Coarse Fine Flotation Segmentation for Tailings Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tailings storage facilities (TSFs) are costly and inefficient due to the high silt content in tailings, which limits drainage and requires significant storage space, especially in areas with water scarcity and problematic location conditions.
Innovation Solution
An integrated processing system utilizing coarse particle flotation to reduce the need for TSFs by comminuting ore, classifying it into fractions for coarse and fine flotation, dewatering the coarse sand residue, grinding oversize material, and blending it with thickened fine tailings to create a stable, free-draining stack.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional fine flotation is used to recover minerals, then mineral recovery is achieved, but high silt content in tailings reduces hydraulic conductivity and increases storage requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the flotation process into coarse flotation and fine flotation stages. Coarse flotation handles larger particles (150-700 micron) that can be effectively separated at coarser sizes, while fine flotation handles the remaining finer particles. This segmentation allows the coarse fraction to be removed before thickening, reducing the silt content in the final tailings and improving hydraulic conductivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary coarse flotation before fine flotation and thickening. By performing coarse flotation first, valuable minerals in the coarse size range are recovered and removed from the tailings stream before the thickening process. This preliminary action reduces the silt content that would otherwise end up in the tailings storage facility, improving drainage characteristics.
2Manufacturing precision
If ore is ground to fine sizes for conventional flotation, then mineral liberation is improved, but energy consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the size reduction and flotation process into two distinct stages: coarse flotation for particles 150-700 micron, and fine flotation for finer particles. This allows coarse particles to be processed at lower energy costs without requiring fine grinding, while still achieving effective mineral recovery through the two-stage flotation approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of flotation by introducing coarse flotation at larger particle sizes (150-700 micron) before proceeding to fine flotation. This parameter change in particle size handling allows recovery of coarse minerals without the high energy consumption associated with fine grinding, thereby reducing overall comminution energy requirements.
3Use of energy by moving object
If coarse flotation is implemented to reduce grinding energy, then energy costs decrease, but separation efficiency for fine particles is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the particle size handling into coarse flotation (150-700 micron) and fine flotation stages. Coarse flotation efficiently handles larger particles with lower energy input, while fine flotation subsequently processes the remaining finer particles to maintain high overall separation efficiency. This segmentation allows the system to optimize for both energy efficiency and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent maintains continuous mineral recovery through the two-stage flotation process. Coarse flotation removes recoverable minerals from the coarse fraction, and fine flotation continues the recovery process for finer particles. This continuous useful action ensures high overall separation efficiency while allowing the coarse stage to operate at lower energy consumption.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This system significantly reduces the need for TSFs by enhancing the ratio of sand residue to fine tailings, allowing for stable and free-draining stacking, thereby minimizing storage requirements and water consumption, while maintaining high mineral recoveries and reducing energy costs.
Implementation Method 1
fine grinding of the ore (e.g. copper, gold, zinc/lead, nickel, platinum group metals, etc.) is required to liberate the values from the containing gangue, to selectively float the values in a froth flotation cell
Implementation Method 2
Tailings 24 from the fine flotation 20 are thickened in a thickener 26
Data Source
AI summary
THIS invention relates to a process for recovering value metals from ore (50) configured such as to substantively reduce or eliminate the need for a tailings storage facility. This object is achieved through an integrated processing system designed to enhance the ratio of sand residue from coarse flotation (62) to the amount of tailings arising from fine flotation (72), and then blending a proportion of coarse and fine flotation gangue materials into a free draining stack (82).