of the flotation equipment.

[0188] Optionally, as shown in Figure 19, the flotation equipment further includes a second rake 39, which is installed at the bottom of the inner cavity of the first tank 7. The second rake 39 can rotate around the axis of the first tank 7 to prevent the accumulation of mineral particles at the bottom of the first tank 7 and to improve the smoothness of discharge from the discharge port 44 of the first tank 7.

[0189] Alternatively, the second rake 39 can be installed at the bottom of the inner cavity of the second trough 8. The second rake 39 can rotate around the axis of the second trough 8 to prevent the accumulation of mineral particles at the bottom of the second trough 8, which helps to improve the smoothness of material discharge from the discharge port 44 of the second trough 8.

[0190] In this disclosure, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example, which is included in at least one embodiment or example of this disclosure. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0191] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this disclosure, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0192] In this disclosure, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a connection that allows communication between components; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise expressly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this disclosure according to the specific circumstances.

[0193] In this disclosure, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "on top of," and "over" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0194] Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described above, it is to be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A mineralization device, characterized in that, include: A mineralization tank has a mechanical stirring chamber inside. The bottom of the mineralization tank is provided with an inlet for supplying slurry into the mechanical stirring chamber, and the top of the mineralization tank is provided with an outlet for discharging the mechanically stirred slurry. In the longitudinal section of the mineralization tank, the peripheral wall of the mineralization tank includes a plurality of line segments connected in sequence, and the inclination angles of adjacent line segments are different from each other. A rotor assembly, comprising a shaft and a rotor, the lower end of the shaft extending into the mechanical stirring chamber, the rotor being located within the mechanical stirring chamber and mounted on the lower end of the shaft to be driven to rotate by the shaft to perform mechanical stirring within the mechanical stirring chamber.

2. The mineralization apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of line segments is proportional to the area of ​​the slurry outlet; And / or, the angle of inclination between the line segment and the horizontal plane is α, where 10°≤α<90°.

3. The mineralization apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The rotor is an impeller, which includes a hub, a disc, a top plate, a bottom plate, and blades. The blades include upper blades and lower blades. The hub is mounted on the lower end of the rotating shaft. The disc, the top plate, and the bottom plate are mounted on the hub, with the disc located between the top plate and the bottom plate. There are multiple upper blades and multiple lower blades. The multiple upper blades are located between the upper surface of the disc and the top plate and are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the disc. The multiple lower blades are located between the lower surface of the disc and the disc and are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the disc. The upper blades and the lower blades are either one-to-one corresponding or staggered along the circumference of the disc.

4. The mineralization apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The rotor includes a disk and multiple blades. The disk is mounted on the lower end of the rotating shaft. The multiple blades are spaced apart along the outer periphery of the disk in the circumferential direction. In the longitudinal section of the rotor, the outline of the outer surface of the blades includes a vertical segment and an arc segment. The upper end of the arc segment is connected to the lower end of the vertical segment and gradually extends inward.

5. The mineralization apparatus according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The mechanical stirring chamber is provided with multiple turbulence-enhancing plates, which are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the mechanical stirring chamber and are in contact with the inner wall of the mechanical stirring chamber.

6. The mineralization apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that, The rotor is an impeller with an outer diameter of A and a gap of B between the outer edge of the impeller and the inner edge of the turbulence reinforcement plate in the radial direction of the rotating shaft, wherein 0.03A≤B≤0.2A.

7. The mineralization apparatus according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The mineralization apparatus further includes a cover plate, the top surface of the mineralization tank is open to form a top opening, the cover plate is located above the top opening, and the cover plate and the mineralization tank define a confined mineralization area including the mechanical stirring chamber. There is a gap between the cover plate and the top surface of the mineralization tank, and the gap constitutes the slurry outlet; and / or, the cover plate is provided with a flow hole, and the flow hole constitutes the slurry outlet.

8. The mineralization apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that, The area of ​​the top opening is smaller than the maximum cross-sectional area of ​​the mineralization tank; And / or, the mechanical stirring chamber is spherical or ellipsoidal in shape.

9. A flotation device, characterized in that, include: A mineralization device, wherein the mineralization device is any one of claims 1-8; The tank body, wherein the mineralization device is disposed within the tank body; A driving device is provided above the tank and connected to the rotating shaft of the mineralization device to drive the rotating shaft to rotate.

10. The flotation equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that, The flotation equipment further includes an aeration device. The tank has an upper region and a column separation region. The upper region is located above the mineralization tank. The column separation region includes a lower region and a connecting region. The lower region is located below the mineralization tank. The connecting region is located between the outer peripheral wall of the mineralization tank and the inner peripheral wall of the tank. The aeration device is connected to the lower region and is used to introduce gas into the lower region to perform column separation on the slurry entering the column separation region from the mechanical stirring chamber.

11. The flotation apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that, The flotation equipment also includes multiple guide plates, which are disposed in the connected area and are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the mineralization tank.

12. The flotation apparatus according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The flotation equipment also includes a foam scraping device, which includes a rotatable scraper. The scraper is disposed in the tank and located in the foam zone above the upper region. The scraper is arc-shaped or involute-shaped, and the angle between the scraper and the vertical plane is 0-30 degrees.

13. The flotation apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that, The scraper consists of at least two layers and is arranged at intervals in the vertical direction. Each layer has multiple scrapers, and the multiple scrapers in each layer are arranged at intervals in the circumference of the groove. In two adjacent scraper layers, the number of scrapers in the upper layer is greater than the number of scrapers in the lower layer. And / or, the scraper is adjustable along the axial position of the groove; And / or, the scraper is provided with a third perforated hole extending along its thickness direction.

14. The flotation apparatus according to any one of claims 10-13, characterized in that, The tank is provided with turbulence suppression grids located in the upper region and / or the lower region, and the position of the turbulence suppression grids is adjustable in the vertical direction.

15. The flotation apparatus according to any one of claims 10-14, characterized in that, The flotation equipment also includes an anti-settling device, which is installed inside the mechanical stirring chamber and located below the rotor, and is used to agitate the mineral particles that have settled at the bottom of the mechanical stirring chamber.

16. The flotation apparatus according to claim 15, characterized in that, The anti-settlement device includes a first rake frame, which is located at the lower end of the rotor and is connected to the rotating shaft for drive by the rotating shaft; And / or, the anti-settling device includes an anti-settling spray gun, one end of which is connected to an air source or a water source, and the other end of which extends into the mechanical mixing chamber and is arranged adjacent to the bottom of the mechanical mixing chamber.

17. The flotation apparatus according to any one of claims 10-15, characterized in that, The bottom of the tank is provided with a discharge port. The inflation device includes an inflation spray gun, which is used to spray gas into the lower region. The spray nozzle of the inflation spray gun extends into the tank and is located below the mineralization tank. In the vertical direction, the distance between the spray nozzle and the bottom wall of the mineralization tank is less than the distance between the spray nozzle and the discharge port.

18. The flotation apparatus according to claim 17, characterized in that, The lower end of the tank has a tapered section, the cross-section of which gradually decreases from top to bottom. The discharge port is located at the lower end of the tapered section. The air-filling spray gun includes a first spray gun, the spraying end of which is located above the tapered section and is arranged adjacent to the axis of the tank. And / or, the inflatable spray gun includes a plurality of second spray guns, the plurality of second spray guns being arranged circumferentially spaced along the groove, the spraying ends of the second spray guns being located above the conical section and between the spraying ends of the first spray gun; And / or, the inflatable spray gun includes a plurality of third spray guns, which are arranged at circumferential intervals along the groove, and the spraying ends of the third spray guns are located within the conical section.

19. The flotation apparatus according to any one of claims 10-18, characterized in that, The flotation equipment further includes a flow guiding component, the upper end of which is connected to the upper region and the lower end of which is connected to the lower region. The flow guiding component is used to transport mineralized bubbles in the lower region to the upper region.

20. The flotation apparatus according to claim 19, characterized in that, The flow guiding component is disposed in the tank, with the lower end of the flow guiding component located in the lower region and the upper end of the flow guiding component extending upward through the connecting region into the upper region; Alternatively, the flow guiding component may be disposed outside the tank body, with its lower end connected to the lower region and its upper end connected to the upper region.

21. The flotation apparatus according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that, The flow guiding assembly includes a flow guiding pipe and a flow guiding pump, wherein the flow guiding pump is mounted on the flow guiding pipe; And / or, the flow guiding assembly includes a flow guiding tube, the lower end of which is funnel-shaped.

22. The flotation apparatus according to claim 20 or 21, characterized in that, The upper region includes a transport separation zone and a foam zone. The foam zone is located at the top of the upper region, and the transport separation zone is located in the general middle of the upper region. The upper end of the flow guiding component is connected to the transport separation zone.

23. The flotation equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that, The mineralization tank is located on the bottom wall of the tank body. The area between the outer peripheral wall of the mineralization tank and the inner peripheral wall of the tank body constitutes a column separation area. The rotating shaft is provided with a gas supply channel for supplying gas to the mechanical stirring chamber. The flotation equipment also includes an aeration device and a drive device. The aeration device is connected to the column separation area and is used to fill the column separation area with gas to perform column separation on the slurry entering the column separation area from the mechanical stirring chamber. The drive device is located above the tank body and connected to the rotating shaft to drive the rotating shaft and the rotor to rotate.

24. A flotation device, characterized in that, include: A mechanical stirring device, comprising a first tank and a mineralization device, wherein the mineralization device is the mineralization device according to any one of claims 1-8, and the mineralization device further comprises a foam scraping component, wherein the first tank is provided with a mechanical stirring area and a first foam area, the first foam area is provided above the mechanical stirring area, the mineralization tank is provided in the mechanical stirring area, and the foam scraping component is provided in the first foam area. A column separation device, comprising a second tank and an aeration device, wherein the second tank is located outside the first tank, and the second tank contains a column separation area and a second foam area, wherein the second foam area is located above the column separation area, and the aeration device is connected to the column separation area and is used to inject gas into the column separation area to perform column separation on the slurry entering the column separation area. A first connecting pipe is connected to the mechanical stirring area and the column separation area, and is used to transport mineral particles that have not been attached to air bubbles in the mechanical stirring area to the column separation area. The second connecting pipe, which connects to the first foam zone and the second foam zone, is used to transport the mineralized foam in the second foam zone to the first foam zone.

25. The flotation apparatus according to claim 24, characterized in that, The mechanical stirring device is a plurality of such devices, which are connected in series, and the mechanical stirring device at the end of the series is connected to the second tank. And / or, there are multiple column sorting devices, which are connected in series, with the column sorting device at the first end of the series connected to the first slot.

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